Draft agreement to prevent plastic waste pollution to be released soon

On June 2, representatives of 175 countries attending the second round of negotiations of the United Nations (UN) on the agreement to prevent plastic waste pollution taking place in Paris agreed to draft the first draft of this agreement by the end of November 2023.

Plastic waste is making the earth warmer. (Source: baotintuc)

The intergovernmental negotiating committee called for the preparation of a first draft of “a legally binding instrument” before a third round of talks in Nairobi, Kenya in November, with the aim of concluding the agreement by 2024.

The decision was made at a round of negotiations chaired by France and Brazil and adopted at a plenary session at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris.

The breakthrough was achieved after several countries resorted to delay and criticism tactics, according to France's Minister for Ecological Transition, Christophe Bechu.

During the first two days of the five-day round of talks, which focused on procedural rules, major plastics-producing countries opposed a proposal to adopt the deal by vote, rather than consensus.

Mexican negotiator Camila Zepeda said that on current trends, there will be more plastic waste in the oceans than fish by 2050.

In nature, microplastics are found in ice near the Arctic and in fish that live in the deepest, darkest layers of the ocean. Every minute, a garbage truck worth of plastic waste is dumped into the oceans.

In addition to its environmental impact, plastic is also contributing to global warming, accounting for more than 3% of global emissions in 2019, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

On current trends, annual fossil fuel-based plastic production will nearly triple by 2060, to 1.2 billion tons, while plastic waste will exceed 1 billion tons.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/du-thao-ve-hiep-dinh-ngan-chan-o-nhiem-rac-thai-nhua-sap-duoc-cong-bo-229582.html