By AFP - Agence France Presse
Environmentalists criticize the influence of lobbyists in plastics negotiations.
Environmental groups on Wednesday criticized the presence of dozens of lobbyists from the petrochemical and fossil fuel industries at UN negotiations on a plastic pollution treaty, accusing them of “obstruction” and “misinformation.”
“It's a direct conflict of interest,” said Delphine Levi Alvares, coordinator of the global petrochemicals campaign at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
“Their interests conflict with the objective of the mandate (of the negotiations), and their presence here defies independent science.”
Around 200 countries are in South Korea to agree on a treaty to end plastic pollution, ending two years of negotiations.
The resolution that established the negotiations calls for a treaty that addresses the entire “life cycle” of plastics, as well as the need for sustainable production and consumption.
Environmental groups and many countries say this is a mandate to limit the production of new plastics, putting the treaty's goals in conflict with the business model of the chemical and fossil fuel companies whose products are the raw materials for plastics.
CIEL said its analysis of a UN participant list showed that more than 200 lobbyists from the chemical and fossil fuel sectors were registered for the negotiations.
“We observed industry lobbyists surrounding the negotiations with the sadly familiar tactics of obstruction, distraction, intimidation, and misinformation,” said Levi Alvares.
The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) estimated the number of industry delegates present at 135 and refuted the allegations.
“We are far outnumbered” by NGO observers, said Matthew Kastner, director of media relations for the American Chemistry Council, an ICCA member.
“Our delegation is here to listen to governments so we can understand the unique challenges they face,” he said.
Industry observers want to offer the “deep technical knowledge our sectors have that can help end plastic pollution.”
Environmental groups argue that industry organizations with large financial resources have a huge advantage in influencing the negotiations and are often found in the delegations of countries accused of blocking progress towards a more ambitious treaty.
“The difference is that NGOs are representing public interests, while these sectors are representing private interests,” said Levi Alvarez.
NGOs have regularly criticized the presence of industry participants in the delegations of countries negotiating in the talks.
Countries are free to choose who participates in their delegations and, in some cases, have brought environmental groups to the negotiations.
The head of the UN Environment Program, Inger Andersen, told AFP earlier this week that she had no mandate to limit participation in the delegations.
“We had a large contingent of observers from all kinds of groups,” she said.
“We can't tell member states who they should put in their delegations.”
sah/pdw
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