A Christian charity has voiced its frustration after the latest round of United Nations negotiations on a global plastics treaty ended without agreement.
Talks in Geneva, Switzerland, which were meant to finalise a legally binding deal to tackle plastic pollution, collapsed when a small group of oil and gas-producing nations blocked progress. Campaigners said the failure leaves millions around the world vulnerable to the devastating effects of plastic waste.
Tearfund, which has long campaigned on the issue, described the outcome as "hugely disappointing.” The charity has highlighted how plastic pollution disproportionately harms people living in poverty, with an estimated two billion people lacking safe ways to dispose of plastic waste. Tearfund research suggests mismanaged waste contributes to up to a million deaths every year, which is one every 30 seconds.
Mari Williams, senior policy associate at Tearfund, said: “While the lack of agreement on a strong and ambitious treaty is hugely disappointing, we are encouraged by the unity and strength shown by a large number of countries in standing firm and not bowing to pressure to agree to a weak and ineffective text. These countries must now build on what has been achieved, pursue all avenues, and keep working tirelessly towards the legally binding treaty that our world so desperately needs.”
Alongside the International Alliance of Waste Pickers, Tearfund has been pressing for the treaty to include targets to reduce plastic production, expand waste collection and recycling, and secure a just transition for the millions of waste pickers who collect most of the world’s recyclable plastic yet often face poverty and unsafe conditions.
The failure to reach a deal, the charity said, has once again “denied justice” to those most affected by plastic pollution.
