Our Planet: Chemicals Management and marine plastics

8/6/2019 Our Planet: Chemicals Management and marine plastics

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ourplanetThe magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme April 2011

ChemiCals

management r

Jos Manuel Barrosoreaching sustainaBility

Karen elleManntiMe to tacKle cheMicals

Maanee leeBorrowing the present

nancy JacKsoncheMistry

as nature does it


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UNEP promotesenvironmentally sound practicesglobally and in its own activities.

This magazine is printed on 100% recycledpaper, using vegetable-based inks and othereco-friendly practices. Our distribution policy

aims to reduce UNEPs carbon footprint.

Our Planet, the magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: (254 20) 762 1234Fax: (254 20) 762 3927

e-mail: [email protected]

To view current and past issues of this publication online, please visitwww.unep.org/ourplanet

ISSN 1013 - 7394

Director of Publication : Satinder BindraEditor :Geoffrey Lean

Coordinator : Geoff Thompson, Mia Turner Special Contributor :Nick Nuttall

Distribution Manager :Manyahleshal KebedeDesign :Amina Darani

Produced by :UNEP Division of Communications and Public InformationPrinted by : Progress Press Distributed by : SMI Books

The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEPor the editors, nor are they an official record. The designations employed and the

presentation do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part ofUNEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory or city or its authority or

concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

* All dollar ($) amounts refer to US dollars.Cover Photo: Getty Images



JOS MANUEL BARROSO : Reaching sustainabilityr m v m m v

KAREN ELLEMANN : Time to tackle chemicals t i y c m b m m m

MAANEE LEE : Borrowing the present a m b k

NANCY JACKSON : Chemistry as nature oes itg c m b b

PRITI MAHESH : Passing the poisonous parcel h m e-

KUMI NAIdOO : Turning the toxic ti eex m m v

dAVId e ROTHSCHILd : Message on a bottle

p m b

PETER JOHN KERSHAW : Beware Mermai s TearsM m

GWYNNE LYONS : Pollutants with passports p m x z m

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The Emissions Gap Report

Launched or the Cancun climate meeting, this reportspells out what the pledges o Governments might actuallymean in terms o putting the world on track to limit global

temperature rises. The report is a partnership betweenover 30 leading researchers at climate modelling institutesacross the globe. It spotlights worst-case and best-casescenarios up to 2020 while estimating the emissions gapslikely under various outcomes that will need to be bridged inorder to avoid dangerous climate change.

A rica Water Atlas

This new publication rom UNEP outlines the majorchallenges acing A ricas water resources. TheAfrica Water Atlas uses hundreds o be ore and a ter shots, detailednew maps and satellite images rom 53 countries to showthe problems acing A ricas water supplies,such as the drying o Lake Chad and theerosion o the Nile Delta, as well as new,success ul methods o conserving water.The Atlas maps out new solutions andsuccess stories rom across the continent.

www.unep.org/pub icationsbooks

TEEB Synthesis Report

TEEB (The Economics o Ecosystems and Ban international assessment showcasing the economic value o orests, reshwater, soils an

as well as the social and economic costs o thenal report in the TEEB series the Synthesis Report

presents three scenarios: a natural ecosystem (human settlement (city), and a business sector (millustrate how the economic concepts and tools dTEEB can help equip society with the means tothe values o nature into decision-making at al

Environmental Consequences o OceanAcidi cation: A Threat to Food Security

This report sheds light on the consequencesconcentrations o CO2 in the marine environment ochains and ecosystems as well as human activit

tourism and shing. Rising CO2 emissions are causingoceans to become more acidic and posing a gto marine organisms. With around 1 billion peon sea ood as their main source o protein,also analyses the e ects o ocean acidi catio

ood security.

Prosperity without Growth Economics or a nite planetTim Jackson (Earthscan)

In the advanced economies there is mountinthat ever-increasing consumption adds littlehappiness, and it is now clear that the ecosyssustain our economies are collapsing under to rising consumption. Unless we can radthe environmental impact o economic actihave to devise a path to prosperity that doeson continued growth. This book presents

vision o how human society can ourish ecological limits o a nite planet.

Governance or The Environment:A Comparative Analysis oEnvironmental Policy IntegrationEdited by Alessandra Goria, et al. (Edward Elgar)

This book presents a diverse set o perspectives andexperience on how to support sustainable develop-ment through the integration o environmental is-sues into various policy sectors. The authors examineexisting research on environmental policy integra-tion (EPI) at three levels o policy making: national,regional and local. New and innovative approaches

to the study o EPI at these levels o governanceare proposed.

Protecting Arctic Biodiversity:limitations and strengths oenvironmental agreements

Current warming in the Arctic atmos-

phere, oceans and on land is contrib-uting to ar-reaching and rapid changeacross the worlds largest eco-region.This report addresses the growing con-cerns about the regions vulnerability. Itresponds to the request by the partici-pants to the Arendal Seminar in 2006,co-organised by UNEP/GRID-Arendal andthe Standing Committee or Parliamen-tarians o the Arctic Region (SCPAR), toexamine the limitations and strengthso existing environmental agreements

or conserving and protecting Arctic bio-diversity and options or improvement.

Conserving and Valuing Ecosystem Servicesand Biodiversity Economic, Institutional andSocial ChallengesK. N. Ninan (ed.) with Foreword by Achim Steiner (Earthscan)

This book comprehensively addresses the economic, socialand institutional difculties in conserving biodiversity andthe ecosystem services that it provides. It covers a widerange o issues including: biodiversity, ecosystem servicesand valuation in the context o diverse ecosystems suchas tropical orests, marine areas, wetlands and agriculturallandscapes; non-timber orest products; incentives andinstitutions; payments or ecosystem services; governance;intellectual property rights and the protection o traditionalknowledge, and climate change and biodiversity.



fl o sAchim Steiner

Un U d -S a -G al a dex u D o , UneP

How the international community manages its responseto both the challenges and the opportunities presentedby chemicals and wastes enters a new era this year.

Over the coming months the three principle treaties in thearea the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions will streamline their operations and actions in new

and potentially far-reaching ways. All three will adoptdecisions, as part of reform measures, to enhance co-operation and coordination, maximizing their collectiveimpact and so improving human health.

These new governance arrangements will be launched atthe Fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to theStockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutantsin Geneva in late April. They will then be agreed at theRotterdam Convention in the same city in June and theBasel Convention in October in Cartagena, Colombia.

Among many other key issues to be decided at theStockholm meeting is whether to list endosulfan aninsecticide, more than half a century old and which isbanned in at least 60 countries because of health andother concerns. If it is, it will join a catalogue of some 22persistent organic pollutants controlled under the treaty.

Meanwhile, endosulfan is being considered under theRotterdam Convention along with chrisotile asbestosand some other chemicals for inclusion in the priorinformed consent procedure which requires exporting

Parties to obtain the support of importing ones forshipments of chemicals listed in its Annex III.

And if endosulfan is added to the Stockholm Convention, the BConvention will be requested to draw up waste management guidelinefor it.

The example demonstrates how unlike the past, where decismight be taken in a vacuum a more comprehensive and joinedseries of actions relating to chemicals and wastes is beginning to gunder way.

All this may seem prosaic to an outsider. But it o ers an opportunitalign these important treaties in ways that can produce better chemicalsand waste management within and beyond national borders.

Similar evolutions the result of decisions taken by governmenBali, Indonesia, last year include appointing a single head to ovthe running of the three treaties and sharing administrative services which may free-up funds to be invested in more projects on ground.

These reforms come little more than a year before government

meet for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+to be held two decades after the Rio Earth Summit that has set tcontemporary sustainable development course ever since. Its twothemes are Green Economy in the context of poverty eradicatiand sustainable development and an Institutional Framework Sustainable Development.

It has long been clear that the growth of multilateral environmentalagreements has, in its current con guration, imposed increasstrains and complexity on the compliance and participation of mdeveloping countries.

At the same time, fragmentation can undermine the e ectivenessthe overall e ort for sustainable development and lead to duplicaand a less than e cient use of scarce nancial resources.

The chemicals and wastes agenda also echoes the social outcomes the Green Economy in terms of prospects for decent employment aimprovements in human health and well being, which are key elemin the Safer Planet campaign spearheaded by the three treaties.

During UNEPs last Governing Council, ministers of environmunderlined that the status quo including the existing managemand e ectiveness of current institutions was not an option.

Proposals for reforming international environmental governance arnow part of the global discussions in advance of the Rio+20 confernext June.

The closer working relationship between the chemicals and wagreements, and the fresh directions it will bring, o ers a way forwto redressing these shortfalls between ambition and action.

