Unsound management of chemicals throughout their entire lifecycle, including their waste, leads to unwanted emissions and releases into the environment, resulting in exposure to hazardous chemicals and other impacts to biodiversity.
Pollution is recognized as one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss. Chemicals and waste are ubiquitous across all environmental compartments and geographic regions, while the global production and consumption of chemicals-based products continue to increase.
The Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions address some of the most significant sources of chemicals and waste pollution, thereby contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has three main objectives:
- the conservation of biological diversity;
- the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity; and
- the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
Please click here for more information on the CBD.
The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
In December 2023, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted by the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in decision 15/14. The GBF sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. Target 7 of the GBF is related to pollution from all sources and aims to:
“Reduce pollution risks and the negative impact of pollution from all sources, by 2030, to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, considering cumulative effects, including: (a) by reducing excess nutrients lost to the environment by at least half, including through more efficient nutrient cycling and use; (b) by reducing the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least half, including through integrated pest management, based on science, taking into account food security and livelihoods; and (c) by preventing, reducing, and working towards eliminating plastic pollution.”
Together with the GBF, COP-15 to the CBD also adopted a monitoring framework for the GBF in decision 15/5. The GBF monitoring framework is comprised of a set of agreed indicators for tracking progress towards the goals and targets of the GBF. In one way or another, all targets under the GBF may be directly or indirectly be related to the environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste.
The BRS Secretariat, in collaboration with the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC)Secretariat has developed a report on their contributions to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The report showcases how international chemicals and waste frameworks contribute to achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets, providing for each target an overview of its relevance to chemicals and waste management, examples of related actions under the BRS conventions and the GFC, opportunities for enhanced cooperation, and guiding questions to support national biodiversity target setting.
Click here to access the report.
Cooperation and coordination
Ongoing cooperation and coordination between the Secretariats of the BRS conventions and the CBD continues to strengthen the alignment of global efforts addressing pollution derived from chemicals and waste with biodiversity conservation goals.
This collaboration includes information exchange through webinars and submissions, joint participation in relevant meetings and processes, coordinated outreach and capacity-building activities through workshops and capacity building activities and the developments of studies and reports. Through these efforts, both Secretariats work to enhance policy coherence, promote the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework in synergy with the BRS Conventions, and support Parties in maximizing co-benefits between biodiversity conservation and the environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste.