Aamjiwnaang, ENGO and health partners call for ambitious action at final round of UN plastic treaty talks

Aamjiwnaang First Nation, and environmental and health justice groups are in Busan, Republic of Korea this week for INC-5, the fifth and final round of the United Nations global plastics treaty negotiations. The groups are calling for urgent action to address harmful impacts at all stages of the plastics lifecycle, including a global reduction target for plastic production. 

The proliferation of plastic production and waste is causing an environmental and human health crisis globally and undermining efforts to reduce climate emissions. These impacts are felt most acutely by communities on the frontlines of the plastic crisis, including Aamjiwnaang First Nation. 

As the last round of global plastics treaty talks unfolded in Ottawa earlier this year, the community of Aamjiwnaang was forced to declare a State of Emergency. Dangerous levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical used in the production of plastic, caused community members to fall ill and sent some to hospital. 

Representatives from Aamjiwnaang were at the treaty negotiations and delivered a powerful message, alongside fellow frontline Indigenous leaders: Indigenous Peoples need to be included as equal partners at the table, and in all efforts to tackle the plastics pollution crisis. 

Some strong options that would help meaningfully address the root causes of plastic pollution are still on the table in the treaty negotiations. However, groups warn that a small number of member states and industry actors could derail negotiations by continuing to push for weak and non-mandatory measures that will do little to address the urgent crises we all face. A new survey published by the global movement Break Free from Plastic ahead of INC-5 showed 84 per cent of people across ten countries support cuts to plastic production. 

Groups are calling for Canada to show global leadership in reducing plastic production through immediate measures including: 

• Supporting a binding global reduction target on the production of primary plastic polymers;
• Upholding commitments to respect Indigenous Rights and Sovereignty;
• Supporting the elimination and reduction of chemicals of concerns to protect human health, human rights and the environment;
• Ensuring transparency throughout the lifecycle of plastics, which includes expanding the Federal Plastics Registry; and
• Ending subsidies to petrochemical production.

Media backgrounder: Plastic Production in Canada: Impacts, Subsidies and Industry Influence 

Comments: Aamjiwnaang First Nation and environmental and health justice partners.