They are part of the overall urgency in accelerating and scaling up

de nitive and decisive shift towards achieving a low carbon, resoe cient global economy for all.



Protecting the health of citizensand our environment, whileenhancing competitiveness andinnovation: such is the challengeof REACH, the European Unions groundbreaking and holisticregulation on chemicals.

Through REACH Registration,Evaluation, Authorization andrestriction of Chemicals, whichentered into force in 2007 theEU regulates nearly all chemicals,

whether handled in industrialor consumer environments.

Chemicals are omnipresent inour daily life, and it is di cult toimagine living without them.We are not always aware of all thebene ts they bring. But we alsoneed to ensure that they are safe.

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led their registrations to ECHAand the process continues for othersubstances. Some 25,000 existing substances have been registered,and all new ones must be registeredbefore they are manufactured,imported or used in the EU.Failure to register means that thesubstance cannot be manufactured,imported or used in the EU.

The approach is based on risk:the more of the chemical that isproduced, or the more dangerousit is, the more detailed thedossier must be. Industry canchoose the most cost-e ectivemeasures to control the risks.

The Agency checks that thedossier is complete, and carriesout detailed spot checks on the

quality of the information, througha separate evaluation process.

Evaluation can also be conductedto try to clarify whether using a particular substance selectedby the Agency in cooperation with Member States harmshuman health or the environment.Substances are evaluated according to priority criteria, considering hazard, exposure and volume.

The information on how to usethe chemical safely is circulateddown the supply chain, fromthe manufacturer to purchasers,

who in turn pass it to their owncustomers. Those who use a chemical in their industrial orprofessional activities have to apply the risk management instructionsfor dangerous substances whichare communicated by the supplier

via safety data sheets. They can

also contact their supplier toidentify how to best control risks.

REACH places greaterresponsibility on industry to manage risks and provideappropriate safety informationto professional users and forthe most hazardous substances to consumers. It applies tothe manufacture, placing on themarket or use of substances on theirown, in mixtures or in articles.

Its registration process asksindustry to prove that chemicalsare used safely and ensures thatmanufacturers, workers and citizensknow more about the chemicalsthey are using. Companiesmust document the safe use of chemicals by sending a dossier tothe European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Those placing most of the total volume of chemicals on

the EU market and the mostdangerous ones have already

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A system of authorization appliesto substances of very high concernlisted in Annex XIV of REACH.

These substances cannot beused or placed on the marketunless an authorization has been granted. Substances of very highconcern can include ones that arecarcinogenic, mutagenic or toxicfor reproduction; those having persistent, bioaccumulative andtoxic properties or very persistentand very bioaccumulative ones; andthose presenting an equivalent level

of concern, such as substances withendocrine disrupting properties.

There is no tonnage limit. Theprocess includes identifying substances of very high concernand prioritizing them for inclusionin Annex XIV. Once a substanceis listed in that Annex, operators

wishing to place the substance onthe market or use it must apply foran authorization at ECHA. The

nal decision granting or refusing an authorization is adopted by theCommission, on the basis of theopinions given by the responsibleECHA committees. The intentionis to ensure that risks are properly controlled and that these chemicals

will be progressively replaced by suitable alternative substancesor techniques where these areeconomically and technically viable.

A substance posing a risk tohuman health or the environment

which needs to be addressed atEU level can also be made subjectto a restriction, which may meanprohibiting or putting any condition on its manufacture,use or placing on the market,on its own, in a mixture or in anarticle. The dossier, which gives grounds to adopt a restriction, can

be prepared either by a MemberState or by the Agency (on request

from the Commission) andcontains information on hazardsand risks, available informationon alternatives and a justi cationfor restrictions at community level, and may also include a socio-economic assessment.

The main tasks of the Agency which became operational in 2008,and manages REACHs technical,scienti c and administrativeaspects are to handle the

registration of chemicals, carry out the evaluation of dossiersand oversee the evaluation of substances ensuring consistency across the EU. It provides guidanceto industry and information tothe public and plays an importantinternational role throughdisseminating up informationand involvement in UnitedNations or OECD programmes.

2011 is the International Year of Chemistry, through which theUnited Nations is celebrating theachievements of chemistry andcontributions to the well-being of humankind; REACH tsthis political objective perfectly.It applies in all 30 countries of the European Economic Area and foresees means by whichcompanies located outside

it can ful l the registrationobligations of importers.

REACHs main bene t is toidentify and control the risks of chemicals more systematically,thus allowing for appropriaterisk management measures by industry or, if necessary, furtherregulatory action by the publicauthorities. This will helpprevent health problems thatcould be caused by exposureto chemicals, leading to lessdisease and preventable death,and thus lower costs for nationalhealth systems. The bene ts willcome progressively as more andmore substances are phased in.

Though quantitative assessment isdi cult, the Commissions 2003Impact Assessment developed anillustrative scenario which put thehealth bene ts alone in the orderof 50 billion over 30 years.

The chemicals industry now bene ts from a regulatory

system based upon a risk-basedapproach, which has decision-making with clear deadlines,and results in greater consumercon dence in their products.Users of chemicals will getrelevant information on the safe useof substances in their productionprocesses, which will help themto ensure better protection of their workers. Products willbe safer for consumers and theenvironment and competitivenessand innovation will be enhanced which is vital for securing jobs.

I am very proud of REACH, which fully ts into our strategy for smart regulation. It isan outstanding example of sustainable development, striking a ne balance between healthand environmental aspects on

the one hand, and societal andeconomic ones on the other.

REACHs main bene t is to identi y and control

the risks o chemicalsmore systematically,

thus allowing or appropriaterisk management measures

by industry or,i necessary,

urther regulatory actionby the public authorities.


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Gumboot powerWeve seen some intriguing sources o alternative energy or recharging small electronic devices,but these thermoelectric galoshes are certainly at the bizarre end o the spectrum. In the sole oeach boot o Power Wellies, are thermoelectric modules that convert temperature di erences saythe warmth o your oot versus the cold o the ground into electric voltage. It may be some timebe ore they take o as a serious charging alternative it takes 12 hours o walking to charge a cellphone or an hour but nonetheless its a step in the right direction!www.ecouterre.com/

Waterpebb eWaterpebble is a clever device that encourages you to use less water each time you shower.It works like this: you place the Waterprebble in the shower near the plughole, and shower asnormal. The device monitors water going down the plughole, memorizes your rst showerand uses it as a benchmark. Then each time you shower, lights in the Waterpebble light up toindicate the start (green light), when youre hal way through (amber), and red (time to stop).Each time you shower Waterpebble ractionally reduces your shower time, helping you to savewater without needing to think about it.www.waterpebble.com/

Emission- ree ood processorAbsolutely no electricity is used by the Kitchen Machine, the latest in eco- riendly householdappliances. Its a ood processor that is powered entirely by its human operator. There is a pedal atthe bottom o the unit that drives a large ywheel, which spins at up to 400 revolutions per minuteand drives a versatile range o cutting devices a utility mixer, ood processor and co ee grinder which can be attached to the machines drive sha t. Thanks to the Kitchen Machine, eco-che s nowhave emission- ree grinding, mixing, chopping and stirring at the tips o their toes.http://inhabitat.com

Eco nappiesIts estimated that 50 million disposable diapers enter land lls each day wherethey sit or 500 years! So thank goodness or Eenee Eco Compostable Nappies, aninnovative zero-waste compostable diaper that is good or your baby and good

or the environment. Made rom renewable plant-based materials and coveredwith bio lm, Eenee Nappies are environmentally riendly as well as being superabsorbent, breathable and waterproo . Theyre so good they won a Keep AustraliaBeauti ul Award or Environmental Innovation. Why wasnt this invented sooner?www.eenee.com

New breath or o d b owersNow that the 2010 Football World Cup is over, what is one to do with the thousands upon thousandso vuvuzelas that trumpeted throughout the tournament? WoZela, an online competition, set out to

discover ways to re-use or recycle vuvuzelas in designs that could be produced by local artisansin order to bene t the community. Out o 100 submissions, the winning entry was a design orbig colour ul earrings consisting o cross-sections o the long, hollow horn. It narrowly beat otherconcepts such as Christmas trees, toilet-paper holders, and lamps.http://wozela.wordpress.com/

Carbon-neutra c addingPolli Bricks is an environmentally riendly and practically sound orm o architectural cladding.It is the worlds rst scalable carbon-neutral recycled polymer cladding and is 100 per cent re-engineered rom recycled plastic bottles. Because it is made rom locally recycled plastic bottles,it needs no raw materials and has no transport emissions. Polli Bricks are also very cost e ective,being a raction o the cost o other architectural cladding systems. What is more, the systemcan be i lluminated by in-built solar-powered LED lighting. A neat invention that makes a positivecontribution to the green economy and is one o the winners o the 2010 Earth Awards.www.theearthawards.org

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OUR PLANET CHEMICALS 9



Chemicals are important for developing new and innovativetechnologies and products that add to economic growthand contribute to human welfare through medicines andother useful goods and the chemicals industry is animportant and rapidly growing economic sector.

