U.N. Plastic Pollution Talks Underway in Busan, South Korea

TaiwanPlus News

Delegates have arrived in Busan, South Korea, to find a way to address plastic pollution. The U.N. summit is aiming to negotiate a legally binding global treaty to reduce global plastic waste.

Transcript

00:00No more plastic! No more plastic!

00:03Hundreds of environmental activists take to the streets of South Korea's Busan

00:08as the fifth session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Committee, or INC5, gets

00:13underway in the city. The session aims to secure a world-first international treaty to curb the

00:19explosive growth of plastic pollution, and these demonstrators hope the delegates live up to the

00:25promise. So INC5 and the Global Plastics Treaty represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for

00:31us to address plastic pollution, what is a global problem, at a global scale. And so we're here to

00:38demand that leaders from around the world step up and protect human health, our climate, and

00:43biodiversity from the scourge of plastic. Nearly half a billion tons of plastic waste are produced

00:51each year, more than double the amount from two decades ago. It's proven a major issue, with

00:58pollution piling up in rivers and oceans and particles of plastic even found in clouds and

01:03human breast milk. To address the issue, the session's delegates from 175 countries will spend

01:09the next week negotiating an agreement that will be legally binding globally. Policies raised over

01:15the past four sessions include capping new plastic production at 2020 levels and mandating new

01:21products be made with at least 40% recycled plastic, something many developing countries

01:27are on board with as they struggle to cope with waste. Reusable plastic cups is a very good idea

01:34because Sri Lanka is facing huge plastic pollution using the single-use plastic cups and single-use

01:41items. A broad coalition of countries has also supported going a step further by reining in

01:47production with a focus on restricting single-use plastics. That notion even backed by the US,

01:54a major plastics producer, and supported by environmental activists. We can't look at the

01:59waste management solutions without looking at production caps. We have to slow down

02:06and start phasing out of plastic production and plastic products.

02:11But the idea has some powerful opposers. Major producers of plastics and the fossil fuels used

02:17to make those materials, including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, want to focus on waste

02:23management. That's despite scientists saying recycling isn't keeping up with production.

02:29Estimating only 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally. There are also fears the United States

02:36incoming Trump administration could withdraw US support.

02:40Those lingering divisions are casting doubt on whether an agreement will be reached.

03:00But while there are competing approaches to reduce plastic pollution,

03:04the broad consensus among delegates is that waste must be reduced. At the rate things are going,

03:10without a treaty, plastic production will double by 2050 and triple by 2060, an outcome no one here

03:18wants to see. And while debate is expected throughout the week, hopes are high that there

03:23will be some action towards lowering plastic pollution, whether or not session delegates

03:28agree on a full final treaty. Alex Chen and Rosie Greninger for Taiwan Plus.

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