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Negotiations on treaty against plastic pollution blocked - The negotiations on a treaty against plastic pollution, which began on Monday afternoon in Paris, have been blocked by a political showdown. Saudi Arabia and several Gulf countries, as well as Russia, China, India and even Brazil, refuse that the future treaty be approved by a two-thirds majority vote if no consensus is found. Facing them, a majority of countries defend the vote as a last resort. Camila Zepeda of the Mexican delegation declared on Tuesday that “We are missing out on what brings us here, namely plastic pollution” before adding that “we are wasting time and energy in discussions that go round in circles, so let's get to the point."
Meanwhile, some French media criticised the French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening, for failing to attend in person the gathering in the French capital and calling for “action” through a video message which was sent to the negotiators meeting. Macron went on to evoke a "time bomb". According to a projection by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the production of plastics could triple from 460 million tonnes to 1.2 billion tonnes in 2060 if nothing is done. The aim of negotiations was to achieve a "legally binding" text by the end of 2024, a year ahead of the United Nations conference on the ocean being held in Nice
Government’s fight against “illegal medical tourism” could take time to implement</
