The failure of the UN plastic treaty negotiations highlights a significant divide in global environmental diplomacy regarding plastic pollution. Small island nations face severe plastic pollution without contributing much to it. Conversely, economies reliant on oil and plastic production resist commitments to cut plastic production. Efforts began in 2022, yet no agreement was reached. About 100 nations sought stricter regulations on plastic, but major oil-producing states opposed these measures, reflecting entrenched interests that hinder effective action against plastic pollution.
"At one end of the spectrum are the small island states, which are confronted with immense plastic pollution on their coasts and in their seas without contributing significantly to the pollution themselves," said Jochen Flasbarth, Germany's state secretary for the environment.
"It is deeply disappointing to see some countries that are trying to block an agreement, a treaty that will give us the instruments needed to tackle plastic pollution, one of the biggest pollution problems we have on Earth," Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke told DW early Friday morning.
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