Negotiations in Busan, South Korea, aimed at finalizing a UN agreement to reduce plastic waste concluded without agreement among over 170 nations. Key disputes centered on production limits urged by a coalition including the EU and several Latin American countries, opposed by oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia. Environmental organizations criticized the failure but welcomed the continuation of talks, emphasizing the need for binding global targets to address the escalating crisis of plastic waste, which exceeds 400 million tons annually worldwide.