OFFICIAL PORTAL
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
GENEVA (Reuters) -Talks to create the world's first legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution went into overtime on Thursday, with talks adjourned to the following day.
Countries scrambled to bridge deep divisions over the extent of future curbs on what was meant to be the final day of negotiations at the United Nations in Geneva.
But with just 30 minutes left in the scheduled meeting, the chair of the talks of the International Negotiating Committee (INC), Luis Vayas Valdivieso, told delegates the negotiations would run into Friday.
The INC is a group established by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2022 with the mandate to develop a legally binding global treaty to address plastic pollution.
Late Thursday night, countries had been awaiting a new text that could be the basis for further negotiations after delegations who want an ambitious plastics treaty threw out the one proposed on Wednesday.
States pushing for a comprehensive treaty, including Panama, Kenya, Britain and the European Union, shared frustration that key articles on the full life cycle of plastic pollution - from the production of polymers to the disposal of waste - as well as the harm to health had been removed entirely from the text.
Oil-producing nations are against curbs on the production of virgin plastics derived from petroleum, coal, and gas, while others want it to be limited and to have stricter controls over plastic products and hazardous chemicals.
"You cannot reconcile these two positions, and so I think that the chair will keep on trying. I don't know if he can, and if he can't, it will be time to seriously think about how to move forward," David Azoulay, the managing attorney of the Center for International Environmental Law's Geneva Office, told Reuters.
EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall said a "weak, static agreement serves no one".
"A treaty that covers the full life cycle of plastics and can evolve with science is a vital step ... The next few hours will show whether we can rise to the moment," she said in a statement.
Panama described Wednesday's draft text as "repulsive" and called for a complete rewrite.
Saudi Arabia, which is resisting major curbs, said nothing could be agreed until the treaty's scope was clearly defined.
More than 1,000 delegates have gathered in Geneva for the sixth round of talks, after a meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in South Korea late last year ended without a deal.
Advocacy groups held a banner and chanted against a "weak treaty" on Thursday as they waited for delegates to arrive in the U.N. plenary hall in Geneva for further discussions.
The OECD warns that without intervention, plastic production will triple by 2060, further choking oceans, harming health, and exacerbating climate change.
COMPROMISE
Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, co-chair of the High Ambition Countries group, told Reuters that all parties need to compromise.
"We are willing to discuss all articles, three, six, for example, to be able to create the package that can be good enough for everyone," he said, pointing to potential openness to re-discussing restrictions on chemicals and production.
Ross Eisenberg, president of America's Plastic Makers, which is part of the American Chemistry Council, said he was optimistic.
"We think this can be really good for our industry, society, and for the environment," he told Reuters.
The council, which supports a deal without limits on plastic production, warned that the U.S. might not ratify a treaty containing provisions to ban chemicals or restrict plastic production.
However, Colombian lawmaker Juan Carlos Lozada urged that no deal would be better than a watered-down deal.
Some 300 businesses, including Unilever, have pressed for an ambitious treaty that harmonises rules globally.
"If we don't get that degree of harmonisation, we risk further fragmentation ... and higher costs," Ed Shepherd, senior global sustainability manager at Unilever, told Reuters.
KOTA BHARU: Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Kelantan sedang melaksanakan kerja-kerja penyelenggaraan jalan di kawasan berisiko tinggi banjir sebagai langkah awal menghadapi musim tengkujuh.
Pengarahnya, Nik Soh Yaacoub berkata, lima arahan kerja telah dikeluarkan melibatkan laluan utama di beberapa daerah yang dikenal pasti sebagai ‘titik panas’ banjir saban tahun.
Katanya, kerja-kerja penyelenggaraan yang meliputi laluan Persekutuan dan negeri itu mendapat kerjasama dari dua syarikat konsesi dilantik.
“Langkah ini bagi memastikan rangkaian jalan raya kekal selamat dan boleh digunakan sepanjang musim hujan.
“Persediaan kali ini dilaksanakan lebih teratur dan menyeluruh. Setiap JKR jajahan telah digerakkan untuk memantapkan kekuatan logistik dan keanggotaan, agar bersedia bertindak pantas apabila banjir melanda,” katanya selepas merasmikan Pelancaran Kembara Merdeka JKR Kelantan 2025 di Ibu Pejabat JKR Kelantan, di sini hari ini. – UTUSAN
SIBU, 14 Ogos: Pembinaan jambatan besi baharu di Jalan Kwong Ming Hilir, Sungai Bidut, dilihat sebagai langkah penting bagi meningkatkan keselamatan penduduk dan mengurangkan risiko banjir di kawasan tersebut.
