Negotiators get closer to agreeing on a plastic pollution treaty

Associated Press

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution have inched closer to an agreement, with more countries saying they want to address the total plastic on Earth. The most contentious issue of the talks is whether there will be a limit on the amount of plastic that companies are allowed to produce. Panama proposed text for the treaty to address plastic production on Thursday. Juan Carlos Monterrey, head of Panama’s delegation, said it’s a compromise proposal to build consensus because it does not include a numerical target or production cap. Instead, it says countries would adopt a global target at a later conference of the parties meeting. Support for Panama’s proposal quickly grew to over 100 countries.