Countries divided over UN treaty to tackle plastic pollution in Busan talks

Delegates from 175 countries are meeting in Busan, South Korea, for the fifth round of talks on a UN treaty to reduce plastic pollution. Previous discussions in April ended without progress on limiting plastic production. The current talks will focus on chemicals of concern, as major petrochemical producers like Saudi Arabia and China oppose efforts to cap plastic production. This division mirrors ongoing conflicts in global climate negotiations. The U.S. has recently supported production caps, aligning with the EU and other nations, but uncertainty remains following Donald Trump's election. UN officials express optimism for a binding agreement by the end of the year.