Yet, at the same time, they a ect the state of ecosystems,human health and development including the achievement

of the Millennium Development Goals on poverty, health andenvironmental sustainability by the year 2015. Mercury in soap,endocrine disruptors in consumer products, persistent organicpollutants in clothes are just a few examples on how chemicals areeverywhere. More than 100,000 di erent chemical substances exist,and we are all exposed to a chemical cocktail in our daily lives.

At the 2002 World Summit in Johannesburg, the world adoptedthe target that, by 2020, chemicals are to be produced and usedin ways that lead to the minimization of signi cant adversee ects on the environment and on human health. So how are we doing? What are our recent achievements? Do we have thenecessary framework in place? And how do we ensure that we canreact in an e ective and e cient manner to new challenges?

Last years UNEP Governing Council took a milestone decisionin the pursuit of e ective regulation on mercury to startnegotiations on a legally binding instrument. Mercury has been of global concern for a long time, especially since the tragic pollutionof Minamata Bay in Japan, when a whole community su ered theconsequences of high exposure. For Denmark and the other Nordiccountries, troubling ndings of mercury in the Arctic underscoredthe problem. Mercury ends up in humans and animals in the region

even though it has no production and very limited emissions of thetoxic metal. Not surprisingly, Japan and the Nordic countries are

time to tackle chemicals

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and transparent for governments,businesses and the public.

But we must not stop here.Improving international chemicals

governance needs to be a continuousprocess that keeps up with thedevelopments in production,consumption and knowledge.In our present and future work onnew instruments, we must do ourbest to make them future proof.We must avoid starting from scratchevery time there is a need forinternational action. The agreementsor structures we adopt in the futureshould be designed to make themusable for a wider range of chemicalsand type of measures. Of course, any new regulation will still need to be

agreed upon in a manner agreeableto all countries as it is today.

Flexible structures that recognizethe obvious fact that new initiativesare likely to become relevant in thefuture will be the best approach,for example, in the negotiationson the mercury convention.

A strengthened regime can only

be achieved if we can raiseawareness and speci c knowledgeon how closely chemicals areintertwined in all aspects of sustainable development. I therefore welcome UNEPs preparation of a Global Chemicals Outlook, exploring such aspects as the costs of inaction,as well as Green or sustainablechemistry and Green growth. I hopethe Global Chemicals Outlook willhelp raise awareness, and thereby gain support, from governments, thebusiness sector and other stakeholders.

This is absolutely essential if thebene ts of chemicals are to bereaped without compromising health and the environment.

The United Nations has declared2011 the International Year of Chemistry and many meetings relatedto chemicals management will take

place during these twelve months.It is now time to tackle chemicals.

amongst the warmest proponentsof global regulation on mercury:this is re ected in the NordicCouncil of Ministers nancing of the rst IntergovernmentalNegotiation Committee (INC)meeting in Stockholm in June 2010and Japans funding of the secondmeeting in Chiba in January this year. I hope and expect that thenegotiations will be nalised asplanned in 2013. Denmark, which

will have the Presidency of theCouncil of the European Union inSpring 2012 during INC 4 will doits utmost to contribute to that.

The Mercury Convention willcomplement other global chemicalsand hazardous waste conventions

which with the 2006 globalchemicals strategy, Strategic Approach to InternationalChemicals (SAICM) are key cornerstones for sound chemicalsmanagement. SAICM can play a central role. It has a multistakeholder approach that involvesthe private sector and encompassesissues of health, environment and worker safety, and can address

emerging issues. But it is not a legally binding instrument andat present does not have thesupport it deserves and needs.

Developments and new knowledgecontinuously challenge us andshow our regulatory regimes tobe inadequate. The combinede ects from exposure to multiplechemicals are troubling. Combinedexposure to endocrine disrupting substances, for example, cancause serious adverse e ectsat doses where no e ects areobserved for individual ones. It isno longer a question of whetheror not the combination e ectsof chemicals are relevant in riskassessment the question is how legislation should address theseconcerns most appropriately.

Denmark recently conducted a study on the typical combined

exposure for two-year olds. Itshowed frequent exposure to many di erent chemicals, mainly throughfood and indoor air but alsothrough lotions like moisturisersand sunscreens. We decided to acton the ndings in a precautionary manner and launched a campaignin 2009 targeting parents withadvice on how to minimize theexposure of children throughrelatively simple measures.

Though important agreementslike SAICM and some conventionsare in place and a new mercury convention is underway they will not be su cient. TheStockholm Convention regulatesproduction and use of chemicals,but is limited to persistentorganic pollutants. We need a broader regulatory frameworkfor other types of chemicals todeal with future chal lenges.

The decision in February 2010 through the synergies process to bring closely together threechemicals and waste conventions(Stockholm, Rotterdam andBasel), was a successful step inthe right direction of bettercoordination and cooperation. The rst initiative that successfully contributed to improving international environmental governance from inside the system,the decision helped streamline

international chemicals governanceand make it more e ective

Improving international chemicals governance

needs to be a continuous

process that keeps upwith the de elopments in production, consumption

and knowledge.


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One day, repeating to myself the title, OurPlanet, I looked up at the night sky. Scientistssay it takes several, even thousands of years, forstarlight to reach our planet Earth. The twinkling stars we now see may have already disappeared.Like starlight taking a long time to reach us, thelong dormant consequences of environmentalfactors can often suddenly appear.

This is true of chemicals. They have been a majordriving force behind industrial development andmuch-improved human well-being but quitea few have become a threat. DDT (Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane), for instance, washailed in the 1940s as a miraculous insecticideand its discovery was rewarded with the NobelPrize. But it was banned after thirty years of useafter its negative impact on the environment,bioaccumulation and other side e ects wererevealed. So the chemicals of today cannot simply be praised for the convenience they bring to us:they can be like a black box, possibly containing

negative secrets.

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Given their potential toxicity, theire cacy must be raised and theirhazards reduced through chemicalssafety management. The 2002 WorldSummit on Sustainable Developmentresolved on assessing and managing hazardous chemicals sustainably incompliance with the precautionary principle and considering the safety of future generations, with the goalof using and producing them by 2020in ways that do not lead to signi cantadverse e ects on human health andthe environment.

In accordance with such global e orts,many governments are shifting towardmanagement policies based on theprecautionary principle in a bid toassess the hazards and risks of allchemicals in use, and to restrict or banthose with negative impacts on thehuman body or ecosystems. The EUs

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of

Chemical substances), which cameinto e ect in June 2007, has taken thelead. Japan, China and many othercountries have also institutionalizedprecautionary regulations for using hazardous chemicals in industrialraw materials or products.

The Korean Government intends toexpand the range of its managementfrom around 4,000 new chemicalsto all 40,000 or so in use, advancing existing hazards managementto a long-term risk managementsystem where the e ects on future

generations are considered. To lay a legal foundation, it is planning to enact the Act on Registration,Evaluation and Restriction of Chemicals this year. Recognizing that children aremost vulnerable to dangers from

chemicals, the government hasfocused on protecting their health. A

comprehensive strategy for childrensenvironmental health declared in

2006 sets out the environmental safety management standards to ensurethat there is no use of hazardoussubstances such as lead and arsenic insuch places as playgrounds, child-carefacilities and schools. The strategy also stipulates that there should behazards assessments to protect healthfrom hazardous materials like heavy metals and phthalates found in suchchildrens products as baby goods,

stationeries and toys: highly hazardous goods for children are to be bannedfrom production, distribution anduse. The third WHO InternationalConference on Childrens Healthand the Environment held inKorea in 2009 with attendees from54 di erent countries helpedstrengthen awareness on hazardouschemicals impact on children and onassessing them. It adopted the BusanDeclaration, recommending thatinformation on impacts on childrenshealth should be included in nationalaction environmental health plans.

Responses to imminent threats follow instinct: those to potential onesdepend on reason. We, as membersof the global society, should join insustainably managing chemicals so thatthey really bene t future generations. Just as starlight may take a hundred

years to reach the Earth, the present we live in is borrowed from them.

