Professional Documents
Culture Documents
planet
José Manuel Barroso
Reaching sustainability
Karen Ellemann
Time to tackle chemicals
Maanee Lee
Borrowing the present
The magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme — April 2011
Nancy Jackson
Chemistry
as nature does it
Chemicals
Management
and marine plastics
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2 OUR PLANET CHEMICALS
JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO : Reaching sustainability page 6
Regulating chemicals can protect health and the environment while enhancing competitiveness and innovation.
books page 4
reflections page 5
products page 9
UNEP at work PAGE 18
NANCY jackson : Chemistry as nature does it page 14
awards and events page 25 Green Chemistry can be the catalyst for global sustainable development.
people page 28
verbatim and numbers page 32
www PAGE 33
star PAGE 34
PRITI MAHESH : Passing the poisonous parcel page 16
How improperly recycling E-waste endangers the health of hundreds of thousands of people, and contaminates the environment.
The Emissions Gap Report Protecting Arctic Biodiversity: TEEB Synthesis Report
limitations and strengths of
Launched for the Cancun climate meeting, this report environmental agreements TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) is
spells out what the pledges of Governments might actually an international assessment showcasing the enormous
mean in terms of putting the world on track to limit global Current warming in the Arctic atmos- economic value of forests, freshwater, soils and coral reefs,
temperature rises. The report is a partnership between phere, oceans and on land is contrib- as well as the social and economic costs of their loss. The
over 30 leading researchers at climate modelling institutes uting to far-reaching and rapid change final report in the TEEB series – the Synthesis Report –
across the globe. It spotlights worst-case and best-case across the world’s largest eco-region. presents three scenarios: a natural ecosystem (forests), a
scenarios up to 2020 while estimating the emissions gaps This report addresses the growing con- human settlement (city), and a business sector (mining), to
likely under various outcomes that will need to be bridged in cerns about the region’s vulnerability. It illustrate how the economic concepts and tools described in
order to avoid “dangerous” climate change. responds to the request by the partici- TEEB can help equip society with the means to incorporate
pants to the Arendal Seminar in 2006, the values of nature into decision-making at all levels.
co-organised by UNEP/GRID-Arendal and
Africa Water Atlas the Standing Committee for Parliamen-
tarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR), to Environmental Consequences of Ocean
This new publication from UNEP outlines the major examine the limitations and strengths Acidification: A Threat to Food Security
challenges facing Africa’s water resources. The Africa Water of existing environmental agreements
Atlas uses hundreds of “before and after” shots, detailed for conserving and protecting Arctic bio- This report sheds light on the consequences of rising
new maps and satellite images from 53 countries to show diversity and options for improvement. concentrations of CO2 in the marine environment on food
the problems facing Africa’s water supplies, chains and ecosystems as well as human activities such as
such as the drying of Lake Chad and the tourism and fishing. Rising CO2 emissions are causing our
erosion of the Nile Delta, as well as new, oceans to become more acidic and posing a greater risk
successful methods of conserving water. to marine organisms. With around 1 billion people reliant
The Atlas maps out new solutions and on seafood as their main source of protein, the report
success stories from across the continent. also analyses the effects of ocean acidification on global
food security.
Governance for The Environment: Conserving and Valuing Ecosystem Services Prosperity without Growth –
A Comparative Analysis of and Biodiversity – Economic, Institutional and Economics for a finite planet
Environmental Policy Integration Social Challenges Tim Jackson (Earthscan)
Edited by Alessandra Goria, et al. (Edward Elgar) K. N. Ninan (ed.) with Foreword by Achim Steiner (Earthscan)
In the advanced economies there is mounting evidence
This book presents a diverse set of perspectives and This book comprehensively addresses the economic, social that ever-increasing consumption adds little to human
experience on how to support sustainable develop- and institutional difficulties in conserving biodiversity and happiness, and it is now clear that the ecosystems that
ment through the integration of environmental is- the ecosystem services that it provides. It covers a wide sustain our economies are collapsing under the impacts
sues into various policy sectors. The authors examine range of issues including: biodiversity, ecosystem services of rising consumption. Unless we can radically lower
existing research on environmental policy integra- and valuation in the context of diverse ecosystems such the environmental impact of economic activity we will
tion (EPI) at three levels of policy making: national, as tropical forests, marine areas, wetlands and agricultural have to devise a path to prosperity that does not rely
regional and local. New and innovative approaches landscapes; non-timber forest products; incentives and on continued growth. This book presents a credible
to the study of EPI at these levels of governance institutions; payments for ecosystem services; governance; vision of how human society can flourish – within the
are proposed. intellectual property rights and the protection of traditional ecological limits of a finite planet.
knowledge, and climate change and biodiversity.
