This study by the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and Eunomia, conducted with grant funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and supported by Dalberg Catalyst, presents the results of a second phase of research and modelling to understand the extent of subsidies for primary polymer production (PPP) and the potential impact of removing these. 

Synthetic plastic polymers are ubiquitous in modern life, but each stage of the plastics lifecycle – from extracting, refining and polymerising hydrocarbons to disposing of plastic waste – contributes to climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Eliminating subsidies for plastics production is one measure under consideration by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC), which is working to develop the UN-mandated Global Plastics Treaty to end plastic pollution.

The study aims to fill gaps in the data on subsidies for the industry segment that processes raw materials for plastic, produces basic resins and extrudes them as plastic pellets. It builds on the results of a Phase 1 report to model the impacts of removing PPP subsidies against a business-as-usual scenario and finds it would significantly reduce primary polymer production. It also models the likely impacts on prices for consumers and finds these would increase minimally in the absence of subsidies.

You can find the full Phase 2 report attached below. 

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): What is Sustainable and Just?

By Duncan McLaren and Olaf Corry

As atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations continue to rise apace and global temperatures and climate impacts accelerate due to insufficient global action, many are placing hopes and expectations in large scale anthropogenic ‘carbon dioxide removal’ (CDR) to balance the global carbon budget. 

CDR comprises a range of ideas and schemes that aim to draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide (which is already at harmful levels) and store it safely. In pursuing a maximum of a 1.5°C temperature rise at 2100, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Reports include many potentially unsustainable scenarios with removal of between 6 and 11 billion tonnes of CO2 (6-11 Gt-CO2) every year for 50 years.  This would be a staggering amount of removal and storage and raises a host of challenging questions not only about feasibility and effectiveness, but also about safety, sustainability, legality, justice, ethics and geo-politics. 

Questions include:

- Are such rates of removal even possible in the face of technical, economic and social limits?

- Whose continued emissions would be counterbalanced with CDR? 

- What would a world of large-scale CDR look like in terms of human rights, sustainability and geopolitical risks?

- What do such calculations assume about continual economic growth and global inequalities? 

- Can CDR be pursued without deterring urgently needed acceleration of emissions cuts? 

This briefing paper offers some answers to these questions, highlighting uncertainties surrounding prospects for CDR, and social, environmental and human rights harms that may arise if we place too much trust in CDR – especially if CDR is treated as interchangeable with emissions reductions. We outline a pathway that restrains climate change and avoids unsafe, unjust and unsustainable technofixes.

QUNO’s Sustainable and Just Economic Systems programme, in partnership with Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd., has published the Phase 1 Report of their project titled Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap. This report represents a crucial step in uncovering the extensive subsidies received by the primary plastics polymer (PPP) production industry, a sector that plays a pivotal role in global plastic pollution.

The report focuses on the subsidies provided to the most energy-intensive segment of the plastics production chain, from the processing of raw materials to the production of basic resins and their extrusion into plastic pellets. The study reveals that these subsidies are substantial, amounting to approximately USD 30 billion annually across the top 15 polymer-producing countries.

This work is critical as it fills significant data gaps and provides a foundation for informed policy discussions at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution, which is tasked with developing a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution. The findings highlight the urgent need for better transparency and tracking of subsidies at both national and international levels.

Supported by Dalberg Catalyst through grant funding from The Rockefeller Foundation, this collaborative effort between QUNO and Eunomia serves as a vital resource for stakeholders aiming to understand and reform the economic drivers of plastic production. The Phase 1 Report is just the beginning, with future phases planned to refine these findings, project future subsidy trends, and model the potential impacts of subsidy reforms on plastic production, trade, and environmental outcomes.

Discaimer: The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of The Rockefeller Foundation or Dalberg Catalyst.

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva published a 'Climate Change: What We Can Do" (previously known as ‘How to be a Hero for All Our Children’) which is available in English, Arabic, Spanish. and French. It aims to connect people with the most recent climate science and suggests personal actions and questions for politicians.

‘What We Can Do’ has been updated with the most recent climate scientific findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6). This report was compiled over seven years and involved hundreds of scientists worldwide.  

