unep pops negotiations background mandate status report relevance to great lakes

UNEP POPs Negotiations

• Background• Mandate• Status Report• Relevance to Great Lakes

POPs Characteristics

• organic compounds• natural or anthropogenic origin• resist degradation in environment• low water + high lipid solubility• bioaccumulate in fatty tissues• semi-volatile + multi-media• regional and global distribution

POPs: International Initiatives

• Canada-USA Great Lakes Agreement• Oslo-Paris Convention: Protection of the

North-East Atlantic Ocean• Helsinki Convention (Protect Baltic Sea)• Int’l Conference to Protect the North Sea• Barcelona Resolution: Protection of the

Mediterranean Sea

POPs: International Initiatives

• Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy• NAAEC/NACEC Resolution on Persistent

Toxic Substances (1995, POPs & metals)• UNEP Global Program of Action for

Protection of Marine Environment (1995) • UN ECE LRTAP Convention:– Protocols on POPs & Metals (1998)

• New UNEP POPs Convention (2001?)

POPs: The UNEP “12”

• Aldrin, Dieldrin, Endrin• DDT, Heptachlor, Chlordane• Mirex, Toxaphene• Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)• PCBs• Chlorinated dioxins and furans

UNEP POPs: Mandate #1

UNEP GC Decision 18/32 (May/95):• assessment of chemistry, toxicology,

environmental fate & transport, socio-economics, sources, risks & benefits, and possible substitutes for the “12”

• IFCS to recommend any international actions to UNEP GC and WHA by 1997


Conclusion:

• there is sufficient science to warrant immediate international action to protect health and environment.


Recommendations:• initiate immediate international action

through:– “measures which will reduce and/or

eliminate the emissions and discharges of the 12 … and, where appropriate, eliminate production and subsequently the remaining use of those POPs that are intentionally produced”.


Recommendations:

• different treatment for pesticides, industrial chemicals and by-products

• criteria and process to identify new POPs• develop global legally binding instrument• involve stakeholders in negotiations


UNEP GC Decision 19/13C (Feb/97):

• develop convention, preferably by 2000,

and start in “early 1998”• governments encouraged to take

immediate action on recommendations• UNEP directed to take actions to

support countries’ efforts

UNEP POPs: Negotiations

• INC1: Montreal (June 29 - July 3, 1998)• INC2: Nairobi (Jan. 25 - 29, 1999)

• INC3: Geneva (Sept. 6 -11, 1999)• INC4: Bonn (March 20 - 25, 2000)• INC5: South Africa (November 2000)• Diplomatic Conference: Sweden (2001)• In effect by 2003-2004 (?)

UNEP POPS: Key issues

• Controls on the initial 12 POPs• Criteria and procedure for adding POPs• Implementation aspects– technical assistance– technology transfer– financial assistance

UNEP POPs Negotiations: INC3

• The following summarizes the draft proposals for controls on the “12” which will be subjected to review by governments and discussed at INC4 (March 2000)


Goal for intentionally produced POPs:

• to eliminate production and use.

Aldrin, Endrin, Toxaphene:

• at entry into force of the convention

Chlordane, Dieldrin, Heptachlor, Mirex, HCB:• production limited to some critical uses,

subject to review at specified dates


Goal for DDT:• elimination of production for all except

public health uses (e.g. malaria) and• review the need for remaining uses to see

when production may be completely halted.


Goal for PCBs:• elimination of production for all new

uses, but• permit current uses in equipment• phase out “as soon as possible”• specify a deadline (?)


By-products:• dioxins, furans, HCB• no agreement on statement of a goal• “minimization, elimination”• limited support for targetted reductions

against baseline year emission levels• agreement on reducing releases


By-products:• Promote use of strategies & measures:– to reduce releases and/or eliminate

sources by feasible & practical means– to prevent formation & release– to apply BAT for new & existing sources– national & sub/regional action plans


By-products:• National & sub/regional action plans:– evaluate current & projected releases– develop & maintain source inventories and

release estimates– evaluate adequacy of laws & policies– develop strategies to prevent & reduce

release based on obligations & evaluations


By-products:• National & sub/regional action plans:– education, training & awareness of

prevention & reduction strategies– implementation schedule– monitoring progress of strategies and

review success every [x] years


POPs wastes:• strategies for identification of articles,

products & wastes• environmentally sound waste destruction

• concern for dioxin & furan generation and POPs release to environment

• technical & financial assistance for less developed countries


New industrial chemicals & pesticides:

• these should be screened for– persistence– bioaccumulation– toxicity– potential for long range transport

Relevance to Great Lakes

• Great Lakes experience should be shared with NACEC, Arctic, UNEP, etc.– what worked & what did not– multistakeholder consultation approach

• Benefits of past & future actions• Impacts of regional & global actions

POPs: UNEP Actions

• POPs web site: http://irptc.unep.ch/pops/• Support for country actions:– national POPs contact points– UNEP/IFCS sub/regional workshops: 138

countries in 8 workshops (Jul/97 - Jun/98)– PCB inventory & disposal projects– list of national, regional & global actions:• the future POPs Global Action Plan?

unep pops negotiations background mandate status report relevance to great lakes

Documents

pops criteria

new pops

new unep pops convention

recommendations unep

unep gc decision

global distribution

mediterranean sea slide

convention chlordane