Momentum sagging at UN plastic pollution treaty talks

As reported by Agence France Presse (via France24), the negotiations, which opened on Tuesday, have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem choking the environment.

In a blunt mid-way assessment, talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso warned the 184 countries negotiating at the United Nations that they had to get shifting to get a deal.

“Progress made has not been sufficient,” Vayas told delegates.

The key fracture is between countries that want to focus on waste management and others who want a more ambitious treaty that also cuts production and eliminates use of the most toxic chemicals.

And with the talks relying on finding consensus, it has become a game of brinkmanship.

Bjorn Beeler, executive director at IPEN, a global network aimed at limiting toxic chemicals, told AFP: “This whole process has not been able to take decisions and is still collecting ideas. We’re sleepwalking towards a cliff and if we don’t wake up, we’re falling off.”

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