4 OUR PLANET CHEMICALS
And if endosulfan is added to the Stockholm Convention, the Basel
Convention will be requested to draw up waste management guidelines
for it.
reflections Bali, Indonesia, last year — include appointing a single head to oversee
the running of the three treaties and sharing administrative services
— which may free-up funds to be invested in more projects on the
ground.
Achim Steiner These reforms come little more than a year before governments
meet for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)
UN Under-Secretary-General and to be held two decades after the Rio Earth Summit that has set the
Executive Director, UNEP
contemporary sustainable development course ever since. Its two
themes are Green Economy in the context of poverty eradication
How the international community manages its response and sustainable development and an Institutional Framework for
to both the challenges and the opportunities presented Sustainable Development.
by chemicals and wastes enters a new era this year.
It has long been clear that the growth of multilateral environmental
Over the coming months the three principle treaties in the agreements has, in its current configuration, imposed increasing
area — the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions strains and complexity on the compliance and participation of many
— will streamline their operations and actions in new developing countries.
and potentially far-reaching ways. All three will adopt
decisions, as part of reform measures, to enhance co- At the same time, fragmentation can undermine the effectiveness of
operation and coordination, maximizing their collective the overall effort for sustainable development and lead to duplication
impact and so improving human health. and a less than efficient use of scarce financial resources.
These new governance arrangements will be launched at The chemicals and wastes agenda also echoes the social outcomes of
the Fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the the Green Economy in terms of prospects for decent employment and
Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants improvements in human health and well being, which are key elements
in Geneva in late April. They will then be agreed at the in the Safer Planet campaign spearheaded by the three treaties.
Rotterdam Convention in the same city in June and the
Basel Convention in October in Cartagena, Colombia. During UNEP’s last Governing Council, ministers of environment
underlined that the status quo — including the existing management
Among many other key issues to be decided at the and effectiveness of current institutions — was not an option.
Stockholm meeting is whether to list endosulfan — an
insecticide, more than half a century old and which is Proposals for reforming international environmental governance are
banned in at least 60 countries because of health and now part of the global discussions in advance of the Rio+20 conference
other concerns. If it is, it will join a catalogue of some 22 next June.
persistent organic pollutants controlled under the treaty.
The closer working relationship between the chemicals and waste
Meanwhile, endosulfan is being considered under the agreements, and the fresh directions it will bring, offers a way forward
Rotterdam Convention — along with chrisotile asbestos to redressing these shortfalls between ambition and action.
and some other chemicals — for inclusion in the prior
informed consent procedure which requires exporting They are part of the overall urgency in accelerating and scaling up a
Parties to obtain the support of importing ones for definitive and decisive shift towards achieving a low carbon, resource-
shipments of chemicals listed in its Annex III. efficient global economy for all.
OUR PLANET CHEMICALS 5
JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO
President,
European Commission
Reaching sustainability
Protecting the health of citizens
and our environment, while
enhancing competitiveness and
innovation: such is the challenge
of REACH, the European Union’s
groundbreaking and holistic
regulation on chemicals.
Waterpebble
Waterpebble is a clever device that encourages you to use less water each time you shower.
It works like this: you place the Waterprebble in the shower near the plughole, and shower as
normal. The device monitors water going down the plughole, memorizes your first shower
and uses it as a benchmark. Then each time you shower, lights in the Waterpebble light up to
indicate the start (green light), when you’re half way through (amber), and red (time to stop).
