Environment & ClimateImportant2024-12-01

INC-5 Adjourns Without Final Global Plastics Treaty

Why focus: INC-5 global plastics treaty negotiations — core GS3 Environment, tests UNEA mandate and binding vs non-binding provisions.

In News

What Happened

On December 1, 2024, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in Busan, South Korea, ended without finalizing the global plastics treaty. Member states could not bridge deep divisions over capping primary plastic production versus focusing strictly on downstream waste management. They agreed on a 'Chair's Text' to serve as the basis for resumed negotiations (INC-5.2) in 2025.

Why It Matters

This delay impacts India's domestic efforts to regulate plastic waste, as a global treaty would provide uniform standards, technology transfer, and financial mechanisms. India has advocated for a consensus-based approach focusing on waste management and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rather than hard caps on polymer production, aiming to balance environmental goals with its developing industrial needs.

Background

History & Context

In March 2022, the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) adopted a historic resolution (Resolution 5/14) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was established to draft the treaty by the end of 2024. Despite five rounds of negotiations, a group of oil and plastic-producing nations opposed the 'High Ambition Coalition' which demanded mandatory global cuts in primary plastic polymer production.

What Changed

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BEFORE: INC-5 was scheduled to be the final round of negotiations to deliver a legally binding global plastics treaty by the end of 2024. NOW: The deadline has been extended, and a resumed session (INC-5.2) will be held in 2025 to finalize the text.
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BEFORE: Negotiations were operating on fragmented draft versions with hundreds of bracketed (undecided) texts. NOW: A consolidated 'Chair's Text' was adopted as the official baseline document to guide the 2025 resumed negotiations.
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BEFORE: The treaty's scope was broad, with strong pushes for a full lifecycle approach including capping primary plastic polymers. NOW: Due to pushback from producing nations, the baseline text is heavily contested, with production caps remaining a major hurdle for the 2025 sessions.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This event directly connects to Class 12 Biology Chapter 16 (Environmental Issues), which discusses solid waste management and the severe ecological impacts of non-biodegradable plastic pollution. The global treaty negotiations are an international extension of the domestic mitigation strategies discussed in the text, such as recycling and reducing single-use plastics.

Practice Questions

Q1

Correct Statement(s)

Which of the following statements regarding the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on plastic pollution is/are correct? 1. The INC was established by the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) with a mandate to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. 2. India has actively supported the High Ambition Coalition's demand to place hard international caps on primary plastic polymer production.

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