Projek itu hasil kerjasama antara komuniti setempat dan Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS) Sibu, susulan aduan yang disalurkan oleh pemimpin tempatan.
Pengerusi SUPP Cawangan Bawang Assan, Kaunselor Kevin Lau Kor Jie berkata, jambatan kayu lama bukan sahaja tidak stabil, malah menyebabkan sungai menjadi sempit.
“Dengan pembinaan jambatan besi ini, struktur lebih kukuh manakala aliran air sungai menjadi lebih lancar.
“Kerja pembinaan yang bermula sejak pertengahan Julai lalu dipantau rapi oleh penduduk, pemimpin komuniti dan pegawai JPS bagi memastikan ia siap mengikut jadual,” katanya.
Kevin juga menegaskan selain mengurangkan risiko kemalangan, pelebaran saluran sungai di bawah jambatan juga diyakini dapat mengurangkan risiko banjir sekali gus memperbaiki sistem saliran di kawasan tersebut.- TVS
PETALING JAYA: Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) has called on the government to commit to a global plastic treaty, adding that the problem is serious.
“Single-use plastic contributes to 50% of plastic production. Even with the increase in recycling efforts, 70% of plastic waste would still be burned or burried in landfills,” RCM said in a statement on Wednesday.
It also said plastic exacerbates the dangers of climate change and explained how the chemicals used to manufacture plastic could cause life-threatening health risks.
“The chemicals used in the production of plastic could cause breathing problems, deformities and stunted brain development.
“Plastic factories are also prone to fires, which could endanger lives and cause damage.”
RCM added that microplastics have been found in human tissue, which could lead to health problems such as increased risk of breathing ailments, disruptions to reproductive and gastrointestinal health and cancer.
RCM said the plastic industry is the fastest growing producer of industrial greenhouse gases in the world.
“This growth is due to the production, usage and disposal of plastic, that is expected to contribute up to 13% of the total remaining carbon budget by 2050.”
RCM urged measures to protect human health from the hazards of plastic production, use and disposal, including stronger research, monitoring and compensation for affected communities.
It said global action should replace ineffective voluntary measures, with binding targets to cut plastic production, eliminate hazardous chemicals and phase out unnecessary products.
The group also called for better product design to promote reusability, stricter control of plastic-related chemicals and waste prevention through reuse and refill systems.
It cautioned against alternatives such as certain biodegradable plastics and chemical recycling, that it said could harm both people and the environment.
“RCM hopes that the government would commit to these (goals). “We believe that sustainable development depends on a healthy population.
“This could be a turning point to end plastic pollution.”
BEIJING, 13 Ogos: Beijing meningkatkan amaran hujan ributnya kepada kuning – tahap ketiga tertinggi – berikutan hujan lebat diramal melanda banyak kawasan di bandar itu pada Selasa malam, lapor Xinhua.
Balai cerap meteorologi Beijing mengeluarkan amaran itu pada 4.47 petang Selasa, meramalkan kadar kerpasan setiap jam melebihi 50 milimeter (mm) sejam di daerah seperti Fangshan, Daxing, Tongzhou, Fengtai, Chaoyang, Shunyi, Pinggu, Huairou dan Miyun dalam beberapa jam akan datang. Jumlah kerpasan di sesetengah kawasan dijangka melebihi 100 mm.
Menurut amaran itu, terdapat potensi berlakunya kepala air, aliran lumpur dan tanah runtuh di kawasan pergunungan, serta banjir di kawasan tanah rendah.
Pada 5.30 petang, Pihak Berkuasa Air Beijing dan Perkhidmatan Meteorologi Beijing mengeluarkan amaran kuning kepala air di beberapa daerah pinggir bandar di utara dan barat Beijing.
Pihak berkuasa kawalan banjir turut memberi amaran kepada orang ramai supaya tidak mengunjungi kawasan pergunungan yang terdedah kepada bencana geologi memandangkan hujan dijangka berterusan minggu ini.
China mempunyai sistem amaran cuaca berkod warna empat peringkat, dengan merah mewakili tahap amaran paling teruk, diikuti oren, kuning dan biru. – TVS