Each time you shower Waterpebble fractionally reduces your shower time, helping you to save
water without needing to think about it.
www.waterpebble.com/
Eco nappies
It’s estimated that 50 million disposable diapers enter landfills each day where
they sit for 500 years! So thank goodness for Eenee Eco Compostable Nappies, an
innovative zero-waste compostable diaper that is good for your baby and good
for the environment. Made from renewable plant-based materials and covered
with biofilm, Eenee Nappies are environmentally friendly as well as being super
absorbent, breathable and waterproof. They’re so good they won a Keep Australia
Beautiful Award for Environmental Innovation. Why wasn’t this invented sooner?
www.eenee.com
Carbon-neutral cladding
Polli Bricks is an environmentally friendly and practically sound form of architectural cladding.
It is the world’s first scalable carbon-neutral recycled polymer cladding and is 100 per cent re-
engineered from recycled plastic bottles. Because it is made from locally recycled plastic bottles,
it needs no raw materials and has no transport emissions. Polli Bricks are also very cost effective,
being a fraction of the cost of other architectural cladding systems. What is more, the system
can be illuminated by in-built solar-powered LED lighting. A neat invention that makes a positive
contribution to the green economy — and is one of the winners of the 2010 Earth Awards.
www.theearthawards.org
Karen Ellemann
Minister for Environment,
Denmark
global concern for a long time, especially since the tragic pollution
of Minamata Bay in Japan, when a whole community suffered the
consequences of high exposure. For Denmark and the other Nordic
countries, troubling findings of mercury in the Arctic underscored
the problem. Mercury ends up in humans and animals in the region
even though it has no production and very limited emissions of the
toxic metal. Not surprisingly, Japan and the Nordic countries are
10 OUR PLANET CHEMICALS
amongst the warmest proponents exposure for two-year olds. It and transparent for governments,
of global regulation on mercury: showed frequent exposure to many businesses and the public.
this is reflected in the Nordic different chemicals, mainly through
Council of Ministers’ financing food and indoor air but also But we must not stop here.
of the first Intergovernmental through lotions like moisturisers Improving international chemicals
Negotiation Committee (INC) and sunscreens. We decided to act governance needs to be a continuous
meeting in Stockholm in June 2010 on the findings in a precautionary process that keeps up with the
and Japan’s funding of the second manner and launched a campaign developments in production,
meeting in Chiba in January this in 2009 targeting parents with consumption and knowledge.
year. I hope and expect that the advice on how to minimize the In our present and future work on
negotiations will be finalised as exposure of children through new instruments, we must do our
planned in 2013. Denmark, which relatively simple measures. best to make them future proof.
will have the Presidency of the We must avoid starting from scratch
Council of the European Union in every time there is a need for
Spring 2012 during INC 4 will do “Improving international international action. The agreements
its utmost to contribute to that. or structures we adopt in the future
chemicals governance should be designed to make them
The Mercury Convention will usable for a wider range of chemicals
complement other global chemicals needs to be a continuous and type of measures. Of course, any
and hazardous waste conventions new regulation will still need to be
which — with the 2006 global
process that keeps up agreed upon in a manner agreeable
chemicals strategy, Strategic with the developments in to all countries as it is today.
Approach to International
Chemicals (SAICM) — are key production, consumption Flexible structures that recognize
cornerstones for sound chemicals the obvious fact that new initiatives
management. SAICM can play and knowledge.” are likely to become relevant in the
a central role. It has a multi future will be the best approach,
stakeholder approach that involves for example, in the negotiations
the private sector and encompasses Though important agreements on the mercury convention.
issues of health, environment and like SAICM and some conventions
worker safety, and can address are in place — and a new mercury A strengthened regime can only
emerging issues. But it is not a convention is underway — they be achieved if we can raise
legally binding instrument and will not be sufficient. The awareness and specific knowledge
at present does not have the Stockholm Convention regulates on how closely chemicals are
support it deserves and needs. production and use of chemicals, intertwined in all aspects of
but is limited to persistent sustainable development. I therefore
Developments and new knowledge organic pollutants. We need a welcome UNEP’s preparation of a
continuously challenge us and broader regulatory framework Global Chemicals Outlook, exploring
show our regulatory regimes to for other types of chemicals to such aspects as the costs of inaction,
be inadequate. The combined deal with future challenges. as well as Green or sustainable
effects from exposure to multiple chemistry and Green growth. I hope
chemicals are troubling. Combined The decision in February 2010 – the Global Chemicals Outlook will
exposure to endocrine disrupting through the “synergies process” help raise awareness, and thereby
substances, for example, can — to bring closely together three gain support, from governments, the
cause serious adverse effects chemicals and waste conventions business sector and other stakeholders.
