And now for some good news. Today, France adopted a ban on certain uses of two widely used hormone disrupting chemicals: Bisphenol A (BPA), and the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP for short. Both BPA and DEHP are primarily used to make plastics—polycarbonate and PVC, respectively. Millions of tons of each chemical are produced and … Read More.
Next week, negotiators from over 150 countries and other stakeholders will convene in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the future of global chemicals management. These critical negotiations come at decisive juncture for the Strategic Approach to Chemicals Management (SAICM), with only eight years left on its ambitious mandate to ensure sound chemicals management—eight years in which … Read More.
For the first time in 36 years, the U.S. Congress took a significant step towards fixing the ineffective law that primarily governs the use of toxic chemicals in America’s workplaces, homes, schools, and almost every other facet of our everyday lives. This is a monumental step, not just for the U.S., but for public health … Read More.
By Marcos Orellana, Rio de Janeiro, 22 June 2012. On June 20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) officially started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Conference opened with a documentary, Welcome to the Anthropocene, which was introduced by the UN’s Secretary-General. The documentary visually portrays the alteration in Earth’s natural cycles induced … Read More.
Over the past two decades, the urgent need for global action on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has become undeniable. A little-known global agreement—SAICM—might provide the best opportunity for global action to prevent further health and environmental harm from EDCs.
Nanomaterials are those tiny materials (1 nanometer is about 1/100,000 of the width of a human hair) that behave radically differently than would expected, relative to their bulk counterparts. Examples include carbon nanotubes and nano silver. Promoters of nanotechnology promise life-changing and civilization-saving applications, while scientific institutions and citizen organizations across the world argue for … Read More.
My very first COP experience, the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention in Cartagena, Colombia, was hailed by delegates, observers, and the UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner as the most successful Basel COP in the history of the Basel Convention. I was fortunate to have joined CIEL’s delegation that participated in such … Read More.
Last week, the Associated Press reported that the international treaty being negotiated to address mercury pollution could ban vaccines that use mercury as a preservative. The preservative, thiomersal (also known as thimerosal), is widely used in vaccines that are distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions where refrigeration may not be available. The AP article … Read More.
The Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (COP10) will be held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia from October 17-21, 2011. Adopted in 1989, the Basel Convention now boasts 178 State Parties. The overall objective of the treaty is to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects … Read More.
The global food system is broken. Worldwide, 925 million are undernourished. The Asia-Pacific region ranks highest in terms of number of people that are hungry and sub-Saharan Africa leads on a percentage basis. In Niger, for example, one in two children suffers from malnutrition and one in six dies before the age of five. In … Read More.
BASEL, CITES, CBD, CMS? Remembering the acronyms of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) is challenging enough, much less trying to recall their technical details. Thankfully, the MEA Information and Knowledge Management Initiative, facilitated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), just launched a user-friendly information portal called InforMEA to help navigate the complex landscape of international environmental … Read More.
Proposed federal legislation to revamp the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) could pave the way for the United States to join three important international treaties, according to a new CIEL publication. “U.S. Law and the Stockholm POPs Convention: Analysis of treaty-implementing provisions in pending legislation,” reviews the Safe Chemicals Act (S. 847), a bill … Read More.
The ocean is vital to the survival of all life on this planet: it is the source of our rainfall, it regulates are climate, it provides us with food, and it serves as the home of countless marine animals. I think we can all agree that the ocean is fundamental to our enjoyment of life. … Read More.
In reflecting on his revolutionary achievements, Sir Isaac Newton explained, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Implicit in this statement is the recognition of information as an essential part of the foundation for technological innovation. In the 21st century, information has captured the attention of a broad … Read More.
By Daryl Ditz, Chemicals Program Last month, the feisty lame duck Congress heeded a bipartisan chorus of advice, from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton, in voting to ratify a new nuclear weapons treaty to reduce the risks of dangerous materials falling into the wrong hands. Could the new Congress find bipartisan agreement to ratify a … Read More.
By Daryl Ditz, Chemicals Program December 1, 2010 marks the beginning of a new chapter for REACH, the flagship European Union (EU) law affecting thousands of industrial chemicals … with important implications for the United States and other countries. Beginning today, companies operating in the EU cannot make or import high-volume, or certain high-hazard, chemicals … Read More.
By Glenn Wiser, Chemicals Program I was fishing a mountain stream at my friend John’s place in Chilean Patagonia recently when I hooked a 27-inch wild rainbow trout. After chasing the fish halfway down the river, I succeeded in hauling it onto the gravel bank, where I quickly did some mental math: rainbow trout is … Read More.