The global fight against climate change is stuck in a rut. The failure of COP29 in Baku has exposed deep fractures—and now the UN talks on plastic waste reduction (INC 5) in Busan, South Korea, have also collapsed without a deal.

At the Baku summit, climate finance was a hot topic. Nations agreed to increase funding for poorer countries to 300 billion US-dollar annually by 2035, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the 1.3 trillion US-dollar experts say is needed to effectively tackle the crisis. Developing countries, which bear the brunt of climate change, rightly slammed the pledge as inadequate.approach in climate communication. This is obvious from two key observations in the climate debate today.

An Oil Nation and an Oil CEO
COP29 was hosted by an oil-rich nation and chaired by an oil executive. Days before the summit, Elnur Soltanov, a board member of Azerbaijan’s state energy company, was even caught on tape offering oil and gas deals in exchange for event sponsorship.

It’s no surprise, then, that the talks in Azerbaijan made no headway on phasing out fossil fuels. Heavyweights like the US, Saudi Arabia, and China applied enough pressure to derail meaningful agreements — a blow to anyone hoping for real climate action.

Busan: Another Bust
The scene was no better at INC 5 in Busan. Here, too, oil-producing nations largely opposed measures to reduce plastic production. “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” declared lead negotiator Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador as the talks ended. Of the nearly 200 participating countries, over 100 had supported goals to cut plastic production, but Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, India, and China dug in their heels.

The result? No deal. Not even the core issue — whether the treaty should merely address waste management or also reduce new plastic production — was resolved. A representative from Rwanda summed up the frustration: “We didn’t come here for a toothless agreement.” A WWF delegate, quoted by the Guardian, also dismissed the talks: “We know what needs to be done to end plastic waste… Simply holding more conferences is not the solution.”

Plastic now found in placentas and mothers’ milk
Recycling continued to be touted as the go-to solution, despite OECD data that less than 9 per cent of plastic actually gets recycled. A international study published in Science projects that mismanaged plastic waste will rise to 121 million tons per year by 2050 — a mountain of trash which will be burned, dumped on land, or thrown into the ocean. Toxic emissions from burning or dumping waste are also set to rise by 37 per cent, the study found.

We need binding measures to limit plastic production. We also need more awareness of just how harmful plastic waste is. Microplastics are now infiltrating our food chains — and our bodies. Scientists have found microplastics even in human placentas and breast milk. Plastic pollution isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a human health crisis.

Consumer Power?
So, what happens when global leaders fail to act? Can everyday people step up? Packaging alone makes up one-third of all plastic waste, according to the OECD. We have been working to cut back our plastic use, we try to shop more sustainably, and we talk to others about climate action.

Is that enough? No. But it’s our part.