Luis Bayaas Valvidieso, the chairperson of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the International Treaty on Ending Plastic Pollution (INC-5), expressed strong determination on the 25th, stating, “I am confident that we will successfully draft the international treaty on reducing plastic by December 1st.”
On this day, during a press conference held at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan, Valvidieso responded to concerns that a meaningful draft might not be achieved by saying this. INC-5 is an organization that discusses international treaties related to plastic pollution. This week’s conference is the fifth and final meeting, running from now until December 1. The main issue is whether to regulate production materials like plastic polymers. The European Union (EU) hopes for a strong treaty that directly regulates production, but China and oil-producing countries oppose and suggest increasing recycling rates. There are widespread concerns that creating a binding agreement by the deadline may be difficult.
Chairperson Valvidieso stated, “We will provide a text to end plastic pollution,” emphasizing, “This should become a living document that needs to be continuously strengthened.” He added, “Various scientific evidence and potential solutions and opinions from academia are necessary,” and mentioned the intention to “gather more information to incorporate more data and solutions.”
He also highlighted that “this meeting is essential to end the most critical environmental crisis we face: plastic pollution,” pointing out that “(Plastic pollution) is not limited to environmental issues, but causes an economic loss of $2.5 trillion worldwide due to marine pollution.”