Global Plastic Treaty Talks Set To Resume In Geneva Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Negotiations for a legally binding global plastics treaty will continue this August after countries failed to reach consensus in December, with contentious issues over production caps and financing for developing nations still unresolved
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) declared on Monday, 4 March 2025, that a fresh round of negotiations towards a global plastics treaty will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 August to 14. This follows a setback in December during the fifth U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting in Busan, South Korea, where nations could not finalise a legally binding agreement on plastic waste management.
The Busan talks were initially expected to conclude with a comprehensive deal. Still, disagreements over key issues, including capping plastic production, managing harmful chemicals in plastic products, and securing financial support for developing countries, led to a postponement of critical decisions. These issues will now be revisited in the upcoming Geneva session, dubbed INC 5.2.
A particularly contentious point was a proposal to reduce global plastic production, supported by over 100 nations. However, this draft faced opposition from oil and petrochemical-producing countries, which pushed for a treaty that excluded any production caps. The disagreement reflects the broader geopolitical rift, with industry interests in the global South and the oil sector clashing with environmental advocates and those pushing for stricter climate action.
As the world prepares for the resumption of talks, the diplomatic landscape is becoming more complex. The United States, under former President Donald Trump, withdrew from the Paris climate agreement and slashed funding for international climate initiatives, a stance that continues to influence U.S. foreign policy. At the same time, the European Union has faced internal challenges to its climate agenda, including relaxing emissions targets and sustainability requirements in the face of political pushback.
This growing geopolitical divide was also evident in the recent UN climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, where countries failed to reach agreement on a global finance target to address climate change, further highlighting the difficulty of securing cooperative agreements on global environmental issues.
With the clock ticking toward the resumption of talks in Geneva, observers are concerned that entrenched political divisions and industry pressures could once again prevent meaningful progress on addressing the global plastic crisis. The outcome of the INC 5.2 meeting will be pivotal in determining whether the international community can unite to tackle the mounting environmental threat posed by plastic pollution.
