“…China, which had been aligned with the oil producers, made it clear in writing that it wanted to use both the [non-]paper and the draft as the basis for negotiations. In particular, China has reportedly indicated that it is willing to accept the language in the [non-]paper on regulating the production of primary plastic polymers (plastic raw materials derived from fossil fuels)… One explanation for China’s change in stance is that it wants to take the lead in the environmental sector in the run-up to the Trump administration.”
Korea Herald
26 November 2024
“Details later”…plastic agreement may be little more than a ‘declaratory agreement’
Oil producers shift position, accept chairman’s ‘non-paper’ proposal
Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting runs through next month
Lee Taehyung
Negotiations on an international agreement to end plastic pollution picked up pace on the first day, agreeing on a ‘starting point’ for negotiations, but a compromise proposal by the chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to declare general principles rather than spell out specifics in the agreement means that a strong agreement with specific timing and percentage cuts is unlikely.
According to [South Korean] government and negotiators on the 26th, they agreed to negotiate on the basis of a “non-paper” presented by INC Chairman Luis Vallas Valvidieso during a meeting the previous afternoon.
Decisions at the negotiating table were unanimous, with a number of countries, including South Korea, accepting the non-paper, while oil producers who had opposed it changed their stance and accepted it.
The non-paper is a negotiating tool that condenses the 77-page draft agreement into a 17-page document. Initially, oil producers reportedly insisted that the draft, not the paper, should be the basis for negotiations.
The so-called “Like-Minded Group” (LMG), which includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Kuwait, has consistently voiced objections and concerns to the paper and insisted on negotiating based on the draft. Discussing the draft has been interpreted as a way to delay an agreement.
In addition, Russia has also stated that both the paper and the draft should be utilized, and that it will not accept anything related to “regulating plastic production.
Based on the 77-page draft, which is said to have 3,686 disagreements, it is virtually impossible to finalize the text in time for the fifth round of negotiations.
This has led to concerns that the negotiations will not be completed on time or at all.
This has led to speculation that the situation has changed since the start of the fifth round of negotiations, when China, which had been aligned with the oil producers, made it clear in writing that it wanted to use both the paper and the draft as the basis for negotiations.
In particular, China has reportedly indicated that it is willing to accept the language in the paper on regulating the production of primary plastic polymers (plastic raw materials derived from fossil fuels).
The regulation of primary plastic polymer production is the biggest issue in the negotiations, with the paper stating, “the need to manage the supply of primary polymers to achieve sustainable levels of production and consumption of plastics through their life cycle.”
One explanation for China’s change in stance is that it wants to take the lead in the environmental sector in the run-up to the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, the U.S. delegation at the talks argued that each country should develop its own plan. In August, it was reported that the U.S. would support a global reduction target for plastics like it does for greenhouse gases, but the position has shifted in favor of what industry wants.
While a starting point has been agreed upon, the differences between countries are so sharp that even if an agreement is reached, it is likely to be declaratory and the details will be discussed later.
[South Korean] Environment Minister Kim Wan-seop, the head of the government delegation, said at a press conference that he believes it is unlikely that the agreement reached by the negotiating committee will set “quantitative” targets, such as reducing primary plastic polymers by a certain amount by a certain year.
“If you negotiate with numbers, it’s hard to come to an agreement,” Kim said, adding, ”I don’t think it’s likely that there will be numbers in the agreement.”
The [South Korean] government has proposed to the international community that unnecessary plastics, including single-use plastics, be listed in a separate protocol, he said.
“We proposed to UNEP that unnecessary plastics and plastics that need to be reduced, be listed in a separate protocol,” he said, ”and if that’s not possible, let’s define unnecessary plastics (in the convention) and follow up.”
The fifth round of negotiations will run through December 1, with more than 3,500 participants, including government delegations from 177 countries.