A resolution to progress an international treaty to curb plastic pollution was adopted by the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly on March 2, and a University of Newcastle researcher’s work has been instrumental in supporting the arguments in favour of the treaty.
The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) brings together representatives of the 193 Member States of the UN, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders to agree on policies to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The fifth session of the UNEA took place online and in Nairobi, Kenya, from February 28 to March 2, where negotiations were discussed for the draft resolution, “End plastic pollution: towards an international legally binding instrument”.
University of Newcastle’s Pacific Node Coordinator and environmental anthropologist Dr Sascha Fuller was one of 15 researchers involved in the development of a Scientists’ Declaration on the Governance of Plastics and also co-authored the UN’s factsheets on Marine Litter, Plastic Pollution and Human Rights, both of which were used to support the recent UNEA negotiation.
Dr Fuller’s work focuses on delivering cooperative and sustainable solutions to complex challenges faced by Pacific Island communities in critical areas of environmental need and national priority.
The current priority is introducing a global full lifecycle approach to plastic pollution, which would hold plastic manufacturers and producers accountable.
This is a particularly important point for Pacific Island nations which contribute as little as 1.3 per cent to global plastics pollution yet are on the frontline of the plastic crisis and are disproportionately impacted.
“For the last two years, I have been researching plastic pollution prevention in the Pacific regions,” Dr Fuller said.
“All in the lead up to these UNEA negotiations, we wanted to highlight the position of the Pacific Island nations and the strengths and weaknesses of the current plastic pollution policy frameworks.
“The factsheets and research highlight that the Pacific Island nations can’t act alone to prevent the flow of plastics, and a unified global approach to plastic pollution prevention was needed.”
Dr Fuller conducted her research with other academics from around the world, including Associate Professor Trisia Farrelly from New Zealand’s Massey University as well as members from the Centre for International Environmental Law, the Environmental Investigation Agency, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
“While the land of the Pacific region is small, its ocean territory is huge,” Dr Fuller said.
“98 per cent of the Pacific region is ocean, and it makes up 10 per cent of the world’s oceans.
“They have a huge stake in policies that impact them and their waters, but their voice is not often amplified in these international negotiations, so this treaty is really important.”
Dr Fuller said the world was producing virgin polymer plastic at an unprecedented rate.
“Globally, we are already producing 368 million metric tonnes of virgin plastics annually, which is set to double by 2040,” Dr Fuller said.
“90 per cent of that plastic ends up in the environment, and for small island nations like the Pacific Island regions, they bear the brunt of the impact.”
The new legally binding treaty aims to address pollution challenges facing small island nations, introducing the full lifecycle of plastics approach and placing the onus of plastic pollution back on the producers.
The hope is that the framework will extend the producer’s responsibilities to financial mechanisms like container deposit legislation and plastic buy-back schemes.
“Recycling should not be seen as the only viable solution to this plastic crisis; if we really want to prevent plastic pollution, we need to stop it at its source, and that’s with production,” Dr Fuller said.
“There is currently no onus of responsibility on producers to take back their plastics.
“This treaty is not just for the Pacific Island regions but for several countries, particularly small island states that have large oceans and are disproportionality impacted by the world’s plastic pollution.
“The resolution’s adoption is a huge win for island states and an incredible achievement for the Pacific.”
She said COVID-19 had also impacted and restricted the full and meaningful participation of the Pacific Island nations as they hadn’t been able to attend the international negotiations physically.
“Despite these limitations, they have made an incredible effort in having their voices heard and making sure their points were included in these international discussions,” Dr Fuller said.
The next steps involve an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee designing the terms of the new treaty.
Hayley McMahon