at doses where no effects are (Stockholm, Rotterdam and This is absolutely essential if the
observed for individual ones. It is Basel), was a successful step in benefits of chemicals are to be
no longer a question of whether the right direction of better reaped without compromising
or not the combination effects coordination and cooperation. health and the environment.
of chemicals are relevant in risk The first initiative that successfully
assessment — the question is how contributed to improving The United Nations has declared
legislation should address these international environmental 2011 the International Year of
concerns most appropriately. governance from inside the system, Chemistry and many meetings related
the decision helped streamline to chemicals management will take
Denmark recently conducted a international chemicals governance place during these twelve months.
study on the typical combined and make it more effective It is now time to tackle chemicals.
OUR PLANET CHEMICALS 11
Maanee Lee
Minister of Environment,
Republic of Korea
Borrowing
the future
One day, repeating to myself the title, “Our
Planet”, I looked up at the night sky. Scientists
say it takes several, even thousands of years, for
starlight to reach our planet Earth. The twinkling
stars we now see may have already disappeared.
Like starlight taking a long time to reach us, the
long dormant consequences of environmental
factors can often suddenly appear.
© David Hughes/iStockphoto
for children’s environmental
health declared in 2006 sets
out the environmental safety
management standards to
ensure that there is no use of
hazardous substances, such as
lead and arsenic, in such places
as playgrounds, child-care
facilities and schools.”
comprehensive strategy for children’s
environmental health declared in
2006 sets out the environmental safety
management standards to ensure
that there is no use of hazardous
substances such as lead and arsenic in
such places as playgrounds, child-care
facilities and schools. The strategy
also stipulates that there should be
hazards assessments to protect health
from hazardous materials like heavy
metals and phthalates found in such
children’s products as baby goods,
Given their potential toxicity, their Chemical substances), which came stationeries and toys: highly hazardous
efficacy must be raised and their into effect in June 2007, has taken the goods for children are to be banned
hazards reduced through chemicals lead. Japan, China and many other from production, distribution and
safety management. The 2002 World countries have also institutionalized use. The third WHO International
Summit on Sustainable Development precautionary regulations for using Conference on Children’s Health
resolved on assessing and managing hazardous chemicals in industrial and the Environment — held in
hazardous chemicals sustainably in raw materials or products. Korea in 2009 with attendees from
compliance with the precautionary 54 different countries — helped
principle and considering the safety The Korean Government intends to strengthen awareness on hazardous
of future generations, with the goal expand the range of its management chemicals’ impact on children and on
of using and producing them by 2020 from around 4,000 new chemicals assessing them. It adopted the Busan
in ways that do not lead to significant to all 40,000 or so in use, advancing Declaration, recommending that
adverse effects on human health and existing hazards management information on impacts on children’s
the environment. to a long-term risk management health should be included in national
system where the effects on future action environmental health plans.
In accordance with such global efforts, generations are considered. To lay
many governments are shifting toward a legal foundation, it is planning Responses to imminent threats follow
management policies based on the to enact the ‘Act on Registration, instinct: those to potential ones
precautionary principle in a bid to Evaluation and Restriction of depend on reason. We, as members
assess the hazards and risks of all Chemicals’ this year. of the global society, should join in
chemicals in use, and to restrict or ban sustainably managing chemicals so that
those with negative impacts on the Recognizing that children are they really benefit future generations.
human body or ecosystems. The EU’s most vulnerable to dangers from Just as starlight may take a hundred
REACH (Registration, Evaluation, chemicals, the government has years to reach the Earth, the present
Authorisation and Restriction of focused on protecting their health. A we live in is borrowed from them.
