Ontario, Canada. Negotiators from most states are currently discussing the draft of a worldwide treaty aimed at eradicating plastic pollution, marking the first instance of such negotiations.

Delegates and observers at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution regarded it as a positive development, and discussions have transitioned from conceptualization to the formulation of a treaty at this fourth out of five planned plastics summits.

The concept of internationally restricting the production of plastic is highly controversial. The document continues to exist despite the vehement opposition from countries and companies involved in plastic production, as well as oil and gas exporters. The majority of plastic is derived from fossil fuels and chemical compounds.

The Ottawa session was set for late Monday or early Tuesday. During Monday night’s meeting, there was a heated debate about whether the working groups should prioritize the issue of plastic manufacture before the upcoming and final meeting.

Global Negotiations On A Treaty To End Plastic Pollution At Critical Phase In Canada

According to Stewart Harris, a representative of the International Council of Chemical Associations, the members are advocating for a treaty that specifically addresses the recycling and reuse of plastic, sometimes known as “circularity.”

Harris expressed the desire for the deal to be finalized. “We desire to collaborate with the governments in order to execute it.” The private sector has a significant responsibility to fulfill.

Many scientists from the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty attended the meeting to present scientific facts on plastic pollution to negotiators. Their objective was to counteract any misinformation that may be circulating.

Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicology professor at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg and coalition co-leader, stated that yesterday’s claim about the lack of microplastic data is factually incorrect. In reality, there have been 21,000 published articles on micro and nanoplastics. “It resembles the game Whac-A-Mole.”

Global Negotiations On A Treaty To End Plastic Pollution At Critical Phase In Canada

According to her, scientists have been subjected to harassment and intimidation by lobbyists. She informed the United Nations that a lobbyist shouted directly at her during a meeting.

Ecuador’s lead negotiator, Walter Schuldt, stated that despite their divergences, the countries represented have a shared objective of advancing in the treaty process.

“In the interview, he emphasized that we are discussing the preservation of life in the future, encompassing not only human life but also all forms of life on Earth,” he stated.

He expressed his pride in participating in and contributing his small but meaningful effort to the worldwide initiative to tackle an environmental issue.

The negotiators’ objective is to finalize a treaty by the conclusion 2024. The topics given to expert working groups by tonight will progress to the final stage of discussions in autumn in South Korea.

Without undertaking this preparatory work in between meetings, it would be intimidating to successfully conclude the negotiations within this year. Several nations expressed their dedication to collaborating during the intervals between talks on Sunday evening.

The treaty negotiations commenced in Uruguay in December 2022, and Rwanda and Peru’s subsequent submission of the resolution initiated the process in March 2022.

Progress was sluggish at the Paris discussions in May 2023 and the Nairobi talks in November as countries deliberated about the process’s regulations.

Upon the arrival of numerous negotiators and observers in Ottawa, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the committee chair from Ecuador, reminded them of their objective and urged them to exhibit ambition.

“We have a responsibility to create a new treaty that will stimulate and direct the necessary actions and global collaboration to achieve a future devoid of plastic pollution,” he stated. “We must not disappoint them.”

The delegates have discussed the treaty’s scope, chemicals of concern, problematic and avoidable plastics, product design, and financing and implementation.

Delegates also simplified the cumbersome assortment of choices from the previous meeting.

Many individuals journeyed to Ottawa from communities impacted by plastic manufacture and pollution. Residents residing near petrochemical plants and refineries in Louisiana and Texas distributed postcards to the U.S. State Department with the message, “We desire your presence.”

Global Negotiations On A Treaty To End Plastic Pollution At Critical Phase In Canada

The members of the Break Free From Plastic movement journeyed collectively and urged negotiators to personally witness air and water contamination in their regions.

“This remains the most optimal choice we possess to witness transformation in our communities.” Corporations heavily influence them. Jo Banner, a St. John the Baptist Parish resident in Louisiana, expressed their inability to attend the local government. “It seems that this is my sole opportunity and source of optimism to assist my community in recovering and finding solace.”

Members of an Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus held a news conference on Saturday. They expressed concern that microplastics are polluting their food supply. They emphasized that this pollution threatens their communities and ways of life, which are guaranteed to them indefinitely. They perceived a lack of acknowledgment of their opinions.

“Our stakes are larger.” “These are our hereditary territories that are being contaminated with plastic,” Juressa Lee, a resident of New Zealand, expressed following the occurrence. “We are individuals or groups who possess legal rights, rather than individuals or groups with an interest or involvement in a particular issue.” We should be granted greater autonomy in expressing our opinions and judgments than individuals responsible for the issue.

Historically, plastic was not present, but currently, in the Bay of Plenty, the sediment and shellfish, which serve as their seafood supply, are contaminated with little plastic particles. Lee stated that they consider nature’s “resources” as valuable assets.

