"UN plastic treaty talks end without a deal," 1 December 2024

...Talks collapsed... after negotiators failed to resolve their differences and agree on a global plastic treaty. At the heart of the disagreement was a refusal by oil-rich nations led by Saudi Arabia [and countries incl. Russia] to accept a deal that put limits on plastic production.

The Busan summit was billed as the culmination of two years of talks, with U.N. countries having previously agreed to “forge an internationally binding agreement by 2024.”...

The EU, alongside more than 100 other countries that included the U.K., had on Thursday backed a new proposal spearheaded by Panama pushing for a global target to reduce plastic production to “sustainable levels...

The Saudi and Russian negotiators declined multiple requests for comment when approached by POLITICO in Busan... Along with disagreements over plastic production, countries were also unable to agree on whether and how to target particularly polluting plastic products, and how to finance the treaty... China, the world’s biggest plastic producer, has been seen as a constructive partner for the ambitious coalition in some respects. It has contributed to the debate on targeting the most polluting plastic products...

Still, many countries and NGOs were optimistic that a treaty could still be reached. The date and time of the next round of talks is yet to be announced.