Vietnamese negotiators at INC-4 (Photo: VNA) This session is towork towards finalising an agreement on a global treaty to eliminate plasticpollution by the end of this year. To achieve this goal, negotiators will needto reach a comprehensive legally binding compromise on plastic waste.
In his opening speech,Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault saidplastic has become a microcosm of consumer culture since the mid-20th century, addingthat the world has depended on this culture. He underlined the necessity to forge a newconsensus to eliminate this, putting an end to the waste, expense, and harm ofplastic.
On the threshold ofthe meeting, Guilbeault said the meeting's goal is to achieve consensus on 60-70% of the treaty's content.
Vietnamese head delegate, Director of the International CooperationDepartment under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE)Le Ngoc Tuan said Vietnam supports the current approach to tackling plasticpollution, but noted that to prepare for negotiations in this session andthe next one, specific assessments of future impacts when participating in theagreement are necessary.
As a developingcountry, Vietnam seeks a balance where, alongside control measures,consideration should be given to implementation methods, including financial,technological, and capacity aspects, he said.
Talking to VietnamNews Agency in Canada, Tuan said Vietnam and other member countries allsupport building a legally binding global agreement to address plasticpollution.
He noted that this will serve as a legal framework for membercountries to develop actions to reduce plastic pollution and collectivelyaddress environmental challenges.
Anthony Merante, aplastic waste campaigner from Oceana Canada, asserted that the world cannotdelay resolving this crisis any longer.
Plastic pollutionknows no borders and is the second most urgent environmental issue afterclimate change, he said, noting that the devastation caused by plasticpollution in the ocean is undeniable.
Methods and implementation roadmaps are also crucial because each country has its level ofdevelopment and unique circumstances, making it impossible to apply aone-size-fits-all formula, he stressed
Statistics show that annual plastic production has more than doubled over thepast 20 years to 460 million tonnes, and is on track to triple. Only9% of the total is recycled.
According to the Organisation for EconomicCo-operation and Development (OECD), the "contribution" of plastic toglobal warming is likely to more than double by 2060.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme,emphasised the urgency for a treaty and specific actions to combat plasticpollution, affirming that time is running out for both finalising a treaty andfor the earth's resilience./.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme,emphasised the urgency for a treaty and specific actions to combat plasticpollution, affirming that time is running out for both finalising a treaty andfor the earth's resilience./.
VNA