A comprehensi e strategy

or childrens environmenta

health declared in 2006 sets

out the environmental sa ety

management standards to

ensure that there is no use o

hazardous substances, such a

lead and arsenic, in such plac

as playgrounds, child-care

acilities and schools.


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Green chemistry, says Dr JohnWarner, is the science and innova-tion of creating a material that hasa minimal impact on human healthand the environment. One of the worlds leading experts in the

eld, he adds that it requires thechemist to consider the downstreamimplications related to toxicity andenvironmental impact.

The founder of the Warner BabcockInstitute for Green Chemistry, Dr

Warner and fellow chemist Paul Anastas the assistant adminis-

trator of the US EnvironmentalProtection Agencys (USEPA) O ceof Research and Development outlined twelve key principlesin their seminal book GreenChemistry: Theory and Practice.Chief among them is the premisethat it is better to prevent waste thanto treat or clean it up after it hasbeen created.

The principles call for the designand use of safer and more energy-

e cient chemicals, solvents, andchemical synthesis, and recommends

that products be designed fordegradation so that at the end of their function they break down intoinnocuous substances and do notpersist in the environment.

Put it simply, green chemistry,also called sustainable chemistry,is akin to working in the same

way as Mother Nature. In naturechemistry is carried out at ambienttemperatures and ambient pressuresusing available renewable resources:

photosynthesis is a prime example. There is intense global interest.

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The American Chemical Societys(ACS) Green Chemistry Institute

aims to enable and catalyze itsimplementation and that of greenengineering into all aspects of the global chemical enterprise.Working with industry, educatorsand students, it has 25 internationalchapter a liates helping promote

green chemistry through educationaloutreach in their countries.

When I attend chemistry confer-ences, particularly in the developing world, it is obvious that there is a strong interest in green chemistry everywhere. My travels andcollaborations with colleagues inSoutheast Asia, the Middle East,and North Africa always includediscussions about educating studentsin it and a desire to work togetherin research in this area. Professorsknow that students are drawn tostudy chemistry by a wish to create a

sustainable future. Green chemistry is a tool for sustainable development,the most important and popular

goal of the chemists I have met indeveloping countries.

Professor Joseph M.D. Fortunak fromHoward University in Washington,D.C. described in the Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Researchhow a professor from Kenyas MoiUniversity told a workshop in Johannesburg: Green chemistry is a good idea. But Africa has many burdens, including poverty, war, andthe epidemics of HIV, malaria, andtuberculosis. Green chemistry is a priority only if it helps address theseissues. His response was to proposethat the strongest justi cation for green chemistry in Africa is precisely the opportunity to address thedi erences between rich and poor

in access to technology and creating sustainable economic development.

The problems green chemistry canaddress a ect every person on our

planet. It has the potential to allow us to protect Earths environmentand the health of its inhabitantsand help us preserve its preciousand dwindling natural resources. Itcan help create a global sustainableeconomy and is a necessary toolfor achieving the U.N. MillenniumGoals.

The 1990 Pollution Prevention Actis viewed as the catalyst for greenchemistry in the United States. TheUSEPA launched a Green Chemistry Program shortly after it passed, andis a longstanding partner of the ACS Green Chemistry Institutein promoting the practice and itsprinciples.

Each year, the US EPA presentsits prestigious Presidential GreenChemistry Challenge Awards to

recognize and promote innovativechemical technologies that preventpollution and have broad applicabi-lity in industry. Last year one wentto Clarke, a global company whichfocuses on mosquito control, whichdeveloped a way to encapsulatespinosad an environmentally safepesticide that is not normally stablein water in a plaster matrix: thisallowed it to be released slowly in water and control mosquito larvae, a huge concern in places such as Africa where malaria is ever-present. Thenew product, Natular, does notpersist in the environment and is nottoxic to wildlife.

Many of the awards are forpharmaceutical work. Last yearMerck and Codexis were recognizedfor the green synthesis of sitagliptin the active ingredient in

Januvia TM , a treatment for type 2diabetes through a process that

reduces waste, improves yield andsafety, and eliminates the need formetal catalysts.

Green chemistry has seen greatprogress in the past 20 years andscientists are continuing to lookfor ways to incorporate it intotheir research. Industry leaders areresponding to consumers demandsfor products and manufacturing processes with less impact onthe environment and humanhealth. And government leadersare hearing from citizens whoexpect them to take strong actionagainst companies that produce

unnecessarily hazardous materialsand byproducts.

Will this groundswell of publicsupport continue? There is no doubtthat green chemistry is critical tothe sustainability of our planet andkey to environmentally responsibleprogress for all its citizens. As Dr.Paul Anastas, who is also a formerdirector of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute, puts it: Everybody wins

with green chemistry. We can havea vibrant economy and a healthierenvironment because of the useand development of innovative andsustainable technologies. That willbe true for years to come.

I hope that in 2011, the InternationalYear of Chemistry, even more publicattention can be focused on the

vitality and value of green chemistry

and its potential to bene t bothpresent and future generations.

Green chemistry

is a good idea.

But A ica has many burdens,

including poverty, war,

and the epidemics o HIV,

malaria, and tuberculosis.Green chemistry is a priority only

i it helps address these issues.




11 a.m .: In a small room in the bylanesof Silampur in East Delhi, Aslam isbusy breaking open computers. Hesbeen doing this work for years atthis recycling hub and knows exactly

which parts are valuable and need tobe separated. His tools are at hand;hammer, screwdriver, pliers andblowtorch.

He shares this 6 feet by 8 feet workplace with three other teenageboys. They work 10 hours a day,

for a meagre US$3-5 each. Aslamsfriend Sabir is using a blowtorch to

remove the so-called jewels (suchas capacitors and integrated circuits)

from the circuit boards. The small,poorly ventilated room immediately

lls up with fumes, making the boysuncomfortable, but they wipe theireyes and carry on. They know thesefumes. They inhale them everyday.What they dont know is thatthey contain lead, a poison that ispermanently damaging their lungsand kidneys.

4 p.m .: In Tilla Shabazpur, a small village on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh

border, Suresh is busy trying toextract precious metals from printed

circuit boards, using chemicalpoisons like concentrated nitricand sulphuric acid, caustic soda,mercury and arsenic. His wife Kajal works in the same unit and, with a couple of other women, is scraping paint o circuit boards that havebeen dipped in caustic soda solutionfor a few hours. Her hands are a chequered map of cuts and bruises,from prolonged metal scraping and

caustic soda exposure. Her backhurts from the bent posture shes

passing the

poisonous paRcel

Priti mAheSh

p j M t x l k, i



been holding for long hours every day. The couples two children,aged 3 and 4, are playing within thisinformal recycling junkyard, strewn with drums lled with acid, causticsoda and waste. The family has noidea of the toll that the chemical

cocktail inhalation they inhale every day is taking on their health and vital organs.

This is the daily story not just of Aslam, Shabir, Suresh, Kajal andtheir families, but of thousands likethem working around India. Morethan a hundred thousand peopleare employed in these informaljunkyards, mainly concentrated inand around large cities. Men, womenand children, spend 10 to 12 hoursa day in this toxic environment,trying to salvage components or

materials from discarded Electronicand Electrical waste (E-waste), withlittle or no knowledge of the hazardshidden in such junked equipmentas computers, televisions andmobile phones. And lead, mercury,cadmium and chromium, BFRs

( ame retardants used in plastic)and other harmful substances allpresent in E-waste contaminatethe environment as well asjeopardise health.

Around 50 million tonnes of E-wasteare generated worldwide each year,the larger share in the developednations of Europe and North America. Growing economies likeIndia and China produce relatively small amounts now, although thisis expected to grow manifold in thenext few years. They are also hugely concerned about illegal dumping.In all, it is estimated that as muchas a third of all E-waste generated inEU countries and the United Statesends up on their shores by legal orillegal means.

In India, it is mainly processed by

people like Aslam and Suresh predominately migrants to citieslike Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore andKolkata, in search of livelihoods.

The rudimentary recovery processesinclude physical breaking andsegregating hazardous components,open burning, and melting andheating lead and mercury-ladencomponents. Residues and e uentsare released into open drains ornearby vacant land, leading to waterand soil contamination. The large

numbers of women and childrenengaged in these activities are evenmore vulnerable to exposure. Low-cost, poor working conditions andcheap labour makes recycling a lucrative business: no one accountsfor the environmental or health

costs involved. The main reason for such unsounddomestic waste management practiceis the absence of a clear and well-enforced E-waste policy: domesticelectronics and electricals producersare able to shy away from taking any responsibility for the toxic wastethat they have a clear role in creating.

