ON MAY 29, when the UN's 193 member-states met in Paris, the task at hand was to prepare a zero draft of a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. At the end of the five-day meet of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for Plastics, this target was deferred. Now, the UN Environment Programme's INC Secretariat will prepare the zero draft by November this year, when the world meets at Nairobi.
This was the second of five meetings due to take place to complete negotiations by 2024. Such a short timeline made it critical to decide on the substance of the text at Paris. The INC Secretariat will now take submissions from observers and countries on principles and scope of the instrument and possibility of work before the Nairobi meet.
The outcomes of the meet are far from expectations, especially those of the 57 countries-the so-called High Ambition Coalition-committed to a robust instrument that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic. The reason was a set of delays caused largely by nations with economic interest in plastic and in materials used in its production such as oil, gas and petrochemicals. This group has been informally labelled by civil society and non-profits as the No Ambition Coalition.
The first agenda item of the meet-election of a bureau to guide the INC Secretariat in organising future meets-was derailed obecause Eastern European region saw more nominations than two, as stipulated by INC. Moreover, one candidate from Western Europe (this includes US and Canada) faced an objection.
This story is from the June 16, 2023 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 16, 2023 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE