Earlier this week in Ottawa, the Vinyl Institute, a major plastics industry group, hosted a reception for delegates negotiating what would be the first global treaty to address the world’s growing plastic waste problem.
There were cocktails and appetizers. And signs with the message that plastics save lives.
Scientists are increasingly debating the dangers posed by the chemicals used in plastic to human health and the environment. Before the latest round of talks, European researchers published a database of over 16,000 chemicals; Plastics may contain, many of which have been linked to cancer risks and damage to the human immune system.
The plastics industry urgently needed to combat the image of the industry as “the enemy, this faceless industry that’s there to kill people,” Domenic DeCaria, technical director of the Vinyl Institute, told an industry gathering ahead of the latest round of talks. in a recording of the remarks, which DeCaria confirmed in a conversation with The Times on Thursday.
In particular, the industry opposes the possible inclusion in the treaty of caps on global plastics production, an approach favored by a broad coalition of nations in the talks, which continued on Tuesday in Ottawa.
Spearheading this effort are African nations that have blazed a trail to phase out single-use plastics, which make up the bulk of plastic pollution. Nearly three dozen countries on the African continent have banned various forms of single-use plastics and packaging.
Targeting plastics production
Plastics production has also come under intense scrutiny due to the emissions of gases that warm the planet causes Recycling has failed to stem the flow of plastic waste that accumulates in landfills, enters the world’s rivers and oceans, and breaks down into tiny particles that have entered drinking water supplies and are detectable in human blood. The fiery derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year of a train carrying vinyl chloride also highlighted the dangers of some of the chemicals used to make plastics.
The plastics industry has come to grips with the critical role plastics play in modern life. Nearly 200 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists plan to participate in this week’s treaty negotiations, a 40 percent jump from the previous round of negotiations, according to an analysis from the Center for International Environmental Law.
Modern medicine relies heavily on single-use plastics, for example. PVC bags can keep blood for up to 42 days, a sign at the Vinyl Institute cocktail party pointed out. Industry groups have also highlighted the role plastics play in preventing food waste and providing clean tap water.
“When you think about the bigger problems of access to clean water, access to good health,” Mr. DeCaria said from Ottawa on Tuesday, “we’re part of the solution.”
The global debate on plastics
The plastics industry has also found itself navigating a difficult global landscape. Some of the world’s largest oil and gas producing countries align with the industry position. The nations aim to draw up a draft treaty by the end of the year at the final round of negotiations in South Korea. In addition to limiting plastic production, scientists are urging negotiators to seek a treaty that mandates testing of chemicals in plastics.
According to the UN Environment Program, the world produces more than 430 million metric tons of plastic annually. Two-thirds are short-lived products that soon become waste.
“We will continue to need plastic for specific uses, such as renewable energy technologies,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP’s executive director. “But there is growing agreement that short-lived and one-time use can be done.”
Biden’s Emissions Rulemaking Spree
The Biden administration today laid the final cornerstone of its plan to address climate change, my colleagues Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman reported. The new regulation will force the country’s coal-fired power plants to cut greenhouse pollution by 90% by 2039 or face closure.
It’s part of a series of new rules on planet-warming pollution the White House recently issued as it works to meet the nation’s goal of cutting carbon emissions by about half from 2005 levels by the end of the decade. See what has happened since the beginning of the year:
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Cars and trucks: Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency issued new emissions limits designed to ensure that at least 56 percent of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States are fully electric or hybrid by 2032. Coral pointed out that the passenger car rule would eliminate more greenhouse gas emissions than any other climate rule in the nation’s history. Another rule increasingly limits the amount of pollution allowed from larger trucks.
The White House has also issued regulations to protect wildlife, rid municipal water systems of “forever chemicals” and limit pollution from industrial and chemical facilities that make people sick.
The rules are likely to face challenges. Many states have already sued the government to stop the implementation of some of the rules. — Manuela Andreoni