OUR PLANET CHEMICALS 13
Chemistry
as nature does it
Nancy Jackson
President,
American Chemical Society
© Michał Rózewski/iStockphoto
“Green chemistry”, says Dr John trator of the US Environmental that products be designed for
Warner, “is the science and innova- Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Office degradation so that at the end of
tion of creating a material that has of Research and Development their function they break down into
a minimal impact on human health — outlined twelve key principles innocuous substances and do not
and the environment”. One of in their seminal book Green persist in the environment.
the world’s leading experts in the Chemistry: Theory and Practice.
field, he adds that it requires “the Chief among them is the premise Put it simply, green chemistry,
chemist to consider the downstream that it is better to prevent waste than also called sustainable chemistry,
implications related to toxicity and to treat or clean it up after it has is akin to working in the same
environmental impact.” been created. way as Mother Nature. In nature
chemistry is carried out at ambient
The founder of the Warner Babcock The principles call for the design temperatures and ambient pressures
Institute for Green Chemistry, Dr and use of safer and more energy- using available renewable resources:
Warner and fellow chemist Paul efficient chemicals, solvents, and photosynthesis is a prime example.
Anastas — the assistant adminis- chemical synthesis, and recommends There is intense global interest.
14 OUR PLANET CHEMICALS
“Green chemistry
is a good idea.
But Africa has many burdens,
including poverty, war,
The American Chemical Society’s The problems green chemistry can
(ACS) Green Chemistry Institute address affect every person on our
and the epidemics of HIV,
aims to enable and catalyze its planet. It has the potential to allow malaria, and tuberculosis.
implementation — and that of green us to protect Earth’s environment
engineering — into all aspects of and the health of its inhabitants Green chemistry is a priority only
the global chemical enterprise. and help us preserve its precious if it helps address these issues.”
Working with industry, educators and dwindling natural resources. It
and students, it has 25 international can help create a global sustainable
chapter affiliates helping promote economy and is a necessary tool reduces waste, improves yield and
green chemistry through educational for achieving the U.N. Millennium safety, and eliminates the need for
outreach in their countries. Goals. metal catalysts.
When I attend chemistry confer- The 1990 Pollution Prevention Act Green chemistry has seen great
ences, particularly in the developing is viewed as the catalyst for green progress in the past 20 years and
world, it is obvious that there is a chemistry in the United States. The scientists are continuing to look
strong interest in green chemistry USEPA launched a Green Chemistry for ways to incorporate it into
everywhere. My travels and Program shortly after it passed, and their research. Industry leaders are
collaborations with colleagues in is a longstanding partner of the responding to consumers’ demands
Southeast Asia, the Middle East, ACS Green Chemistry Institute for products and manufacturing
and North Africa always include in promoting the practice and its processes with less impact on
discussions about educating students principles. the environment and human
in it and a desire to work together health. And government leaders
in research in this area. Professors Each year, the US EPA presents are hearing from citizens who
know that students are drawn to its prestigious Presidential Green expect them to take strong action
study chemistry by a wish to create a Chemistry Challenge Awards to against companies that produce
sustainable future. Green chemistry recognize and promote innovative unnecessarily hazardous materials
is a tool for sustainable development, chemical technologies that prevent and byproducts.
the most important and popular pollution and have broad applicabi-
goal of the chemists I have met in lity in industry. Last year one went Will this groundswell of public
developing countries. to Clarke, a global company which support continue? There is no doubt
focuses on mosquito control, which that green chemistry is critical to
Professor Joseph M.D. Fortunak from developed a way to encapsulate the sustainability of our planet and
Howard University in Washington, spinosad — an environmentally safe key to environmentally responsible
D.C. described in the Tropical pesticide that is not normally stable progress for all its citizens. As Dr.
