2024全球塑料公约

In 2022, the United Nations agreed to develop a new treaty to tackle what has quickly become a global crisis: plastic pollution. Nearly every country has joined the negotiations. Together they will come up with a set of international rules about the way we produce and handle plastics. The treaty could regulate things like the harmful chemicals found in plastics, the phase-out of single use plastics, and – crucially – the amount of plastic that is produced in the first place.It is extremely hard to bring so many countries together. We will likely never get another opportunity like this. And the stakes are high: plastic pollutes our oceans and harms wildlife and human health. What’s more, plastic is made from oil and gas and its production alone accounts for about 5% of climate emissions. In the UK, we are drowning in plastic and our systems can’t cope. More than half (58%) of the plastic we throw away, ends up being burnt in incinerators – polluting the air we breathe.

2022 年，联合国同意制定一项新条约，以解决迅速成为全球危机的问题：塑料污染。几乎每个国家都加入了谈判。他们将共同制定一套关于我们生产和处理塑料方式的国际规则。该条约可以对塑料中发现的有害化学物质、一次性塑料的逐步淘汰以及最重要的是首先生产的塑料数量等进行监管。将如此多的国家聚集在一起是极其困难的。我们可能再也不会有这样的机会了。而且风险很高：塑料污染我们的海洋，危害野生动物和人类健康。更重要的是，塑料是由石油和天然气制成的，仅其生产就约占气候排放量的 5%。在英国，我们正被塑料淹没，我们的系统无法应对。我们扔掉的塑料中有一半以上 (58%) 最终在焚烧炉中燃烧，污染了我们呼吸的空气。

Each nation sends representatives to the UN to discuss what the treaty should include. The ultimate aim is to produce a text – the treaty – which lays out the newly agreed rules. Then, it’s up to the nations to implement them. After five scheduled rounds of negotiations, countries are expected to agree on a final treaty by the end of 2024.

Okay, the UN’s not perfect. But it’s the only tool we have to solve big global problems like plastic. No other institution can bring together such a huge proportion of the world. When so many countries agree to take action, it’s our best shot at achieving real change on a global scale. And when it works, it really works. In 2023, the UN passed a historic agreement to protect the world’s oceans, after years of campaigning from Greenpeace and its friends and supporters. If we get this right, we could do the same for plastic pollution.

每个国家都派代表到联合国讨论条约应包括哪些内容。最终目标是制定一份文本——条约——列出新商定的规则。然后，由各国来实施它们。经过预定的五轮谈判后，预计各国将在 2024 年底前就最终条约达成一致。

好吧，联合国并不完美。但这是我们解决塑料等全球重大问题的唯一工具。没有任何其他机构能够将世界上如此大的比例聚集在一起。当如此多的国家同意采取行动时，这是我们在全球范围内实现真正变革的最佳机会。当它起作用时，它真的起作用了。经过绿色和平组织及其朋友和支持者多年的努力，2023 年，联合国通过了一项保护世界海洋的历史性协议。如果我们能做到这一点，我们就可以对塑料污染采取同样的措施。

So, where have we got to? At the latest round of negotiations in Canada, Indigenous leaders told delegates how microplastics are contaminating food supplies and threatening their way of life. Scientists shared research on plastic pollution and attempted to counter disinformation. The Scientists Coalition told negotiators that the only way to tackle the problem is to limit plastic production at its source.

Some countries shone through: Peru and Rwanda championed a new proposal to reduce plastic production, which was backed by Malawi, the Philippines, Fiji and others, and 28 countries including France, Australia and the Netherlands signed the ‘Bridge to Busan’ declaration calling for cuts to plastic production. However, many other states seemed to be listening more closely to the industry lobbyists. 196 representatives from the fossil fuel industry turned up to the talks in Canada. That’s more than the 87 smallest countries combined.

Ultimately, the talks ended in disappointment. There was no agreement to allow for ‘intercessional work’ to advance the issue of production reduction, which makes it more likely that limits to plastic production will be excluded from the treaty. Without production limits, the treaty would be a resounding failure. But there is still hope – reducing plastic production is still on the table. This round of talks may be over, but we’re now heading into the most crucial phase for securing a strong treaty.

那么，我们到哪儿了？在加拿大的最新一轮谈判中，原住民领导人告诉代表们，微塑料如何污染食品供应并威胁他们的生活方式。科学家们分享了有关塑料污染的研究成果，并试图反击虚假信息。科学家联盟告诉谈判代表，解决这个问题的唯一方法是从源头限制塑料生产。

一些国家脱颖而出：秘鲁和卢旺达倡导了一项减少塑料生产的新提案，该提案得到了马拉维、菲律宾、斐济等国的支持，法国、澳大利亚和荷兰等28个国家签署了“釜山之桥”宣言，呼吁减少塑料产量。削减塑料产量。然而，许多其他州似乎更仔细地倾听行业游说者的意见。来自化石燃料行业的 196 名代表出席了在加拿大举行的会谈。这比 87 个最小国家的总和还多。

最终，会谈以失望告终。双方没有达成允许通过“调解工作”来推进减产问题的协议，这使得对塑料生产的限制更有可能被排除在条约之外。如果没有产量限制，该条约将是彻底的失败。但希望仍然存在——减少塑料产量仍在讨论中。本轮谈判可能已经结束，但我们现在正进入达成一项强有力条约的最关键阶段。

The UK public is already stepping up to tackle plastic pollution. Earlier this year over 220,000 people took part in The Big Plastic Count to demonstrate the scale of the UK’s contribution to the plastics crisis and the need to tackle it.

The UK government should be leading the charge for a strong Global Plastics Treaty. It is a member of the High Ambition Coalition, along with 63 other countries who committed to ending plastic pollution by 2040. While this is a good look on the international stage, our government’s actions at home are far from helpful – they have plans to finance a huge new plastics factory in Belgium with £600 million. And sadly, so far the High Ambition Coalition is not living up to its name. In the dying moments of the Canada talks, when it mattered most, the UK and many others failed to support proposals to cut plastic production and succumbed to the pressure from the fossil fuel industry.

The government needs to catch up with the public and show true leadership both at home and abroad. At the next round of talks in South Korea in November, the UK must unite with ambitious countries and push for real change: a legally-binding target to cut global plastic production. We have a historic opportunity, and everything to play for.

英国公众已经在加紧努力解决塑料污染问题。今年早些时候，超过 220,000 人参加了塑料大计数活动，以展示英国对塑料危机的贡献规模以及解决这一问题的必要性。

英国政府应该带头制定强有力的全球塑料条约。它是远大目标联盟的成员，与其他 63 个国家一起承诺到 2040 年终结塑料污染。虽然这在国际舞台上看起来不错，但我国政府在国内的行动远无济于事——他们有计划资助比利时一座耗资 6 亿英镑的大型新塑料工厂。可悲的是，到目前为止，远大目标联盟并没有名副其实。在加拿大谈判的最后时刻，最重要的时刻，英国和许多其他国家未能支持削减塑料产量的提议，并屈服于化石燃料行业的压力。

政府需要跟上公众的步伐，在国内外表现出真正的领导力。在 11 月于韩国举行的下一轮谈判中，英国必须与雄心勃勃的国家联合起来，推动真正的变革：制定一个具有法律约束力的目标，削减全球塑料产量。我们有一个历史性的机会，以及一切可以为之奋斗的机会。

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