The Biden-Harris government has shifted its stance regarding a proposed cap on plastic production in the United Nations’ global plastics treaty. This change was communicated during a private meeting between White House staffers and various environmental advocacy groups last week. Initially, an August briefing indicated that the United States would align itself with countries such as Norway, Peru, and the United Kingdom, which support production limits. However, representatives have now been informed that mandatory production caps are not considered feasible for the upcoming fifth session of the treaty negotiations in Busan, South Korea.

Instead of binding production limits, U.S. delegates are expected to advocate for a flexible framework where nations can establish their own voluntary reduction targets. The Biden-Harris government also now favors blacklisting certain plastic products containing harmful chemicals rather than banning the chemicals themselves, a weak and likely ineffectual approach liable to be circumvented at scale.

American Indian activists are complaining about the backtracking, stressing the neurological damage that endocrine-disrupting plastics can inflict on their youth. “How can we pass on our language, our creation stories, our songs and dances, our traditions and cultures, if our children can’t learn?” demanded Viola Waghiyi, a Native activist in Alaska.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated by President-elect Donald J. Trump as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, flagged issues with microplastics entering the human brain as recently as September. During his independent run for the presidency, he pledged to make removing plastics from the nation’s food and water supply “a priority.”

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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