S17E2: Plastisphere Podcast's How (Not) to Make a Plastics Treaty - Part I: Ambition in a Bracket

Sustainable Asia

Hey Sustainable Asia Listeners! We have some upcoming episodes discussing the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty negotiations that I think you are really going to find interesting. This bonus episode is from one of my favorite podcasts called Plastisphere. It’s run by Anja Krieger in Berlin. Over three episodes, Anja Krieger and Magnus Løvold shed light on how politics can influence the negotiations of a UN Global Plastics Treaty..I am replaying the first episode here…but if you want to hear more just head over to the Plastisphere Podcast.

We’ve covered many of the issues that advocates in Asia want embedded in the plastics treaty. However, given that the treaty needs to be supported by nations globally…it inherently is a political document. And INC-3 proved that. Some countries basically did all that they could to block the progress of the plastics treaty by using procedural games to keep the treaty from ever being signed. So here is episode one of this three part series from Plastisphere Podcast.

From Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment

What happened at the INC-1 in Uruguay? Recap 1/3.

This year, 2024, is the crucial year for the plastics treaty negotiations. If you haven’t heard about them, the United Nations are working on an international, legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution. It’s been called the most important environmental deal since the Paris climate accord.

Many countries want it to be an ambitious agreement that covers the full lifecycle of plastics, from production to disposal. But some countries are not so keen on this, and they have held up the development of the treaty. How and why exactly did they do this, and is there still hope for a strong and effective international agreement?

To explore this, Anja connected with Magnus Løvold, an expert in Peace and Conflict Studies, and advisor with Lex International and NAIL, the Norwegian Academy of International Law. In his blog „Points of Order“, Magnus describes his observations at the diplomatic meetings he attends.

This is the first of three parts of the conversation. Magnus and Anja will take you back into each meeting of the treaty negotiations - INC-1 in Uruguay, INC-2 in France and INC-3 in Kenya. We’ll talk diplomacy and give you a better understanding of what’s going on on the international stage.

Read our guest's blog: "Points of Order" - independent reporting on multilateral processes, treaty-making and diplomacy" by Magnus Løvold and Torbjørn Graff Hugo: https://medium.com/points-of-order

Episode transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2024/03/08/transcript-plastic-treaty-making-part1/

Music: Dorian Roy

Cover: Maren von Stockhausen

If you like this show, support the production! Go to https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/support/