The pervasive pollution by plastic in all aspects of our environment requires strong measures. These include limitations on production, reducing single use plastics, banning toxic chemicals and enforcing reuse.

An international conference held in South Korea to limit the use of plastics has ended in failure. The goal of the conference was to produce a legally binding treaty to combat pollution from the plastic lifecycle. The failure of the conference was a grim repetition of the conflicts and deadlocks that cripple COP summits.

Oil producing companies and lobbyists

Key oil producing countries, led by Saudi Arabia and including Russia and Iran, blocked attempts to produce a rational agreement. Faced with increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse emissions from fossil fuels, these countries see the plastic industry as a growth market for their oil.

The defiant oil producing countries were assisted by a huge number of oil industry lobbyists. Chief among these were ExxonMobil from the US, and the chemicals companies BASF from Germany, Dow from the US and SABIC from Saudi Arabia (owned by Aramco, the state owned oil company). For over two years these companies and the oil countries have thrown obstructions and diversions into the negotiation process.

While the EU has broadly supported a “high ambition” agreement, the US and China have remained lukewarm, happy to have the oil companies and lobbyists do their dirty work.

Another disagreement at the talks was the familiar one of finance. Managing any treaty will require funding. The US is unwilling, and the lobbyists have pushed hard against “the polluter pays” principle.

The failed talks have again shown how capitalism, and in particular fossil fuel corporations and their political agents, hold the world to ransom.