As the news agency Reuters reports, the United States, one of the world’s biggest plastic makers, will support a global treaty calling for a reduction in how much new plastic is produced each year in a major policy shift, a source close to U.S. negotiators. The change away from its earlier calls to leave such decisions up to each country puts the U.S. in direct opposition to countries like Saudi Arabia and China. Those countries have argued that the hoped-for United Nations treaty, which negotiators are scheduled to conclude at a November summit in Busan, South Korea, should ignore questions of production and focus on downstream measures, such as encouraging recycling and changing packaging design.
The policy shift also puts the U.S. in closer alignment with a group of so-called high ambition countries that includes EU member states, South Korea, Canada, Rwanda and Peru and has called for a global plastics treaty to cap and phase down the production of plastic. The policy shift also puts the U.S. in closer alignment with a group of so-called high ambition countries that includes EU member states, South Korea, Canada, Rwanda and Peru and has called for a global plastics treaty to cap and phase down the production of plastic. Greenpeace called the shift a “watershed moment” in the fight against plastic pollution. John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA Ocean’s Campaign Director, said:
“It is a welcome signal that they are finally listening to the demands of the American people.”
