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Success! UN POPs TREATY
122 COUNTRIES AGREE ON GLOBAL TREATY
At 8:30am on Sunday, 10th December 2000 in Johannesburg, negotiators from 122 countries agreed on a global treaty to ultimately eliminate the 'dirty dozen' most persistent organic pollutants.
PRESS UPDATE
These twelve persistent organic pollutants (DDT, PCBs, dioxin & furans, dieldrin, endrin, aldrin, toxaphene, mirex, heptachlor and chlordane) make up some of the world's most toxic chemicals. Their phase out and ultimate elimination was the aim of the United Nations Convention for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
As the week of the fifth and final POPs negotiations drew to a close, with the most contentious issues not even close to being resolved, many feared that the talks would collapse. "Don't Repeat the Hague" signs and stickers appeared calling on the delegates to remain committed to POPs elimination.
The final 24 hours of negotiations was filled with suspense and talk of trade interests seemed to overshadow the environmental and human health concerns.
Australia held a position opposing the inclusion of the Precautionary Principle and a goal of elimination. As well it supported a trade 'WTO supremacy clause' to the very last hours of the negotiation. Australia's final acceptance of an 'elimination goal' for byproducts such as dioxins was only made possible by including conditions such as "where feasible", ("...with the aim of continuing minimization and where feasible, ultimate elimination.")
Australia's final acceptance of the precautionary principle in the assessment of new POP candidates was based on their satisfaction with the process for assessing new POPs chemicals. Once the Australian delegates had an assessment process, which was "transparent and science based", the inclusion of precautionary language proposed by the European Union, was no longer such a threat.
'A key issue throughout the talks was the provision of finance and technical assistance to developing countries by developed countries.' There was considerable polarisation over how this assistance would be delivered, by whom and how much.
Many of the developing countries fighting the onslaught of malaria requested exemptions for the continued use of DDT and it was clearly evident that significant amounts of aid will be needed to develop and introduce a full range of alternative vector and malaria control. Australia persisted in its request for an exemption to continue the use of the POP, Mirex on termites in mango crops.
Delegates acknowledged the significant cost of the destruction of POPs stockpiles, many of which are in unsecured and dangerous conditions. They recognised the considerable burden of addressing both stockpiles and contaminated lands.
The POPs Treaty must be ratified and signed by at least 50 countries before it comes into force and then most importantly, it must be fully implemented.
This is not the end of the campaign to eliminate the 'dirty dozen'. However, as a global community we have learnt a valuable lesson, ie, we must not release into the environment substances that we cannot control and whose effects we do not understand.
"Although we have only used these chemicals for 50 years, their impacts will be with us for decades even generations to come and will cost us all dearly."
The POPs chemical Mirex, sold as Mirant, is used to kill giant termites in the Northern Territory even though alternatives are available. It is included in the 'dirty dozen' earmarked by the United Nations POPs treaty, however, Australia requested an exemption to continue using Mirex.
Many countries, including the United States, banned the use of Mirex in the 1970's because of its persistence and toxicity.
'It has been shown to have impacts on nervous and reproductive systems as well as being linked to tumours in the liver, adrenal gland and kidney'.
There is estimated to be 220 kg of technical grade Mirex stockpiled in the Northern Territory, 20 to 40 years worth of the chemical.
Mirex is regulated as a Schedule 7 Poison under the Poisons and Dangerous Drugs Act 1999. Users are required to obtain permits across the counter from NT Health Service, however use is still considered widespread in the Northern Territory.
For more information contact :
Kirsten Blair, Coordinator Environment Centre of the Northern Territory on (08) 8981 1984 or Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner Matt Ruchel on (03) 9478 9769 or (0408) 837 138
The IPEN POPS Handbook is available as either Adobe Acrobat 4 download or in website format.
Visit www.ipen.org or www.oztoxics.org and follow the prompts to the IPEN POPs Handbook.
PRESS UPDATE
Industry Endorses Global POPs Treaty - Chemical Market Reporter - 18-Dec-2000
In a surprise move, the powerful US chemical industry has expressed its support for the international POPs Treaty. In a joint statement, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Chlorine Chemistry Council (CCC) endorsed the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Treaty, concluded in Johannesburg this December. They stated that the POPs treaty is a significant step toward achieving the goal of international action that achieves meaningful health and environmental protection.
While there had been a dispute between US/Australia and the European Union over the inclusion of the Precautionary Principle in the body of the Treaty, industry were finally won over by what they described as "a weight-of-science approach" that would be used as a basis for restricting or eliminating new chemicals, considered to have the characteristics of POPs . |
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