Climate Home reports that the fossil fuel industry is trying to use plastic production as its last hope for survival, but the outlook may not be optimistic.
As demand for oil and gas energy declines, fossil fuel companies see plastic as a "lifeline."
Earlier this month, governments at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) agreed on the terms of reference for negotiating a legally binding plastics treaty that could reduce plastic production while encouraging recycling and waste reduction measures.
Oil companies had hoped demand for plastics would go some way to filling the gap as demand for oil and gas for energy is set to decline rapidly over the next few decades to halt climate change.
Until recently, the website of fossil fuel company BP stated that "the close relationship between economic development and plastic use means that demand for oil as a raw material for plastics will continue to grow over the next decade." However, shortly after the signing of the Plastics Agreement, the article was removed and is only accessible through a web backup tool.
Krista Halttunen, a researcher at Imperial College London who studies oil company strategy, said these companies are facing an "existential crisis" as demand for energy products decreases, and they see plastics as a "lifeline." "In a decarbonized future, this will be the business that keeps them alive."
Politicians use plastic to justify oil production projects. Recently, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni defended a proposed oil pipeline on Twitter: "Some are worried there might not be a market for our crude oil. No way! I have a 65% polyester shirt."
He added: "When we talk about phasing out petroleum, we mean motor fuel, but petroleum has many other uses, such as polyester fibres."
Ending plastic's 'collective addiction': Rwanda and Peru propose focusing on plastic production
But on March 2, after a series of late-night talks, governments agreed to two years of negotiations to conclude a legally binding plastics treaty that would include provisions to "promote the sustainable production and consumption of plastics."
"Our collective addiction to plastic must end and the global plastics industry, valued at over $500 billion, will need to readjust to this new reality," Pakistan's Climate Minister Malik Amin Aslam told Climate Home.
Entering the negotiations, two main proposals emerged: a proposal from Rwanda and Peru that would have the treaty's International Negotiating Committee (INC) cover plastic production, while a proposal from Japan would focus on preventing plastic from entering the ocean.
Christina Dixon, plastics campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency, said Japan's proposal "could potentially derail our conversation about plastic production."
Graham Forbes, director of Greenpeace's plastics campaign, said the oil and plastics industries tend to focus on recycling, shifting the focus of the plastics issue to waste management and trying to divert attention from plastic production facilities around the world, in which they are investing heavily. The industry also funds anti-littering campaigns in the United States and Europe.
UN plastics treaty faces financial challenges as 2024 agreement looms
In the end, most countries, including those in Europe, Africa and small island states, supported the proposal of Rwanda and Peru.
The treaty will be legally binding. India had sought to make it a voluntary agreement, but the conference ultimately decided only to take "national circumstances and capabilities" into account. India and other developing countries are expected to propose including financial support from rich countries in the agreement.
Nandini Harihar, a researcher at India’s Council on Energy, Environment and Water, told Climate Home that the money could be used for measures such as building recycling facilities and public awareness campaigns.
Forbes said that, like the climate talks, financial issues could be "extremely contentious." But he was also encouraged by the progressive stance of European countries in the talks and that Russia's invasion of Ukraine meant the world "urgently needs multilateralism to work."
Negotiations on the treaty will be held under an International Negotiating Committee, in which every UN member state can participate, with the goal of reaching an agreement by 2024.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/233655)
