CHRISTIAN campaigners have decried the deadlock in the United Nations’ plastics-treaty negotiations and urged the UK Government to work with other countries to oppose a small group of oil states that are blocking agreement.
The latest round of talks in Geneva, at which almost 190 countries were represented, were intended to finalise a legally binding agreement to tackle plastic pollution across its lifecycle, from production to disposal. But, after ten days of negotiations, no consensus was reached.
A small group of oil-producing nations, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, blocked key proposals, including the setting of binding targets to reduce plastic production and phase out hazardous chemicals. The countries, together with plastic producers, argue that better waste collection and recycling infrastructure should take priority: that pollution rather than production is the issue.
But Christian charities have warned that the failure to act decisively will have grave consequences for vulnerable communities and the natural world.
A senior policy associate at Tearfund, Mari Williams, said: “While the lack of agreement on a strong and ambitious treaty is hugely disappointing, we are encouraged by the unity and strength shown by a large number of countries in standing firm and not bowing to pressure to agree to a weak and ineffective text.”
Tearfund says that more than two billion people around the world lack access to safe waste disposal. Mismanaged plastic waste, often dumped or burned, contributes, the charity’s research suggests, to up to a million deaths a year — one every 30 seconds.
Ms Williams said: “These countries must now build on what has been achieved, pursue all avenues, and keep working tirelessly towards the legally binding treaty that our world so desperately needs — one that includes targets to reduce plastic production and increase access to waste collection and recycling services, and which commits to ensuring a just transition for waste-pickers.”
The group Green Christian echoed the call for action, framing the issue in theological terms. One of its trustees, Jack Wakefield, said: “We urge the Prime Minister, and Environment Secretary: now is the moment to be bold. In God’s creation, there is no throwaway planet and there are no throwaway people. Anything less than binding targets to cut plastic production and a just transition for the poorest will be a failure to protect the most vulnerable from the scourge of plastic pollution.”
He continued: “In the most recent draft, all targets to reduce plastic production have disappeared, and, once again, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities are being left to carry the heaviest burden.”
Both organisations highlighted the part played by waste-pickers — often overlooked in policy discussions — who collect 60 per cent of the plastic that is recycled globally.
At the talks in Geneva, Jocabed Solano Miselis, a representative of the Gunadule nation from the Gunayala region in Panama, and a member of the World Council of Churches Commission on Climate Justice, advocated for indigenous peoples.
She said: “Indigenous peoples teach us that caring for the earth isn’t just an environmental issue but a deeply ethical and political one. We’re at a critical point, and many countries hesitate to make concessions. Still, we pray with the hope inspired by the resurrection that the Spirit will bring reconciliation to all things, awakening decision-makers to choose actions that benefit the entire creation.”
