On days two and three of talks, delegates clash over the merits of mandatory vs voluntary extended producer responsibility, and does the “full life cycle of plastic” refer to the full life cycle of plastic or just the downstream phase? Sam Winton explains how these issues hark back to established rivalries between high and low […]
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By the fourth set of negotiations, the opposing camps, their goals and tactics are well-established. Members arguing for a fossil-fuel friendly treaty reliant on national action plans and downstream measures ferment obfuscation and delay, while delegates seeking a high-ambition, enforceable treaty addressing every stage of the plastics cycle argue there is not a moment to […]
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As negotiations resume to build the first global, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, Sam Winton returns to provide on-the-spot insights throughout the week, uncovering the issues driving the debate in Ottawa and the sticking points that still stand in the way of progress. I have arrived in Ottawa ahead of the critical fourth session […]
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As time is called on the INC-3 negotiations in Nairobi to build the first global plastics treaty, much has been achieved but the stances of opposing coalitions remain as implacable as ever and the lack of a mandate for intersessional work puts a heavy burden on INC-4 and 5 in Canada and Korea to build […]
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On the final day of contact groups, time is running out for compiling amendments to the zero draft and a vote to allow vital intersessional work to pave the way for INC-4 looms. Then comes a timely reminder that the natural world too is a stakeholder in the fight against plastic pollution, as monkeys invade […]
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Day 5 of the INC-3 talks in Nairobi to build the first global plastic treaty saw precious momentum lost to delays and procedural difficulties due to the sheer volume of required revisions to the draft – but no lack of resolve or good intentions to overcome these obstacles. Sam Winton reports on the hopes and […]
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