19 November 2023, Nairobi: 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.<\/p>\n\n
Graham Forbes, Greenpeace Head of Delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations <\/strong>and Global Plastics Campaign Lead at Greenpeace USA, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \u201cPlastic 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. <\/p>\n\n \u201cThe 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. <\/p>\n\n \u201cWe 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 leadership and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Hellen Kahaso Dena, Pan African Plastic Project Lead for Greenpeace Africa said: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n \u201cA Plastic free future is possible if governments resist the corporate capture by oil producing countries and plastics proponents and take actions towards reducing plastic production. Plastic pollution is a deadly ticking time bomb and a solution that matches the scale of the problem is not only critical and non-negotiable. Going into INC 4 in Canada (April, 2024), we hope to see bold and more ambitious actions from the High Ambition Coalition, including the African group, to put an immediate cap on plastic production to ultimately end this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Ferdinand Omondi, East Africa Communications and Story Manager Consultant, Greenpeace Africa <\/p>\n\n