This is also responsible for the illegalimports of E-waste into India andfor the cross-border dumping oftencarried out in the garb of charity and under the guise of bridging thedigital divide between developedand developing nations.

The picture is certainly bleak, butthere are some grounds for hope.Civil society organizations havebeen campaigning hard on twofronts; to put an end to the cross-

border toxic trade, and to introduceextended producer responsibility under which producers aremade responsible for their productsright to the end of their lives so that E-waste is better managedin India. But until these initiativesbear fruit, the brunt of thisonslaught will continue to beborne by the environment and the vulnerable segments of our society,labouring away in the dark alleys of E-waste recycling.

Low-cost, poor working conditions and cheap labour makes recycling a lucra

business: no one accounts or the environmental or health costs involved.

Melting lead, Moradabad, India



UNEP undertakes a wide range o activities in promoting and acilitating the development and uptake o cleantechnology. Here are a couple o recent examples. For urther examples o UNEPs climate change work visit:www.unep.org/unite/30Ways

UneP a o k

New ega weapon to combatCaribbean marine po utionThe Caribbean Sea is a natural resource o great importance. It is home to a diverse population o species,it supports tourism, sheries, transportation, trade and recreation, and orms the li eblood o CaribbeanSmall Island Developing States.

Alas, its ragile, vulnerable coastal and marine ecosystems are under threat rom human activities. Over80 per cent o the Caribbean Seas pollution originates rom land-based sources, and over 75 per cent odomestic wastewater enters the Sea untreated.

Since 1992, UNEP has acilitated discussions between Governments and regional experts to address theseproblems. As a result, in 1983, 28 countries adopted the only legally binding regional agreement or theprotection and development o the marine environment in the Wider Caribbean Region the CartagenaConvention. The Conventions three technical protocols promote biodiversity conservation, oil spillsprevention and reducing land-based sources o pollution.

The Protocol Concerning Pollution rom Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol), adopted in 1999,is considered by many to be the most signi cant agreement o its kind it establishes regional efuentlimitations or domestic water and requires countries to institute national plans to address non-pointsources o pollution. The LBS Protocol ormally entered into orce in 2010.

The Protocol has already catalysed the development and implementation o several national and regionalprojects on integrated management o watersheds and coastal areas, reducing pesticide run-o in CentralAmerica, and developing a prototype regional und or wastewater management.

This work has been led by the Caribbean Environment Programme and Convention Secretariat, whichcome under the auspices o UNEPs Regional Seas Programme.

www.cep.unep.org

U N E P



The northwest Paci c region eatures coastal and island ecosystems with spectacular marine li e andcommercially important shing resources. The region is also one o the most densely populated parts o

the world, resulting in enormous pressures and demands on the environment.

The wise use, development and management o the marine and coastal environment in this importantregion is at the heart o UNEPs North-west Paci c Action Plan (NOWPAP). The Plan aims to secure theregions sustainability or uture generations while achieving long-term bene ts or the human populationsliving there.

Addressing marine litter is one o NOWPAPs key initiatives. In 2005 NOWPAP commenced its MarineLitter Activity, which resulted in the development o a Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter. Since 2008the implementation o this action plan has been underway in cooperation with local Governments andauthorities and other partners.

The marine litter activities have created a positive impact in the region by building awareness andprompting actions to address marine litter in the NOWPAP member countries. Results include improvednational legislation, establishment o national marine litter programmes, the implementation ointernational coastal cleanup campaigns and workshops, development o guidelines and technical reportson preventing and collecting marine litter, and the establishment o a monitoring database.

NOWPAP, the ull name o which is The Action Plan or the Protection, Management and Development othe Marine and Coastal Environment o the North-west Paci c Region was adopted in 1994 as a part oRegional Seas Programme, and it contributes to one o UNEPs signature initiatives, the Global Programmeo Action or the Protection o the Marine Environment rom Land-based Activities.

http://www.nowpap.org/

NOWPAP Aiming ora itter- ree north-west Paci c


20/36

It is one of the rst rules that youlearn as a child: if you make a mess you need to clean it up. Later in life we learn that it is better to nevermake a mess at all. These lessonsapply to E-waste the leftovers fromelectronic and electrical equipment globally one of the fastest growing types of hazardous waste.

UNEP has estimated that upwardsof 40 million tonnes of E-wasteare generated worldwide every

year. But it doesnt have to bethis way not if policy-makers,responsible manufacturers and

informed consumers join together tosolve the problem.

E-waste is classi ed as hazardous waste due to the many toxicingredients it contains including heavy metals and harmful, persistentchemicals with the potentialto pollute the environment anddamage human health when it isprocessed, recycled or disposed of. Ita ects most acutely populations indeveloping countries, where people

KUmi nAiDOO

ex v d ,g i

t r x



21/36

are exposed to toxic chemicals fromE-waste dumped near their homes.

For the past ve years Greenpeacehas campaigned around the globe topress leading electronic companiesand policy-makers to turn backthis toxic tide. The campaign hasbeen very e ective and we areseeing remarkable progress, butthere is a lot still to do to safeguardcommunities.

The problem is being addressed

through two tracks: legislation andcompany policy. The EuropeanUnion, Japan, South Korea, Taiwanand several US and Canadian stateshave introduced laws making producers responsible for theirproducts at the end of their lives.Similar legislation is being developedin some non-OECD countries,including China, India, Thailandand Argentina. We need less talkand more action from governmentson this vital issue. The EU implemented legislation onRestriction of Hazardous Substances(RoHS) in July 2006. This bans theuse of some substances in electricaland electronic products to facilitatesafer recycling, but did not addressthe use of PVC plastic or that of allbrominated ame retardants (BFRs)in electronics. Both are a major

source of chemical byproducts fromdiscarded electronics, and RoHSmust be strengthened to phase themout. Most recycling and disposaltakes place in developing nations

where there is no safe infrastructureand little to no worker andenvironmental protection laws.

That same year, Greenpeacedeveloped a strategy to change theconsumer electronics sector fromthe inside out. We decided to use

its competitiveness to get leading brands to vie with each other toproduce the greenest products and to inform consumers about

which companies scored the best.

We used our Guide to GreenerElectronics, a quarterly reportcard for the consumer electronicsindustry. The initial results of the

rst Guide were hardly inspiring: thebiggest names in electronics failedtheir rst global exam on their greencredentials. Only Dell and Nokia achieved a barely respectable score, while Apple, Motorola and Lenovo

nished at the bottom of the class. We therefore launched a Green My Apple campaign. Enthusiasts around

the globe made it clear that whilethey loved their Macs, they wantedthem to be available in green. The rm eventually listened to itscustomers and set out to change itsproducts.

The 16th edition of our Guide waspublished in October, and we seestrong evidence for many of thetypes of the transformative change

we hoped for when we began ourcampaign. We are now witnessing

a real race to the top. Apple, Nokia and Sony Ericsson have begun tophase out the most toxic substancesfrom their products, and eager tonot fall behind other companieshave begun to follow their lead,sometimes with a bit of friendly encouragement from Greenpeace. Now, many companies, including Acer, Hewlett Packard, Philips andthe Indian rms Wipro and HCL areo ering smart phones, computers,monitors and televisions which are

free of the most toxic chemicals,including PVC plastic and BFRs.

There are similar gains in productenergy e ciency, and in companiesembracing the concept of nalresponsibility for their products by o ering more opportunities for themto be taken back, conveniently and

without charge. This is especially crucial in areas outside the EU thatdo not yet have E-waste collectionlaws. We have continued to expose illegalE-waste shipments and pushed forstronger laws in the EU, India, andthe Americas. Our supporters havejoined the chorus for change ashave allied organisations aroundthe globe. While there is still plenty of room for

improvement most importantly inmaking longer lasting products andprotecting the health and safety of electronics workers campaignersand the electronics industry are inmany ways no longer that far apart.Governments now need to catchup and do their part to safeguard

vulnerable communities. Until theproblem is solved, Greenpeace willcontinue to push both corporateboardrooms and global capitals for a rapid end to E-waste pollution.


UNEP has estimated that upwards o

40 million tonnes o E-waste are generated worldwide e ery year. But it doesnt ha e to

be this way not i policy-makers,

responsible manu acturers and in ormed consumers

join together

to solve the problem.



We are placing an ever-growing,devastating set of plastic

ngerprints on our natural world.Every single molecule of plasticever manufactured except fora very small percentage that hasbeen incinerated still existssomewhere in our environment.Most apparent and shocking is theplastic waste now scattered acrossthe surfaces and depths of ourplanets oceans.

