UN Draft Resolution to Create Chemical Waste Body : Daily Current Affairs

Relevance: GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation.

Relevance: GS-2: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Key phrases: UNEP Summit, IPCC, global plastics treaty, Paris climate agreement, autonomous, intergovernmental panel.

Why in News?

A Swiss-led proposal could form a new intergovernmental panel to study the dangers of chemical waste and pollution, a draft resolution on the agenda of a UN environment summit showed.

Context:

Proponents say that pollution from pesticides, plastics and electronic waste is an overlooked problem and that there is currently no global body to assess the scale of the risks. This week, a UN expert warned that such pollution was contributing to more deaths globally than COVID-19 and called for action, including a ban on some toxic chemicals.
The proposal, co-sponsored by 14 other countries, including Britain and six African countries, would aim to create an authoritative “Science-Policy Panel” similar to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
With climate change “the bigger impact is in the future”. But the chemicals impact is the immediate future, it’s right now.
This (proposal) would bring together, like with climate change, the best available science to better understand the threats and risks that we do not fully understand yet.

Chemical and Hazardous Waste in India

The study also states that approximately 10 to 15 per cent of industrial waste in India is hazardous. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change defines hazardous waste as any waste which due to its physical, chemical or biological composition is likely to harm health or environment. Various industries in India such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fertilisers and general engineering produce hazardous wastes in considerable quantities.
The study estimates that nearly 74.6 lakh tonnes of hazardous waste is generated in India annually. Of this, waste which can be disposed in landfills constitutes for about 34.1 lakh tonnes or 46 per cent of the total. Recyclable hazardous waste consists of 33.5 lakh tonnes or 45 per cent of the total. Since the amount of recyclable hazardous waste is a considerable percentage of the total, India ought to upgrade its waste recycle mechanisms.

The absence of proper infrastructure for scientific disposal and recycling of hazardous waste has resulted in poor handling of such waste in India. Burning of hazardous waste at landfills is still one of the most common and primitive methods of disposing, resulting in immense harm for health and environment. Collection and transportation of hazardous waste is often akin to dry or wet waste, resulting in further problems in segregating and recycling hazardous waste. Absence of incineration infrastructure in India is also a contributing problem, as most waste collectors are habituated to burning waste in uncontrollable temperature. Waste collectors collecting hazardous waste are mostly ill-equipped, untrained and poorly paid.

What is the function of new body?

The draft resolution will invite UNEA to agree that a new body is needed. There are three key functions which should be central to its work:

To undertake horizon scanning, that is a systematic examination of information to identify potential threats, risks, emerging issues and opportunities; and identify potential issues of concern and provide evidence-based options for solutions to address them;
To undertake assessments on the nature and scale of particular issues, how they may evolve in future, and to generate outputs that inform all actors, to support them in developing specific instruments or policies;
To provide up-to-date and relevant information, catalyse scientific research, ensure communication between scientists and policymakers, to translate and disseminate findings for different audiences and raise public awareness.

Way Forward:

UNEA should agree that the panel should be autonomous, and intergovernmental in nature, providing policy-relevant but not policy-prescriptive advice to policy making bodies.
This model is best designed to provide authoritative, consensus-based advice that will carry full weight within international forums, drawing on the full range of expertise available in a fully transparent manner.
An inter-governmental panel will achieve the greatest impact in raising awareness of the issues and providing for greater engagement between the science and policy-making communities.
The resolution should also make clear the importance of a panel that can be policy-relevant without being policy-prescriptive; is interdisciplinary in nature, with geographical, regional and gender balance; must have authority, credibility, legitimacy, and be transparent; must complement and not duplicate the work of other agencies or scientific bodies, and work closely with them; and must be able to address conflicts of interest.

International Convention on Chemical and Hazardous Wastes:

The Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted in 1989 and it came into force in 1992. It is the most comprehensive global environmental agreement on hazardous wastes and other wastes. The Convention aims to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, trans-boundary movements and management of hazardous wastes and other wastes. The Basel Convention, which has almost universal coverage with 188 Parties, is the most comprehensive legally-binding multilateral environment agreement governing transboundary movements of hazardous and other waste.
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental treaty, signed on 22 May 2001 in Stockholm and effective from 17 May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants. The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The Stockholm Convention focuses on eliminating or reducing releases of POPs. It sets up a system for tackling additional chemicals identified as unacceptably hazardous.
Rotterdam Convention was adopted on 10 September 1998 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Convention in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The aim of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC) for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade is to promote shared responsibility and co-operative efforts among the Parties in the international trade of dangerous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment. It is legally binding on its members today.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. Chemical pollution is a global threat that warrants global action. In this context discuss UN draft resolution to create chemical waste body. Critically analyse.