Global plastic treaty talks begin in Ottawa

Delegates from around the world are meeting in Ottawa this week, trying to create a legally binding treaty that would address not just how plastics are discarded, but also how much plastic is produced in the first place and how it is used.

If the governments can agree, the treaty could become the most significant pact to address global climate change since the 2015 Paris agreement. But so far, negotiations have been tense.

There is staunch opposition from the Petrochemical lobby, and some governments who are dependent on fossil fuels — including Saudi Arabia, Russia and China, who say the treaty should focus only on tracking plastic waste, not banning chemicals.

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There are also some sticking points on what exactly the treaty should include, and how it should be implemented.

Canada’s minister of environment, Steven Guilbeault announced an additional $3.3 million Tuesday that will be given to 21 Canadian businesses, to develop innovative solutions that address plastic pollution.

“Right now, too many plastics cannot be recycled. Today’s investments will help these companies develop environmentally acceptable and cost-effective solutions to improve our ability to reuse plastics, or improve their end of life management of hard to recycle plastic film that is commonly used to wrap products,” said Guilbeault.

“These projects will have positive impacts on the environment, de-risk investments and have a positive impact on a circular use of plastics, so that moving forward we will live with plastic in a way that is sustainable for generations to come.”

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This is the fourth round of negotiations on this treaty and the final agreement is due in December.

According to an American study published last week, the production of plastics accounts for around five per cent of climate emissions right now and could hit 20 per cent by 2050 without regulation.