For me the reality of the situationkicked-in back in 2006 when Icame across a UNEP publication:Ecosystems and Biodiversity in

Deep Waters and High Seas. Thereport pointed out that there were

46,000 pieces of oating marinedebris on or below every squaremile of our ocean, with the problemparticularly acute in certain areas. The most notorious labelled theEastern Garbage Patch is a swirling gyre in the North Paci ctwice the size of Texas, whereresearchers found six pounds of plastic litter for every pound of plankton. This and four otherenormous gyres of swirling trashcover approximately 40 percent of our planets surface.

As much as 90 to 95 percent of the total amount of marine debris

is plastic, which, unlike organiccompounds, doesnt biodegrade.

DAviD De rOthSchiLD

F ,a v e



Plastic is impervious to enzymaticbreakdown and literally jamsup the code of nature. The very durability that renders it so usefulto humans also makes it incredibly harmful to all natural life cyclesin every ecosystem worldwide, ithas a double e ect on sh, marinemammals and birds.

First is ingestion of plastic, as by the majestic and now endangeredalbatross. The laysan albatrossesthat nest on Kure Atoll andOahu Hawaii get it worst.Researcher Lindsay Young of theUniversity of Hawaii foundso many small plastic toys in the

birds from Kure Atollthat wecould have assembled a completenativity scene with them. Almosthalf of the 500,000 albatross chicksborn every year on Midway arethought to die from consuming plastic fed to them by theirparents. One was found to have306 pieces of plastic in its belly.

The second major issue, toxicity transference, is even more ominous.Plastic photo-degrades in the open

ocean, beginning to breakdown intosimpler compounds without everactually disappearing. The resulting tiny pellets called nurdles ormermaid tears sponge upfat-soluble compounds like PCBs,DDT, and a host of herbicidesand pesticides present in dilutedquantities in the ocean. Plastics alsohave a nasty a nity for oil.

Small amounts of these chemicals work their way up the food chainfrom lter feeders through to the

sh ngers on the kitchen table.So, all over the world, children andadults are unwittingly exposing themselves to low levels of toxicity.

Plastic and other marine debrisis also smothering beaches especially those in the path of a swirling garbage patch. Currentsthat drag rubbish into the gyresalso shoot it out. The 19 islandsof the Hawaiian archipelago, forinstance, receive massive quantitiesof trash, some of it decades old.Some beaches are buried under 5 to10 feet of refuse: others are riddled with ne granules of plastic sand.

I we can shi the

perception o plastic

om waste to

a aluable resource we

can slow, and in some

places e en re erse, the

environmental damage.




In October 2006 the US governmentestablished the NorthwesternHawaiian Islands MarineMonument to try to quell the rising tide of debris. Congress passedlegislation to increase funding fortrash removal and ordered several government agencies to expandcleanup e orts.

Yet people studying the issue pointto an overall lack of viable solutions.

Trawling the oceans for trash would be impractical and costly and would ultimately harm planktonand other marine life. Cleaning upthe north Paci c gyre alone wouldinvolve clearing a section of oceanspanning the area of a continentand extending 100 feet below thesurface. Managing the waste onland, where fully 80 percent of oceandebris originate, is more feasible and

exponentially more e ective.

But it doesnt have to be this way.If we can shift the perception of plastic from waste to a valuableresource we can slow, and insome places even reverse, theenvironmental damage. Meeting this challenge can be an adventure an honest-to-goodness,swashbuckling adventure like thePlastiki voyage across the Paci clast year on a boat made of 12,500discarded plastic bottles.

The Plastiki expedition tried tofocus on more than the destination.Our journey and viewpoint createda platform for smart thinking and a place where everyoneacknowledged nobody is as smart aseverybody. We strove to cultivatea community of thought leaders,designers, engineers, and scientiststhat recognized their role as being part of a holistic system in which

every individual action createsa reaction and realised that

we need to stop and realise thedevastating impact of our ever-increasing human ngerprints.

Together is the only way we can

move forward and create thenecessary solutions for our oceansand our planet so we can stopapologizing to the million sea birdsand 100,000 marine mammalsunnecessarily killed, and to thechildren already asking why no-oneis reacting.

For some this will mean lobbying companies and communities to ndalternatives to plastic packaging. Orit might entail getting governmentsto expand recycling programs andaccommodate bio-plastics in themarket place.

But the Plastiki looked to inspirea sea change, if you will, in how we view waste and integrate it backinto the web of life. This starts withrecognizing there isnt a place calledaway, and involves nurturing and

directing inquisitiveness towardinventing smart ways to design anduse everyday materials. We tookthe plastic bottle, which symbolizes whats wrong with dumb thinking,and turned it into a platform of hope by showing it can be ane ective and useful resource.

The Plastiki was not just about voicing of problems, but aboutarticulating and acting uponsolutions. If a plastic bottle canbecome a boat, and that boat canforge its way into the collectiveimagination of people everywhere,then who knows what else ispossible with a little curiosity,imagination, and time to innovate.One day, maybe, we could dreamfor more than just the survival of our oceans.

www.theplastiki.com



A nove so ar device that turns waste heat into e ectricityin rura China, a Ugandan business that manu acturesstationery rom agricu tura waste, a bamboo bicyc eproject in Ghana and a South A rican hand-he d aundrydevice that saves water are among the 30 winners o

the 2010 SEED Awards. The SEED Awards recognize inspiring sociaand environmenta entrepreneurs whose businesses can he p meetsustainab e deve opment cha enges. By he ping entrepreneurs to sca e-up their activities, the SEED Initiative, hosted by UNEP, aims to boost

oca economies and tac e poverty, whi e promoting the sustainab e useo resources and ecosystems.

www.seedinit.org

In ate 2010, a ter c ose to 20years o discussion and debate,Governments rom across theg obe agreed to a new treaty tomanage the wor ds economica ycentra genetic resources in a

ar airer and more systematicway. The approva to estab ish an

Internationa Regime on Access and

Bene t Sharing o Genetic Resources(ABS) came on the ast day o theConvention on Bio ogica Diversitymeeting in October in Nagoya, Japan.The treaty, ays down basic groundru es on how nations cooperate inobtaining genetic resources romanima s, p ants and ungi.

www.cbd.int

Friends o the Earth Midd e East (FoEME) isthe winner o the inaugura Onassis Prize

or the Protection o the Environment.FoEME was awarded the 250,000 europrize in November or its ongstandingwor in maintaining the River Jordan as avita natura resource or a peop e ivingwithin the borders o Israe , Pa estineand Jordan, and or contributing tothe understanding between peop es inthis sensitive area. The Onassis prize isa new biannua award or outstandingcontributions towards protecting andimproving the environment, inc udingsustainab e use o energy.

www.onassis.gr

This con erence too p ace rom 20 to 25 March,2011, in Hono u u, Hawaii, bringing together440 participants representing some 38 countries.Con erence participants researchers, natura resourcemanagers, po icyma ers, industry representatives,and the non-governmenta community re ned andendorsed by acc amation the Hono u u Commitment,which out ines 12 actions to reduce marine debris.Participants and a group o rapporteurs a so wor ed

to revise the Hono u u Strategy, a ramewor strategy to prevent, reduce,and manage marine debris. The con erence was co-organized by The U.S.Nationa Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and UNEP and a owedsharing o strategies and best practices to assess, reduce and prevent theimpacts o marine debris through wor shops, e d trips, technica andpo icy sessions, poster presentations, and pane discussions.

http://www.5imdc.org/

A revo utionary arti cia oam that captures and converts the sunsenergy more e ective y than iving organisms and is a means oma ing bio ue was the grand prize winner o The Earth Awards 2010.Other category winners inc uded: Earth Ti es, which empower peop e inthe wor ds poorest and most remote areas to bui d their own sustainab ehomes with natura resources; and Po i Bric s, a cost-e ective

orm o c adding, which is the wor ds rst sca ab e carbon-neutrarecyc ed po ymer architectura c adding, 100 per cent re-engineered

rom recyc ed p astic bott es. The Earth Awards encourage designers,innovators and consumers to nd new ways to bui d a new economy.

www.theearthawards.org

T H E E A R T H A W A R d S 2 0 1 0

A R I S T O T L E O N A S S I S I N T E R N A T I O N A L P R I z E f O R

T H E P R O T E C T I O N O f T H E E N V I R O N M E N T 2 0 1 0

T H E 5 T H I N T E R N A T I O N A L

M A R I N E d E B R I S C O N f E R E N C E

sa a ds

a d

The United Nations GeneraAssemb y proc aimed 2011 theInternationa Year o Forests(IYF). The IYF is a uniqueopportunity to increase pub icawareness o the ey ro e o

orests and sustainab e orestmanagement in bui ding a greener,more equitab e, sustainab e uture.The ofcia aunch o the Year toop ace at United Nations Headquartersduring the 9th session o the UnitedNations Forum on Forests in January.For more in ormation about IYF andUNEPs activities, see

www.un.org/ orests/

2 0 1 1 I N T E R N A T I O N A L Y E A R O f f O R E S T S

S E E d A W A R d S 2 0 1 0

N A G O Y A P R O T O C O L



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There are many di erent types of plastic but only a limited number areproduced in very large quantities:polyethylene, polypropylene, poly- vinyl chloride, polystyrene, poly-amide(nylon) and polyethylene terepthalate(PET), used for the ubiquitous softdrinks bottles. Per capita use of plastic

is predicted to reach 140 kg per year inNorth America and Europe, and 36 kg per year in Asia by 2015.