Journal of Pharmaceutical Research in water — in a plaster matrix: this Paul Anastas, who is also a former
how a professor from Kenya’s Moi allowed it to be released slowly in director of the ACS Green Chemistry
University told a workshop in water and control mosquito larvae, a Institute, puts it: “Everybody wins
Johannesburg: “Green chemistry huge concern in places such as Africa with green chemistry. We can have
is a good idea. But Africa has many where malaria is ever-present. The a vibrant economy and a healthier
burdens, including poverty, war, and new product, Natular™, does not environment because of the use
the epidemics of HIV, malaria, and persist in the environment and is not and development of innovative and
tuberculosis. Green chemistry is a toxic to wildlife. sustainable technologies.” That will
priority only if it helps address these be true for years to come.
issues.” His response was to “propose Many of the awards are for
that the strongest justification for pharmaceutical work. Last year I hope that in 2011, the International
green chemistry in Africa is precisely Merck and Codexis were recognized Year of Chemistry, even more public
the opportunity to address the for the green synthesis of sitagliptin attention can be focused on the
differences between rich and poor — the active ingredient in vitality and value of green chemistry
in access to technology and creating JanuviaTM, a treatment for type 2 and its potential to benefit both
sustainable economic development.” diabetes — through a process that present and future generations.
OUR PLANET CHEMICALS 15
passing the
poisonous parcel
Priti Mahesh
Project Manager Toxics Link, India
© Manjunath Kiran/Corbis
11 a.m.: In a small room in the bylanes remove the so-called ‘jewels’ (such border, Suresh is busy trying to
of Silampur in East Delhi, Aslam is as capacitors and integrated circuits) extract precious metals from printed
busy breaking open computers. He’s from the circuit boards. The small, circuit boards, using chemical
been doing this work for years at poorly ventilated room immediately poisons like concentrated nitric
this recycling hub and knows exactly fills up with fumes, making the boys and sulphuric acid, caustic soda,
which parts are valuable and need to uncomfortable, but they wipe their mercury and arsenic. His wife Kajal
be separated. His tools are at hand; eyes and carry on. They know these works in the same unit and, with a
hammer, screwdriver, pliers and fumes. They inhale them everyday. couple of other women, is scraping
blowtorch. What they don’t know is that paint off circuit boards that have
they contain lead, a poison that is been dipped in caustic soda solution
He shares this 6 feet by 8 feet permanently damaging their lungs for a few hours. Her hands are a
workplace with three other teenage and kidneys. chequered map of cuts and bruises,
boys. They work 10 hours a day, from prolonged metal scraping and
for a meagre US$3-5 each. Aslam’s 4 p.m.: In Tilla Shabazpur, a small caustic soda exposure. Her back
friend Sabir is using a blowtorch to village on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh hurts from the bent posture she’s
been holding for long hours every materials from discarded Electronic numbers of women and children
day. The couple’s two children, and Electrical waste (E-waste), with engaged in these activities are even
aged 3 and 4, are playing within this little or no knowledge of the hazards more vulnerable to exposure. Low-
informal recycling junkyard, strewn hidden in such junked equipment cost, poor working conditions and
with drums filled with acid, caustic as computers, televisions and cheap labour makes recycling a
soda and waste. The family has no mobile phones. And lead, mercury, lucrative business: no one accounts
idea of the toll that the chemical cadmium and chromium, BFRs for the environmental or health
cocktail inhalation they inhale every (flame retardants used in plastic) costs involved.
day is taking on their health and and other harmful substances — all
vital organs. present in E-waste — contaminate The main reason for such unsound
the environment as well as domestic waste management practice
This is the daily story not just of jeopardise health. is the absence of a clear and well-
Aslam, Shabir, Suresh, Kajal and enforced E-waste policy: domestic
their families, but of thousands like Around 50 million tonnes of E-waste electronics and electricals producers
them working around India. More are generated worldwide each year, are able to shy away from taking any
than a hundred thousand people the larger share in the developed responsibility for the toxic waste
are employed in these informal nations of Europe and North that they have a clear role in creating.
junkyards, mainly concentrated in America. Growing economies like This is also responsible for the illegal
and around large cities. Men, women India and China produce relatively imports of E-waste into India and
and children, spend 10 to 12 hours small amounts now, although this for the cross-border dumping often
a day in this toxic environment, is expected to grow manifold in the carried out in the garb of charity
trying to salvage components or next few years. They are also hugely and under the guise of bridging the
concerned about illegal dumping. ‘digital divide’ between developed
In all, it is estimated that as much and developing nations.
as a third of all E-waste generated in
Melting lead, Moradabad, India
EU countries and the United States The picture is certainly bleak, but
ends up on their shores by legal or there are some grounds for hope.
