INC-5 Adjourns Without Final Global Plastics Treaty
Why focus: INC-5 global plastics treaty negotiations — core GS3 Environment, tests UNEA mandate and binding vs non-binding provisions.
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
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BEFORE: INC-5 was scheduled to be the final round of negotiations to deliver a legally binding global plastics treaty by the end of 2024. NOW: The deadline has been extended, and a resumed session (INC-5.2) will be held in 2025 to finalize the text.
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BEFORE: Negotiations were operating on fragmented draft versions with hundreds of bracketed (undecided) texts. NOW: A consolidated 'Chair's Text' was adopted as the official baseline document to guide the 2025 resumed negotiations.
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BEFORE: The treaty's scope was broad, with strong pushes for a full lifecycle approach including capping primary plastic polymers. NOW: Due to pushback from producing nations, the baseline text is heavily contested, with production caps remaining a major hurdle for the 2025 sessions.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Practice Questions
Q1
Correct Statement(s)Which of the following statements regarding the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on plastic pollution is/are correct? 1. The INC was established by the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) with a mandate to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. 2. India has actively supported the High Ambition Coalition's demand to place hard international caps on primary plastic polymer production.