人類存続の課題 プラスチック汚染対策の国際条約交渉開始 釜山

【釜山ＡＦＰ＝時事】プラスチック汚染対策に関する国際条約作りへ向けた政府間交渉委員会の最終会合が２５日、韓国・釜山で開幕した。（写真はプラスチックボトルを分別する作業員。フィリピンの首都マニラで）
　交渉委の議長を務めるエクアドルのルイス・バジャス・バルディビエソ氏は開会の辞で「この会議は国際条約の起草以上の意味を持つ。人類が存続の危機に立ち向かおうとするものだ」と述べた。
　プラスチック汚染は非常に広範囲に及んでおり、上空の雲の中から最深部の海溝、さらには人間の母乳の中でまで検出されている。
　プラスチック汚染の問題性についての異論はほぼないものの、解決方法については意見が分かれている。
　最も議論を呼んでいる問題の中には、条約によるプラスチック生産の上限設定、人体への有害性が懸念される化学物質の禁止、条約の履行に必要な資金の調達方法などがある。
　経済協力開発機構（ＯＥＣＤ）によると、２０１９年には世界で約４億６０００万トンのプラスチックが生産された。２０００年からは倍増しており、２０６０年までに３倍になると予想されている。
　またプラスチックの９０％以上はリサイクルされず、２０００万トン以上が環境に流出している。多くの場合、数分間使用されただけで廃棄されている。
　さらにプラスチックは世界の温室効果ガス排出量の約３％を占めており、その多くは化石燃料を原料とする生産過程に関連している。
　同条約策定交渉に関する「高野心連合（ＨＡＣ）」に参加する多くのアフリカ、アジア、欧州諸国などは、プラスチックの「ライフサイクル」全体を議論したいと考えている。これは、プラスチック生産の制限、再利用・リサイクルのためのプラスチック製品の再設計、廃棄プラスチック対策など広い範囲が対象となる。
　一方、サウジアラビアやロシアなど石油生産国を主とする国々は、下流工程の廃棄プラスチック対策のみに焦点を絞りたいという立場だ。
　ＨＡＣはプラスチック生産の削減に関する拘束力ある国際目標を求めており、今回の会合前には、「既得権益」が合意を妨げるべきではないと警告を発していた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/11/25-18:15）

A final round of talks on a treaty to curb plastic pollution opened on Monday, with deep differences between nations emerging almost immediately.
The meeting opened just hours after a chaotic end to the COP29 climate talks in Baku, which agreed to a boost in climate funding that developing countries slammed as insufficient.
Opening the plastics meeting, the Ecuadorian diplomat chairing the talks warned nations that the conference was about far more than drafting an international treaty.
It is about humanity rising to meet an existential challenge, Luis Vayas Valdivieso told an opening plenary in South Korea's Busan.
Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that it has been found in clouds, the deepest ocean trenches and even human breastmilk.
And while almost everyone agrees it is a problem, there is less consensus on how to solve it.
Among the most contentious issues are whether the treaty should cap plastic production, a possible ban on chemicals feared toxic to human health and how to pay for implementation.
The deep differences have dogged four previous rounds of talks over the last two years, resulting in a lengthy and contradictory draft treaty running over 70 pages.
Valdivieso has produced an alternative document intended to synthesise the views of delegations and move negotiations forward.
But several countries, including Russia and India, immediately objected to it.
The reality is that many countries do not see themselves represented in this paper, warned Saudi Arabia's delegation head Eyad Aljubran, speaking on behalf of the Arab group.
In 2019, the world produced around 460 million tonnes of plastic, a figure that has doubled since 2000, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Plastic production is expected to triple by 2060.
More than 90 percent of plastic is not recycled, with over 20 million tonnes leaking into the environment, often after just a few minutes of use.
Plastic also accounts for around three percent of global emissions, mostly linked to its production from fossil fuels.
- 'We are not going to wait' -
Some countries, including the so-called High Ambition Coalition (HAC), which groups many African, Asian and European nations, want the treaty to address the entire lifecycle of plastics.
That means limiting production, redesigning products for reuse and recycling, and addressing waste.
On the other side are countries, largely oil producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia, who want a downstream focus on waste alone.
The HAC wants binding global targets on reducing production and warned ahead of the Busan talks that vested interests should not be allowed to hamper a deal.
Some observers believe the talks are likely to falter and be extended -- especially after the difficult negotiations at UN climate and biodiversity conferences in recent weeks.
But by Monday afternoon, Valdivieso won agreement for negotiations to begin on the basis of his slimmed-down document.
I thank you very much for your flexibility, he told the room.
The short time frame has some environmental groups worried an agreement will be watered down to ensure something is signed.
After two back-to-back failed summits on nature and climate, Busan needs to be a refuge from further nature and climate inaction, the WWF warned Monday.
Key to any accord will be the United States and China, neither of which have openly sided with either bloc.
Earlier this year, Washington raised hopes among environmentalists by signalling support for some limits on production, a position that is reportedly now being rowed back.
The election of Donald Trump has also raised questions about how ambitious the US delegation will be, and whether negotiators should seek their support if a treaty is unlikely to be ratified by Washington.
Despite the challenging start, the UN's Andersen counselled patience, noting the Paris climate agreement had taken over two decades to reach clear targets for global warming.
We are only in the first few hours, she said.
We have to get something with targets and we're not going to wait 21 years for it.