It has been more than two months since we boarded a plastics industry tanker in Daesan, South Korea, to highlight the urgent need for an effective plastics treaty. Five of us are still in Seoul, awaiting trial, and prohibited to leave the country. These are two months spent away from our families and friends, and unable to continue with our normal lives – all because we chose to take peaceful action and show the world where plastic pollution starts.
I, together with three other activists, took action with the Rainbow Warrior in November 2024, while the fifth round of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting for a Global Plastics Treaty (INC5) was happening in Busan, South Korea. The science clearly shows that we need to cut plastic production by at least 75% by 2040 if we have any chance of staying below 1.5 degrees of global warming.
Unsurprisingly, lobbyists from the fossil fuel and plastics industries were gathered at the negotiations en masse, with more fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists present than scientists, or delegates from the EU, with the aim of influencing governments and world leaders to allow them to continue producing plastic with impunity. If they have their way, plastic production is set to triple by 2050 – an environmental and climate disaster. Petro-states have proved to be powerful allies in achieving this goal, using their influence to attempt to delay progress and dilute the treaty during every round of negotiations.
As some countries start to shift away from fossil fuels and into renewables, the plastics industry has been referred to as Big Oil's "plan B" – a booming revenue stream which accounts for a good proportion of fossil fuel consumption, protected by a concerted effort to shift responsibility for its consequences from companies onto the consumer.
Learning about the misinformation fed to us by some governments and the fossil fuel industries motivated me to start taking direct action. The negative influence that profit has on global decisions which affect the planet, our health and communities enraged me, to the point that I felt like I had to do something about it. I met grassroots activists taking incredibly brave risks for causes they really believed in, and felt a personal responsibility to do the same. I have previously participated in actions targeting the fossil fuel and plastics industries. It is clear to me that we need to be doing everything we can, right now, to call out the corporations and individuals who have absolutely zero problem destroying the planet for personal gain.
Our action in November 2024 intended to call out the outrageous behaviour of the plastics and fossil fuel industries, and let world leaders know that the world will remember the outcome of these negotiations. After a frustrating lack of progress during the first half of the INC-5 negotiations, on the 30th November, Ash, Sam, Jens and I set out from the Rainbow Warrior and boarded a plastics industry tanker that was about to load toxic chemicals destined to become future plastic waste. Our action aimed to highlight the fact that we need to tackle the entire life cycle of plastics to achieve a more sustainable future – not only do we need to address the pollution that we can already see, we need to cut plastics production at the source.
We spent hours protesting peacefully on the foremast of the tanker in harsh weather conditions – rain, wind, snow, and freezing temperatures. Rising wind speeds meant that it wasn't safe for us to set up our shelters – meaning that we couldn't sleep, eat or even use the toilet comfortably. This, combined with increasingly hostile treatment from the crew of the ship and the coastguard (threats of being hosed, a deafening siren for hours, lasers shone towards our eyes), meant that after around 12 hours, we had to come down from the mast. We were detained and spent almost 48 hours in custody.
When we were released, it was excellent to hear that over 100 Member States rejected a toothless deal that would have accomplished nothing, and stood before the world committing to an ambitious treaty that will cut plastic production. This means that there will be another round of negotiations, and another shot at a treaty which prioritises people, communities and the planet.
Although we came down from the mast willingly and haven't been convicted of anything yet, the four of us and Rainbow Warrior captain Hettie Geenen are still in South Korea. We are not allowed to leave, and we don't know when we will be, although it has been more than two months since our peaceful protest. We have cooperated with the police and prosecutor every step of the way in the hopes of being able to leave and return for the trial, with no success to date. We have spent Christmas, New Year, and the Lunar New Year here. Legal proceedings continue to be delayed, leaving us in a state of uncertainty far from our homes and families.
While the fight for a meaningful plastics treaty continues on the global stage, with the follow-up negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty anticipated to be announced soon, in South Korea we are all facing personal difficulties and challenges. It's difficult dealing with the uncertainty of not knowing when we will be allowed to return home. Adjusting to the culture here has been challenging, at times, too. A lot of things which are important parts of my identity – being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, my gender identity, even being an environmental activist – are not as openly accepted as they are at home, making it difficult to ever feel completely comfortable.
Despite this, I don't regret taking action – I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take part in this meaningful action, and to have met a lot of incredibly passionate and inspiring people. Remembering the reasons why we boarded the tanker, and also the overwhelming amount of support we have received since being released from custody, help me to stay positive. A massive thanks to everyone who has reached out, it really helps.
Alex Wilson is an activist at Greenpeace International.
