Day 1 Recap of the 4th Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment (INC-4)
At the opening plenary, Inger Anderson, UNEP Executive Director said, “…To stop plastic pollution, we need to start at the start and end at the end… Multiple polls have shown that the public is heartsick of plastic pollution. Civil society – including indigenous peoples, scientists, waste pickers, women’s groups and local communities – have spoken loud and clear against plastic pollution”.
High Points
✅In their opening statements, many countries, including Canada, Brazil, Guatemala, and Malaysia, highlighted the need for a treaty that protects human health.
✅Many Member States, including Palestine, on behalf of the APG, Ghana, on behalf of African states, Samoa, on behalf of AOSIS, Malawi, on behalf of HAC, Philippines, Bangladesh, and Malaysia, called for a treaty that encompasses the full life cycle of plastics.
Low points
But equally disturbing was the fact that a handful of other polymer- and plastics-producing countries, they called for low-ambitious measures, including limiting the treaty scope.
Other Insights
Inger Anderson, also reminded delegates, “But a job half-done is a job not done. Time is against us – both in terms of finalizing the instrument and how much more the planet can take. As we deliberate, plastic pollution continues to gush into ecosystems”
Stay tuned for more updates from the deliberations
Watch the plenary here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJOYwS50fnY
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Waste Frames 