'What We Can Do’ is written for a wide audience, whether already active or new to climate concerns. It includes categories such as “What we eat”, “How we grow and sell food”, and “How we use and source energy.” This publication is meant to aid in our collective empowerment to transform the root causes driving planetary crisis. 

This publication is accessible online and via a print-at-home version which can be used for personal distribution and campaigning.

QUNO is proud to announce that the latest version of our annual review is now available online! This is a great opportunity to read and learn more about the work of our New York and Geneva offices during this past year, and to learn about the work ahead.

QUNO Geneva's Peace & Disarmament program works on highlighting the arms-related risks to human rights and tackling the challenges in addressing these risks by building effective arms controls at the international level. Read more about how we do that in this booklet. 

The new FES publication offers a civil society perspective on how we can raise ambition for the IMRF to deliver for migrants.

The initial International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) took place in May 2022 during the General Assembly in New York, aiming to assess the progress of the 2018 Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). In this interim period between IMRF sessions, authors Kate Sheill and Laurel Townhead reflect on the inaugural event from a civil society standpoint, documenting the formal processes leading up to the forum. The publication serves as a contribution to institutional memory and seeks to provide insights for future IMRF engagements. The review delves into the established constraints and emerging challenges faced during the 2022 IMRF, examining how they influenced efforts to enhance civil society involvement. Specifically, it contemplates the global follow-up and review process's potential.

While acknowledging certain successes of the inaugural IMRF, the paper contends that greater ambition is necessary, both for the forum itself and the implementation of the GCM, to effectively benefit migrants. It suggests viewing the IMRF not merely as a quadrennial, four-day event but reimagining it as an integral part of the broader UN architecture for migration governance and migrant rights. This approach aims to foster coherence across all relevant UN processes and entities, as well as to expand and deepen engagement from diverse stakeholder groups. Only through this comprehensive perspective can we hope to realize the ambition and effectively serve the needs of migrants.

Viewing the Global Compact for Migration as a useful tool for human rights-based migration governance, QUNO works with States, the UN, civil society and migrants themselves to ensure its ambitious, effective, and human rights-based implementation. QUNO believes that a multistakeholder, collaborative approach that incorporates lived experiences and expertise is vital for this process, to support this QUNO is publishing a short, practical guide for migrants and other stakeholders to engage with the upcoming Regional Reviews.

This guide is designed to simplify and enhance the accessibility of the Regional Reviews in an effort to promote engagement from all stakeholders, particularly migrants themselves. QUNO explains why engaging with the process is important and avenues of engagement with ideas for action, while also providing logistical information and useful resources.

Against the backdrop of Asia’s struggle with burgeoning plastic waste, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has published a new report that delves into the complex challenges and potential strategies for addressing this problem in the region.

QUNO’s report, ‘Trade and Plastics — Fostering Sustainable Development in South East Asia’, was issued by its Sustainable and Just Economic Systems programme this month (November).

It focuses on plastic pollution in Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam and highlights the pressing need for systemic changes. 

The report highlights the growing environmental threats and economic losses due to mismanaged waste. It also exposes the intricate interplay between trade policies and sustainable waste management practices.

This critical study, conducted by experts from the University of Cambridge, transcends traditional discussions on plastic waste management. 

It underscores the urgent need to align strategies with the waste management hierarchy—emphasising reduction, reuse, and recycling—to combat the escalating crisis of plastic pollution and its socio-economic ramifications.

This study is an essential call to action, urging the implementation of comprehensive policies that integrate waste hierarchy principles. 

It challenges the current linear economic model, stressing the importance of reducing plastic production, minimising single-use plastics, and promoting sustainable alternatives. 

Its authors navigate the complexities of transitioning towards more sustainable practices, particularly emphasising the pivotal role of trade as a lever for ecological and social reform.

The report enriches broader understanding of the multifaceted nature of plastic pollution and fortifies QUNO’s advocacy for environmentally sound and equitable economic systems. It is a testament to the power of informed, cohesive action in the face of a global environmental challenge.