Daesan, South Korea – As the final negotiations for a UN Global Plastics Treaty enter a critical phase in Busan, South Korea (1) Greenpeace International activists have boarded a tanker that is set to load toxic plastic chemicals from South Korea's Hanwha TotalEnergies complex. They are urging governments to resist fossil fuel and petrochemical industry interference in the talks and to deliver a treaty that firmly cuts plastic production, which on current trends is set to triple by 2050.
The activists from around the world, including Germany, Mexico, and the UK (2), equipped with protective safety gear, launched from the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior on RHIBs (rigid inflatable boats), boarded the tanker, Buena Alba, and set up climb tents on the tanker's mast. The 96 meters long Buena Alba is scheduled to load propylene made from fossil fuels, a key ingredient in plastic production (3).
The action follows the release of new analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) which reveals that over 220 petrochemical lobbyists are attending the final Global Plastics Treaty talks in Busan – the highest at any negotiations so far (4). Big oil and gas companies that produce plastic, along with petrochemical producing countries have also dominated previous treaty negotiations and are lobbying hard to exclude production cuts from the treaty.
"We are taking direct action here today - stopping this plastic shipment - to urge world leaders to listen to the voices of the millions of people around the world, along with scientists and businesses – who are demanding they cut plastic production to stop plastic pollution," said Alex Wilson, Greenpeace UK climb team volunteer.
They continued, "As we protest here, petrochemical industry lobbyists are out in force in Busan. They are using their power, money and access to try to ensure that the treaty fails to do what it must - turn off the tap of plastic production.
Whether the treaty cuts plastic production has become one of the most contentious issues of the negotiations. Despite growing concerns about plastic's impacts on health and the environment, production has continued to increase. This growth will consume at least 21-31% of the remaining carbon budget to limit global warming to 1.5°C (5). Greenpeace estimates that to keep within the carbon budget requires at least 75% cuts in plastic production by 2040.
There has been strong support for addressing production within the treaty. On Thursday a new cross-regional proposal for a global plastic production reduction target gained support from 100 countries (6). In addition, the newly launched Champions of Change, a coalition of 350 global businesses, have gone further calling for production cuts aligned with climate commitments (7).
Graham Forbes, Greenpeace Head of Delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and Global Plastics Campaign Lead at Greenpeace USA said, "We are at the eleventh hour of the negotiations and we are urging world leaders to seize this decisive moment to turn the plastics crisis around. Countries must agree to reduce the amount of plastic produced to protect human health, avoid climate chaos and encourage investments in a truly circular economy.
"A treaty that does not tackle plastic production would be a failure and this should be a red line for all governments committed to ending the plastic pollution crisis," Forbes said.
According to a recent Greenpeace report, Japan, Taiwan and INC5 host South Korea's petrochemical industries play a significant role in fueling both plastic pollution and the climate crisis. The analysis revealed that South Korea's plastic production capacity CO2e emissions are equivalent to those of Japan and Taiwan's combined – highlighting the urgent need to reduce plastic production in order to cut associated greenhouse gas emissions (8).
Mikyoung Kim, Project Manager of the Greenpeace Seoul Office, said, "South Korea is the world's largest producer of plastic waste in the OECD, and the 4th biggest production country in the petrochemical industry (9). The South Korean government should listen to the wishes of its citizens who want to see an end to plastic pollution. Corporate interests should not override the public. The fifth negotiations meeting of the Global Plastics Treaty(INC5), the biggest opportunity to address this issue, is currently taking place in Busan. It is Korea's opportunity to make the right choice together with the world."
The Global Plastics Treaty negotiations are expected to conclude on December 1.
