The Oversight of Fossil Fuels in the Plastic Treaty Negotiations

Role of Fossil Fuels Absent at Plastics Treaty Negotiations

Overview

Despite the conclusion of the second round of United Nations Environment Programme’s plastics treaty negotiations in Paris last week with a mandate for a “zero draft” of the treaty to be prepared by the negotiating committee’s chair prior to this November’s session, key terms and obligations remained in dispute. Some countries even blocked the possibility of a meaningful plastics treaty. Governments with vested interests in the fossil fuel industries such as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates did not support reducing plastic production as a core obligation of the treaty, which is essential to resolving the global plastic pollution crisis. The discussions about the role of fossil fuels and their industry’s harms were largely absent.

Philosophical Discussion

The issue at hand is far beyond just the production of plastics itself. There needs to be a profound consideration of the social and environmental effects of the products emanating from the fossil fuel industry. The plastic lifecycle begins with oil and gas extraction and the industry should be scrutinized for its impact on the environment and human rights. The rights-respecting measures to end plastic pollution should include significantly cutting the production of plastics and ending petrochemical subsidies. The new plastics treaty should reference the right to a clean, healthy, and safe environment as well as Paris Agreement commitments. The treaty needs to address the role of fossil fuels to deliver a sustainable solution to end plastic pollution. The movement’s aim to end fossil fuel use will see the industry increasingly rely on plastic production for revenue.

Editorial

The global plastic pollution crisis demands more significant and more sophisticated solutions. The negotiations on the plastics treaty must put human rights at the forefront, just as improved waste removal and recycling will not alone end the human rights harm of plastic pollution. The new treaty must significantly reduce plastic production and address the role of fossil fuels to address plastic pollution sustainably. Only then can we consider ourselves making a difference.

Advice

The urgency to take action to reduce plastic production has never been more important. It is incumbent on every government that is a member of the United Nations and faces the effects of plastic pollution to act now, commit to more ambitious actions, and advise their representatives in the November session to negotiate in good faith to deliver a meaningful plastics treaty that prioritizes human rights and reduces plastic production.

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