In Busan, South Korea, over sixty countries are talking about a possible international treaty to curb the production of plastics throughout the world. With plastic pollution expected to jump up to 736 million tons by 2040 without change, environmentalists and lawmakers alike are scrambling to find some sort of joint solution. The 2040 figure would be considered as a 70% increase from 2020 standards, a worrying sign of unchecked balances.
South Korea is known for their smart usage of recycling and limited plastics, but recently, these numbers have been bumped up considerably. It follows a trend where plastic pollution and production has been untapped and hard to contain, especially since COVID-19. Major countries that use fossil fuels to make plastics such as Saudi Arabia and China heavily disagree on a reduction approach to plastic limitations. These major oil and gas nations rely largely on these non-renewable sources of energy for the economy and personal energy as well.
With the election of Donald Trump, critics are worried about whether the United States will suddenly back down out of these conferences. Trump is known to be a heavy supporter for chemical companies, so it’s quite unlikely that the U.S. will hold their part of the bargain once he enters office. Even more pundits say that there will not be a suitable agreement within the next week, when the conference ends. With all the lack of concise outlines, many countries are entering into South Korea with optimistic minds but unsure results.
It will be interesting to follow just how much the conference ends up accomplishing. Perhaps a stronger contract will be created with some countries holding out on signing.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/24/climate/plastic-pollution-south-korea-talks.html
Image Credits: Asif HASSAN
