プラ汚染対策の国際条約交渉、合意先送り　各国の溝埋まらず

【釜山ＡＦＰ＝時事】プラスチック汚染を抑制するための画期的な国際条約の策定に向けて韓国・釜山で開かれていた政府間交渉委員会の会合は１日、最終日になっても参加国間の意見の対立が埋まらず、合意を先送りにした。（写真は、韓国・釜山で開催されたプラスチック汚染に関する政府間交渉委員会の全体会合に出席する代表者ら）
　１週間にわたる会合には２００か国近くの代表が出席。毎年何百万トンものプラスチック廃棄物が環境に流出するのをいかに阻止するかについて議論してきた。
　プラスチック汚染は極めて広範囲に及んでおり、マイクロプラスチックは世界有数の高山の山頂や最深部の海溝、さらに人体のほぼすべての部位で発見されている。
　２年前に各国は、今年末までにこの危機に対処する方法を見つけることで合意した。
　しかし、会合では、生産を制限し有害な化学物質を段階的に廃止するための拘束力のある国際協定を求める「高い野心を持つ」国と、産油国を中心とした、廃棄物に焦点を合わせたい「志を同じくする」国の間の深い溝を埋めることができなかった。
　何度かの延期を経て１日午後に発表された条文の草案には、意見の相違を反映して、幅広い選択肢が盛り込まれていた。
　ルイス・バジャス・バルディビエソ議長は同日夜、「幾つかの重要な問題が包括的な合意に達するのを妨げている」と認め、「これらの未解決の問題は依然として挑戦的であり、効果的に対処するためにはさらなる時間が必要だ」と説明。その上で、会合を後日再開し、妥結に至ることで大筋一致したと述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/12/02-16:52）

Deeply divided negotiators failed on Sunday to reach a landmark global treaty to curb plastic pollution, missing a self-imposed deadline, and agreed to extend their talks.
For a week, delegates from nearly 200 nations meeting in South Korea have wrestled with how to stop millions of tonnes of plastic waste entering the environment each year.
Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peak, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body.
Two years ago, countries agreed they would find a way to address the crisis by the end of 2024.
But a week of talks in Busan has failed to resolve deep divisions between high-ambition countries seeking a globally binding agreement to limit production and phase out harmful chemicals, and like-minded, mostly oil-producing nations that want to focus on waste.
A draft text released Sunday afternoon after multiple delays included a wide range of options, reflecting ongoing disagreement.
And chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso acknowledged late Sunday that a few critical issues still prevent us from reaching a comprehensive agreement.
These unresolved issues remain challenging and additional time will be needed to address them effectively, he said.
There is a general agreement to resume the current session at a later date to conclude our negotiations.
Several nations took to the floor to support the call for more time -- but their agreement ended there.
Rwandan delegate Juliet Kabera spoke of strong concerns about ongoing calls by a small group of countries to remove binding provisions from the text that are indispensable for the treaty to be effective.
She delivered a statement on behalf of dozens of countries, demanding a treaty with targets to reduce production and phase out chemicals of concern.
A treaty that lacks these elements and only relies on voluntary measures would not be acceptable, she said, inviting supporting delegations to stand up to extensive applause from the plenary room.
- 'Huge gap' -
Saudi Arabia's Abdulrahman Al Gwaiz however pushed back strongly on continued discussion of production or chemicals of concern.
If you address plastic pollution, there should be no problem with producing plastics, because the problem is the pollution, not the plastics themselves, he said.
Backed by allies including other Arab nations, Russia and Iran, he insisted that every part of a latest draft text should be open for proposals if talks continue.
Iran too said there was still a huge gap between parties, while Russia warned that agreeing a treaty was being hampered by ambitions on the part of certain parties that are too high.
The comments raised the prospect that any new talks could follow the pattern seen in Busan, where repeated attempts by the chair to synthesise and streamline text encountered resistance.
Delegations seeking an ambitious treaty earlier warned that a handful of countries was steadfastly blocking progress.
A French minister accused the like-minded group of continuing obstruction, while Fiji's Sivendra Michael called out a very minority group for blocking the process.
Diplomats have declined to directly name those preventing a deal, but public statements and submissions have shown Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia have sought to block production cuts and other ambitious goals.
All three delegations declined repeated AFP requests for comment.
Environmental groups warned that another round of talks could be similarly hamstrung if ambitious countries were not willing to push for a vote.
We need to break out of this cage of consensus that is condemning us to failure, and start to think much more creatively about how we deliver a treaty that the world desperately needs, said Greenpeace's Graham Forbes.
For too long, a small minority of states have held the negotiation process hostage, added Eirik Lindebjerg of WWF.
These countries have no intention of finding a meaningful solution to this crisis and yet they continue to prevent the large majority of states who do.
The world's top two plastic producers -- China and the United States -- have stayed relatively quiet in public.
Neither backed Rwanda's statement, though China's delegate warned of concerns that have not been reflected in a balanced manner.