Nairobi, Kenya – The third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC3) for a Global Plastics Treaty ends on a disappointing note for the fight against the plastic and climate crises.
Graham Forbes, Greenpeace Head of Delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and Global Plastics Campaign Lead at Greenpeace USA, said:
“Plastic directly harms each of the 8.1 billion people on this fragile planet, but our leaders have effectively chosen to treat petrochemical companies as the only stakeholders worth listening to.
“The Global Plastics Treaty must reduce plastic production by at least 75% by 2040. We cannot protect our climate, our biodiversity, or our health unless we reduce plastic production. This is inarguable, but more than halfway through the treaty negotiations, we are charging towards catastrophe. Governments are allowing fossil fuel interests to drive the negotiations towards a treaty that will absolutely, without question, make the plastic problem worse and accelerate runaway climate change.
“We need to find a way forward without oil and gas producers dictating the terms of our survival. We have one year to turn this around, and to ensure that we are celebrating our collective success instead of dooming ourselves to a dark and dangerous future. This failure must be a wake-up call for governments representing the billions of people on this planet who are affected by plastic pollution. When the negotiations resume in Canada in April 2024, our leaders must be ready to show a level of courage and leadership we have yet to see.”
Call on the NZ Government to ban unnecessary single-use plastic bottles* in NZ, and to incentivise reusable and refillable alternatives.
