OTTAWA | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE, Monday, November 25, 2024

The final round of UN negotiations to tackle plastic pollution starts today. The David Suzuki Foundation’s Sabaa Khan, Climate Director and Director General of Quebec and Atlantic Canada, is attending as an official observer.

This is the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution’s fifth and final session (INC-5) and is being held in Busan, Republic of Korea from November 25 to December 1, 2024.

Sabaa Khan, Climate Director and Director General of Quebec and Atlantic Canada, said:

“Nearly all plastic waste in Canada ends up in landfills, incinerators, lakes, parks and oceans. Even though over 100 countries have adopted measures to address the environmental and health harms of plastics and the pollution they cause, individual action cannot solve the problem, that’s why the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations are so important.

“As the final round of negotiations begin, we need to see hard commitments towards limiting plastic production and restricting chemicals used in plastics, otherwise plastic pollution will remain out of control. With 99% of plastics produced from fossil fuels, and massive quantities of plastics containing toxic substances ending up in the global environment, a strong global plastics treaty is a critical part of our response to the triple crises of climate, biodiversity and pollution.

“We’re concerned the petrochemical and fossil fuel industry are putting a strong Global Plastics Treaty at risk. Plastic pollution affects us all and this treaty needs to uphold environmental justice.”

The David Suzuki Foundation is calling for countries to come to an agreement in Busan and finalize text for a strong UN Global Plastics Treaty that includes:

  • Indigenous rights recognition, role for Indigenous knowledge in treaty implementation
  • Human rights–based approach that promotes environmental justice and prevents environmental racism — integration of the right to a healthy environment
  • Cap on plastic production and global quantitative goal
  • Prohibition and restriction of chemicals of concern through a life cycle lens and global ban on specified non-essential single-use plastic products
  • Reinforce existing international legal instruments — BRS treaties (especially Basel ban, Basel plastics amendments); Paris Agreement fossil fuel phase-out objectives, fossil fuel subsidies commitments; and plastic pollution objectives under the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Sabaa Khan, Climate Director and Director General of Quebec and Atlantic Canada, is available for comment.

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Melanie Karalis, David Suzuki Foundation: mkaralis@davidsuzuki.org

Background:

BACKGROUNDER: Canada and the global plastics treaty – what’s at stake – David Suzuki Foundation