{"id":4446,"date":"2022-09-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/30-09-2022\/stockholm-convention\/"},"modified":"2022-09-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T00:00:00","slug":"stockholm-convention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/30-09-2022\/stockholm-convention","title":{"rendered":"Stockholm Convention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><strong><u>Context<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">The 18th meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Review Committee (POPRC-18) to the<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong> Stockholm Convention<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">\u00a0 is being held in Rome.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"border-collapse:collapse; border:none; table-layout:fixed; width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #000000; border-left:1px solid #000000; border-right:1px solid #000000; border-top:1px solid #000000; vertical-align:top\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong><u>Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans and wildlife. POPs circulate globally and can cause damage wherever they travel.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong><u>The Stockholm Convention<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">It\u00a0 is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs).\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Over 152 countries ratified the Convention and it entered into force in\u00a0 2004.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">It focuses on eliminating or reducing releases of POPs. It sets up a system for tackling additional chemicals identified as unacceptably hazardous.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Global Environmental Facility (GEF)\u00a0 is the designated interim financial mechanism for the Stockholm Convention.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">UNIDO is also responsible for supporting developing countries and countries with economies in transition to implement the Stockholm Convention<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Aims\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Eliminate dangerous POPs, starting with the 12 worst<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Support the transition to safer alternatives<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Target additional POPs for action<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Cleanup old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Work together for a POPs-free future<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong><u>Ratification by India\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">India had ratified the Stockholm Convention in\u00a0 2006 as per Article 25(4), which enabled it to keep itself in a default &#8220;opt-out&#8221; position such that amendments in various Annexes of the convention cannot be enforced on it unless an instrument of ratification\/ acceptance\/ approval or accession is explicitly deposited with UN depositary.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had notified the &#8216;Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules in 2018 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">\u00a0The regulation inter alia prohibited the manufacture, trade, use, import and export seven chemicals namely\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:square\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">\u00a0Chlordecone, Hexabromobiphenyl,\u00a0 Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenylether (Commercial octa-BDE),Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE),\u00a0 Pentachlorobenzene, Hexabromocyclododecane, and\u00a0 Hexachlorobutadiene.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong><u>Key Highlights of the recent\u00a0 meeting\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">\u00a0It has included five more chemicals in its agenda.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>The listed 5 chemicals<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> include a pesticide, a flame retardant and some plastic stabilising substances.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>3 of the listed chemicals<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">&#8211; chlorpyrifos, chlorinated paraffin (beyond prescribed standards) and long-chain perfluoro carboxylic acids had already been nominated by the 17th meeting (POPRC-17).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Other 2 chemicals<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">, dechlorane plus (a flame retardant) and UV-328 (a stabiliser used in some personal care products) which were qualified for risk management evaluation at POPRC-17.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>It aims<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> to list each of these chemicals in Annex A (elimination), B (restriction) and\/or C (unintended release) of the Stockholm Convention.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong><u>India\u2019s Stand<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Resistance<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">: The United Nations Environment Programme\u2019s (UNEP) proposal to list chlorpyrifos as POP was resisted by India. However, chlorpyrifos got nominated as Persistent organic pollutants.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Reasons :\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Chlorpyrifos is not a carcinogen and its concentrations are low.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:square\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Some of the studies in the POPRC-17 proposal showing adverse effects of chlorpyrifos were not peer reviewed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Anupam Verma Committee:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> Chlorpyrifos has been registered under the Insecticide Act of 1968\u00a0 and Anupam Verma Committee had recommended its review since 1977 for continued use in 2015.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong><u>What\u2019s Next?<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">India\u2019s views against the listing of chlorpyrifos may not find much acceptance by the expert committee consisting of 31 experts \u2014 from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">The Stockholm Convention has listed 31 chemicals as of December 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">This list is likely to expand further amid evidence pointing towards the health burden of hazardous chemicals and pesticides.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#212529\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Source:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/news\/pollution\/stockholm-convention-to-take-final-call-on-5-persistent-organic-pollutants-85199\" style=\"text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:'Book Antiqua',serif\"><span style=\"color:#1155cc\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong><u>DTE<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Context The 18th meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Review Committee (POPRC-18) to the Stockholm Convention\u00a0 is being held in Rome. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)\u00a0 POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[36,60,26],"class_list":["post-4446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-conservation","tag-environmental-pollution-degradation","tag-gs-3"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/6421069Screenshot_6.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}