There have many advantages for thechange. Switching from glass to plasticfood containers, for example, or using a greater proportion of plastic in carsand planes, reduces emissions of CO2 from transport. Life-cycle analysisshows that plastic single-use shopping bags can have a lower environmentalimpact than paper ones, in terms of energy and resource use. But, while a paper bag will disintegrate rapidly inseawater, the plastic bag will remainintact for much longer and will posea threat to sea life. There are many reported examples of turtles, seals and

whales dying as a result of ingesting plastic bags, perhaps mistaking themfor jelly sh or another food.

Bio-degradable plastics, whose use is growing can appear to be greener

but the claims can be misleading.In many cases, the plastic will nottruly degrade (i.e. reduce to carbondioxide, methane and water) unlessit is subject to the temperatureand chemical conditions foundin an industrial compostor quite unlike those in the ocean.Some degradable plastic bagsare designed to disintegrate intosmaller pieces, which will be justas persistent. Bio-plastic producedfrom crops, once polymerised, canhave the same durable properties as

material made from petrochemicals. And promoting so-called bio-

degradable plastics may cause people tshow even less willingness to improve

waste management. Clear labellinand applying proper testing standardsare critical.

Developed countries generally havethe technical know-how to manage

waste e ectively, but there is often alack of coordination or willingnesin local government and industry tobring this about. The results are very patchy, with several European countriesrecycling or re-using (for example bburning for energy) over 80 per cent of waste plastic while in others the gureis less than 25 per cent. In developingcountries, infrastructure is oftenlacking and managing plastic waste hato compete with other demands forlimited resources.

Plastic pollution may gradually becomeless of a problem if waste is considereda valuable resource for recycling, reuse or energy generation and if peopleaccept more personal responsibility for the waste they generate. This

would require political commitmentand investment and an integratedapproach from politicians, the plastics

industry, major users of plastics, retailersuser groups and the general public.

Tere are

many reported examples o

turtles, seals

and whales dying

as a result o ingesting plastic bags, perhaps

mistaking them or jelly sh

or another ood.

Fashion statement or disturbing testimony of humans footprint? Antarctic fur seal entangled in plastic she



POORAN DESAI

One Planet Living is the simple, yet power ul conceptat the heart o Pooran Desais international initiative tomake truly sustainable living places around the world.Mr. Desai is CEO o Bioregional, an entrepreneurialcharity that helps housing developers make One PlanetCommunities places where living and working within a

air share o our planets resources is easy, attractiveand a ordable. BioRegional is a sustainability advisorto property developers throughout the li etime o aconstruction project, guiding them on the 10 One Planetprinciples covering areas such as energy demand andgeneration, waste, transport, water use, materials, ood,equality and heritage. Bioregional started in the UnitedKingdom and currently has award-winning and endorsed

projects in the USA, UK and Portugal, with othersemerging in South A rica, China, Australia and Canada.

p opl

YUYUN ISMAWATI

For over a decade Yuyun Ismawati and her Indonesiannon-governmental organization (NGO), the Bali FokusFoundation, have worked proli cally on pollution controland prevention and sustainable development issues. InBali, a premier tourist destination, concerns about over-consumption o natural resources and unregulated wastedisposal prompted Ms. Yuyun to pressure major hotels toreduce solid waste and improve their recycling e orts.Her promotion o green tourism became a model thathas been success ully replicated in several other resorttowns. Bali Fokus produced a handbook or eco-auditinghotels, and has conducted a national workshop or NGOson solid waste management. Ms. Yuyun helped to cra tIndonesias rst-ever bill on waste management and the

countrys strategy on climate change issues. She wonthe Goldman Environmental Prize in 2009.

PHIlIPPE COUSTEAU

In the ootsteps o his legendary grand atheJacques-Yves Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau

inde atigable advocate or the conservatioEarths marine and reshwater environmentcontinuing the work o his ather and granda variety o avenues. He is also the CEO oInternational, the non-pro t organization he with his sister to empower youth to take actiorestores and protects the planets water environMr. Cousteau is a high-pro le documentary and media presenter. Among many other envirendeavours, Cousteau serves on several such as the The Ocean Conservancy anConservation Biology Institute and is a mthe Smithsonian Institutions Ocean Initiative 2009 he was one o the aces ronting UNEPDeal campaign.

VANDANA SHIVA

Philosopher, environmental activist and eco- eminist

a true environmental guru Dr. Vandana Shiva is highlysought a ter as an adviser to Governments around theworld on environmental matters and de ending thedeveloping country poor. She has authored more than20 books and over 500 papers in leading scienti cand technical journals. Among her many notableachievements was the creation in India in 1991 o Navdanya, Nine seeds, a national movement to protectthe diversity and integrity o living resources, especiallynative seed, and to promote organic arming and airtrade. Navdanya has a membership o more than 70,000

armers, and its e orts have resulted in conservationo more than 2,000 rice varieties. She is the recipiento numerous high-pro le environment awards, includingUNEPs Global 500 Roll o Honour.



FATIMA JIBREll

Few people have worked as proli cally or grassroots environmentalcauses as Fatima Jibrell, whose work ocuses on organizingwomen and protecting diminishing natural resources in Somalia.Ms. Jibrell is Executive Director o Horn Relie , which campaignedto reduce Somalias illicit and environmentally devastatingcharcoal trade. She is also the co- ounder o the Sun Fire Cookingorganization, which has been has been instrumental in providingsolar cookers and training to villagers in rural Somalia; and isthe coordinator o the Resource Management Somali Network,which includes environmental groups throughout the Horn o A rica. Her many other accomplishments include reduction o soil erosion through the promotion o rock dams, and speakingout against the degradation o the Somali marine environment.She won the 2002 Goldman Environment prize and the 2008

National Geographic Society Bu ett Award or Leadership inA rican Conservation.

ANNA CUMMINS ANDMARCUS ERIkSEN

Late last year Anna Cummins and Marcus Eand the crew o theSea Dragon embarked on the

rst expedition across the southern Atlanticresearch plastic pollution. The pair are co- ou

o the 5 Gyres Institute, a non-pro t organizcommitted to research and education about mplastic pollution. The 4,100 mile Rio-to-Capevoyage the latest in a series o expeditioneach o the Earths ve sub-tropical ocean gy

ound plastic pollution in every one o the 70 ssamples taken. By examining sh they caught the way, the crew is urthering its research whether humans are being harmed by eatingthat have ingested plastic debris contaminawith persistent organic pollutants such as DDTPCBs. The expedition is run in collaboration wAlgalita Marine Research Foundation and PExplorations. 5 Gyres is a partner in UNEPPlanet campaign.

JOS GOlDEMBERG

With Rio+20 on the horizon, it is tting to acknowledgePro essor Jos Goldemberg, who was the acting Minister oEnvironment or Brazil in 1992 during the seminal UniteNations Con erence on Environment and Developmeheld in Rio Janeiro, Pro essor Goldemberg, a leadinexpert on energy end environmental issues, has authoredmany technical papers and books on nuclear physics,the environment and energy, including the acclaimedcollaborative work entitledEnergy for a Sustainable World .He served as Chairman o the Editorial Board (1998-2000and a lead author o the United Nations DevelopmentProgrammesWorld Energy Assessment.Pro essorGoldemberg has held various ministerial positions with

the Brazilian Government and is currently Secretary othe Environment o the State o So Paulo, Brazil.

JOCHEN ZEITZ

At the age o 30, Jochen Zeitz was appointedChairman and CEO o PUMA in 1993 becoming the youngest Chairman in German history to head apublic company. As a visionary and a leader in thecorporate social responsibility (CSR) movement heintroduced an innovative corporate approach in 2008

PUMAVision. In April 2010, Mr. Zeitz launched acomprehensive sustainability programme aimed atmaking PUMA the most desirable and sustainablesports li estyle company. PUMA has a closerelationship with UNEP having been the rst majorsportswear company to join the Climate NeutralNetwork in 2009, and having been a leading partnerin the Play or Li e campaign to support the 2010International Year o Biodiversity. In October 2010,he was appointed Chie Sustainability Ofcer orthe PPR Group . Outside his corporate li e, Zeitz

ounded the non-pro t Zeitz Foundation which aimsto maintain or improve the integrity o ecosystemsthrough the balance o conservation, community,culture and commerce.


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Imported leather sofas containing sachets of the anti-mould chemical,dimethyl fumarate (DMF),added during manufacture, havedamaged the health of Europeanconsumers. A British court hasordered well known retailersthat sold them to pay millions

of pounds in compensation tocustomers who su ered skin rashes,burns and rheumatic pains, whilethe European Commission hasordered DMF to be banned fromconsumer products. Other productsfalling foul of required standards,include imported kitchenwarecontaining such chemicals as thesuspected cancer causing substance,formaldehyde.

Exporting companies need toknow the legislation in destinationcountries and astute ones willalso keep an eye on likely futurelegislative developments, becausefailure to anticipate futureregulations can result in companiessuddenly losing market share.

In the EU, the current spotlight ison bisphenol A (BPA), which can

leach into food from polycarbonatebabies feeding bottles and foodcans. The European Commissionhas announced a forthcoming ban of polycarbonate babiesbottles, and as more researchcomes forward legislativecontrols may spread to cover

other BPA-related products.Consumers nd out what ishappening in other parts of the

world via the internet. If there issu cient concern for the EU toact on BPA, parents elsewheremight well ask whether theirchildren need better protection.

Companies that tradeinternationally need to be able to

react to consumer concerns andlegislative changes. They needto have systems in place to trackchemicals in their supply chainsand to monitor the latest scienti c

ndings about which chemicalscause harm. And corporatesustainability reports shouldaddress chemical use alongsideenergy, recycling and waste inorder to keep the issue prominentthroughout the company.

Until a chemical is nally bannedthere will always be at least onecompany with a vested interest incontinuing to use it. So it is perhapsnot surprising that industry seldomaccepts without a struggle that any particular substance poses risks. And it can use very forceful tactics

including lobbying and recourseto the courts in its attempts toresist impending regulatory action.Regulators need to be tough toensure that they do not fail thepublic, keeping health protectionparamount and refusing to bow toindustry pressure or bribery.

Science is rarely black and white, soregulatory judgements nearly always

have to be based on a weight of evidence. Companies and countriesmust commit to a precautionary chemicals policy, whichacknowledges that action should betaken even when even when the riskis uncertain but there are ominousscienti c warning signs. Andcompanies should act responsibly,test their chemicals for safety andreplace those most likely to causeharm with safer substitutes.



ba u b s1,000,000Dollars donated by actor Leonardo DiCaprio

toward saving tigers rom extinction

Reuters

3,200Tigers live in the wild, down rom 100,000 a

century ago Reuters

800,000,000Number o homes that could be powered

by the winds o the US Atlantic coast

C imate Wire

50Percentage cut in current extinction rate; the

target o the 2010 Nagoya Protocol New Yor Times

30Percentage o illnesses attributed to the

environment in the A rican continent

Ango a Press (luanda)

1 to 10The targeted percentage increase in area o

protected oceans by 2020 under the

new Nagoya Protocol Guardian

2,000,000,000Dollars pledged by Japan or biodiversity

conservation in association with theNagoya Protocol Guardian

40,000,000,000Likely dollar cost o the Gul o Mexico oil

spill Reuters

3,000,000,000People who could lose access to clean water

supplies i global temperatures rise by4C Guardian (Uk)

Everything on the Antarctic continent was pretty amazing, andamazingly pretty.

Li Lina, Peking University graduate and member o YOUNGO, the youth constituencyo the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In some parts o the island you throw a stone and you actually hit theother side o the island, so there is no inland.

Anote Tong, Kiribati President, about the vulnerability o his low-lying country to arise in ocean levels.

Were doing this because our uture is at stake.

Marcie Smith, co-chair o SustainUS, climate action youth group, presenting amodel to encourage delegates at Cancun to move rom quarrelling to cooperation.

For economic ministries in particular, its important to have an accountingmeasure they can use to evaluate not only the economic value but the

natural wealth o nations.

Robert Zoellick, President o the World Bank, speaking at the 2010 UN con erence onbiodiversity.

Graham Slater, the lead author o a study that ound polar bears are likely to loseout to grizzly bears in ferce competition or ood as climate change drives the

two species closer together into shared habitat.

Things look pretty bleak or the polar bear, i current trends continue.

This agreement reafrms the undamental need to conserve nature as the veryoundation o our economy and our society.

Jim Leape, Director General o WWF International, on the Nagoya Protocol.

Alarm bells have been ringing or decades, and developed nations havebeen hitting the snooze button by delaying both action on and unding or

environmental protection.

Greenpeace, in a statement a ter the Nagoya Protocol agreement.



www.unep.org

Harm ul Substances and Hazardous Wastewww.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Harm ul substances and hazardous waste is one o UNEPs six priority thematicareas o work, promoting international activities related to the sound managemento chemicals, chemical sa ety and providing countries with access to in ormationon toxic chemicals.

UNEP Chemicals Branchwww.chem.unep.ch/UNEP Chemicals works to protect humans and the environment rom adversee ects caused by chemicals throughout their li ecycle, and hazardous waste. Itis the ocal point o UNEP activities on chemicals issues and the main catalytic

orce in the UN system or concerted global action on the environmentally-sound management o hazardous chemicals.

Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)www.saicm.org/SAICM is a policy ramework to oster the sound management o chemicals. Itsupports the achievement o the goal agreed at the 2002 Johannesburg WorldSummit on Sustainable Development o ensuring that, by the year 2020, chemicalsare produced and used in ways that minimize signi cant adverse impacts on theenvironment and human health.

Chemical In ormation Exchange Network

http://jp1.estis.net/communities/cien/This a network that helps communication and collaboration among variousstakeholders responsible or the environmentally sound management o chemicals, and a ramework that helps access to and exchange o chemicalin ormation that supports national decision-making and the implementation o multi-lateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

Reducing Risk rom Mercurywww.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/tabid/434/De ault.aspxThis site has in ormation on UNEPs Mercury Programme, which has been workingto address mercury issues since 2003.

The Global Programme o Action or the Protection o the Marine Environment romLand-Based Activities (GPA)www.gpa.unep.org/

The GPA is designed to be a source o conceptual and practicanational and/or regional authorities or devising and implemenaction to prevent, reduce, control or eliminate marine degradatiobased activities.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)www.chem.unep.ch/pops/POPs are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bi

through the ood chain, and pose a risk o causing adverse e ehealth and the environment.

Division o Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE)www.unep. r/en/about/index.htmEnsuring environmentally-sound management o chemicals pollution, are, among other things, key objectives o UNEP DTI

Environmenta Agreements

The Stockholm Conventionwww.pops.int/The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human henvironment rom persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The Basel Conventionwww.basel.int/The Basel Convention is a global treaty or environmentally sou(ESM). Its aim is to protect human health and the environment bhazardous waste production whenever possible.

The Rotterdam Conventionwww.pic.int/The Rotterdam Convention made it legally binding or exporterprior in ormed consent (PIC) o importers be ore proceeding whazardous substances.

Mu ti atera Organizations

Inter-organization Programme or the Sound Management o Cwww.who.int/iomc/index.html

The International Programme on Chemical Sa ety (IPCS)www.who.int/pcs/index.htm

Chemica Forums

In ormation Exchange Network on Capacity Building or the Soo Chemicals (INFOCAP)www.who.int/i cs/in ocap/index.htm

International Network or Environmental Compliance and En o(INECE) Forumswww.inece.org/ orums.html

Occupational and Environmental Medicine Internet- Mail Listhttp://dmi-www.mc.duke.edu/oem/occ-env-.htm

Chemica s management:use u in s

This page contains links to websites rom Governments, international

organizations, non-governmental organizations, businesses, media andother groups rom around the world to help you research issues related tochemicals management. We have compiled these links rom our own review

o the vast amount o in ormation available on the Internet to help you to ndthe most relevant sources or your research.Our Planet magazine does not,

however, endorse the viewpoints o any o the groups to which we link, and wecannot guarantee the accuracy o the in ormation posted on these sites. Rather, we

hope to provide you with a broad range o opinions and perspectives.

8/6/2019 Our Plan

Documents

Our Planet: Chemicals Management and marine plastics