“Indigenous methods can serve as a guiding force,” Lee stated. “The current approach we are taking is evidently ineffective.”

Vi Waghiyi journeyed from Alaska to advocate for the rights and interests of Arctic Indigenous communities. She emphasizes to decision-makers the need to ensure that this pact provides long-term protection against plastic pollution for future generations.

She stated that their purpose in being here is to serve as the moral compass, ensuring that the decisions made are in the best interest of all individuals.

SOURCE – (AP)

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden engaged in a conversation with his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, regarding collaboration on migration policy. This discussion took place as the U.S. leader contemplates the possibility of implementing executive measures to address the influx of migrants coming at the southern U.S. border.

President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador Discuss Migration In Latest Call

During his daily press conference in Mexico City on Monday, López Obrador stated that the call took place on Sunday at Biden’s behest. Biden and López Obrador issued a joint statement, stating that their call focused on their collaborative endeavors to “efficiently oversee” migration and “enhance operational effectiveness” at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“We have periodic discussions,” López Obrador stated. “I actively search for him, and he actively searches for me, and then we engage in conversation.”

The Mexican leader stated that significant advancements have been achieved in managing unlawful migration by effectively convincing numerous migrants to abstain from using illicit means to traverse nations.

President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador Discuss Migration In Latest Call

López Obrador also praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s January ruling, which permitted Border Patrol officials to recommence the removal of razor wire that the state of Texas had put along the border as a means to discourage migration.

The joint statement said that Biden and López Obrador had instructed their respective national security advisors to promptly implement specific measures to decrease irregular border crossings. However, the statement did not provide more details regarding the nature of these actions. According to the statement, the policies will also safeguard human rights.

Following the failure of border legislation in Congress earlier this year, the White House has not dismissed the possibility of President Biden issuing an executive order regarding asylum laws in an attempt to decrease the influx of migrants at the U.S. southern border.

Any unilateral action would probably rely on a president’s authority under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows extensive authority to prevent the entry of specific immigrants if it is considered harmful to the national interest.

President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador Discuss Migration In Latest Call

Administration officials have extensively examined multiple alternatives for months, although Biden has not yet decided how to proceed with unilateral steps. White House advisers have observed that there is currently no pressing need for the president to take any action, as the number of unlawful border crossings has decreased since reaching a peak of 250,000 in December, thanks to increased enforcement operations by Mexican officials.

SOURCE – (AP)

Dan Rather was synonymous with CBS News before the veteran anchorman left in bitterness in 2006, following a discredited report on then-President George W Bush has died at the age of 92.

Dan Rather returned to the CBS News airwaves for the first time since his bitter exit 18 years ago, appearing in a reflective interview on “CBS Sunday Morning” days before the debut of a Netflix documentary on the 92-year-old newsman’s life.

After 44 years at the network, 24 as anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” Rather left under a cloud following a botched investigation into then-President George W. Bush’s military record. Rather signed off as anchor for the last time on March 9, 2005, and exited the network when his contract ended 15 months later.

With continued enmity between him and since-deposed CBS chief Leslie Moonves, Rather essentially became a nonperson at the news division he dominated for decades.

“Without apology or explanation, I miss CBS,” Rather told correspondent Lee Cowan in the interview that aired Sunday. “I’ve missed it since the day I left.”

Dan Rather escaped official blame for the report that questioned Bush’s Vietnam War-era National Guard service but, as the anchor who introduced it, was identified with it.

CBS could not vouch for the authenticity of some documents upon which the report was based, although many people involved in the story still believe it was true.

In the documentary “Rather,” debuting Wednesday on Netflix, Rather said he thought he would survive the incident, but his wife, Jean, told him, “You got into a fight with the president of the United States during his reelection campaign. What did you think was going to happen?”

Rather did not retire after leaving CBS, doing investigative journalism and rock star interviews for HDNet, a digital cable and satellite television network. Over the past few years, he has become known to a new generation as a tart-talking presence on social media.

This past week, he posted on X during former President Trump’s hush money trial: “Is it just me or did today seem sleazy even for Donald Trump?”

“You either get engaged and you get engaged in the new terms … or you’re out of the game,” Rather said in the CBS interview, filmed at his home in Texas. “And I wanted to stay in the game.”

The Netflix documentary traces his career from coverage of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Vietnam War and Watergate, through his anchor years and beyond. It includes some of the then tightly-wound Rather’s odder incidents, including an assault in New York City by someone saying, “What’s the frequency, Kenneth,” then later appearing onstage with R.E.M. when the group performed its song of the same name.

In both the documentary and in the CBS interview, Rather bypasses his career when talk turned to his legacy.

“In the end, whatever remains of one’s life — family, friends — those are going to be the things for which you’re remembered,” he said.

Source: The Associated Press