illegal means. Civil society organizations have
been campaigning hard on two
In India, it is mainly processed by fronts; to put an end to the cross-
people like Aslam and Suresh — border toxic trade, and to introduce
predominately migrants to cities extended producer responsibility
like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and — under which producers are
Kolkata, in search of livelihoods. made responsible for their products
The rudimentary recovery processes right to the end of their lives —
include physical breaking and so that E-waste is better managed
segregating hazardous components, in India. But until these initiatives
open burning, and melting and bear fruit, the brunt of this
heating lead and mercury-laden onslaught will continue to be
components. Residues and effluents borne by the environment and the
are released into open drains or vulnerable segments of our society,
nearby vacant land, leading to water labouring away in the dark alleys of
© Toxics Link
Alas, its fragile, vulnerable coastal and marine ecosystems are under threat from human activities. Over
80 per cent of the Caribbean Sea’s pollution originates from land-based sources, and over 75 per cent of
domestic wastewater enters the Sea untreated.
Since 1992, UNEP has facilitated discussions between Governments and regional experts to address these
problems. As a result, in 1983, 28 countries adopted the only legally binding regional agreement for the
protection and development of the marine environment in the Wider Caribbean Region – the Cartagena
Convention. The Convention’s three technical protocols promote biodiversity conservation, oil spills
prevention and reducing land-based sources of pollution.
The Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol), adopted in 1999,
is considered by many to be the most significant agreement of its kind — it establishes regional effluent
limitations for domestic water and requires countries to institute national plans to address non-point
sources of pollution. The LBS Protocol formally entered into force in 2010.
The Protocol has already catalysed the development and implementation of several national and regional
projects on integrated management of watersheds and coastal areas, reducing pesticide run-off in Central
America, and developing a prototype regional fund for wastewater management.
This work has been led by the Caribbean Environment Programme and Convention Secretariat, which
come under the auspices of UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme.
www.cep.unep.org
The wise use, development and management of the marine and coastal environment in this important
region is at the heart of UNEP’s North-west Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP). The Plan aims to secure the
region’s sustainability for future generations while achieving long-term benefits for the human populations
living there.
Addressing marine litter is one of NOWPAP’s key initiatives. In 2005 NOWPAP commenced its Marine
Litter Activity, which resulted in the development of a Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter. Since 2008
the implementation of this action plan has been underway in cooperation with local Governments and
authorities and other partners.
The marine litter activities have created a positive impact in the region by building awareness and
prompting actions to address marine litter in the NOWPAP member countries. Results include improved
national legislation, establishment of national marine litter programmes, the implementation of
international coastal cleanup campaigns and workshops, development of guidelines and technical reports
on preventing and collecting marine litter, and the establishment of a monitoring database.
NOWPAP, the full name of which is The Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of
the Marine and Coastal Environment of the North-west Pacific Region was adopted in 1994 as a part of
Regional Seas Programme, and it contributes to one of UNEP’s signature initiatives, the Global Programme
of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.
http://www.nowpap.org/
Turning
the toxic tide
It is one of the first rules that you informed consumers join together to
learn as a child: if you make a mess solve the problem.
you need to clean it up. Later in life
we learn that it is better to never E-waste is classified as hazardous
make a mess at all. These lessons waste due to the many toxic
apply to E-waste — the leftovers from Kumi Naidoo ingredients it contains — including
electronic and electrical equipment Executive Director, heavy metals and harmful, persistent
— globally one of the fastest growing Greenpeace International chemicals — with the potential
types of hazardous waste. to pollute the environment and
damage human health when it is
UNEP has estimated that upwards year. But it doesn’t have to be processed, recycled or disposed of. It
of 40 million tonnes of E-waste this way — not if policy-makers, affects most acutely populations in
are generated worldwide every responsible manufacturers and developing countries, where people
message on
a bottle
We are placing an ever-growing, 46,000 pieces of floating marine
devastating set of plastic debris on or below every square
fingerprints on our natural world. mile of our ocean, with the problem
Every single molecule of plastic particularly acute in certain areas.
ever manufactured — except for The most notorious — labelled the
a very small percentage that has ”Eastern Garbage Patch” — is a
been incinerated — still exists swirling gyre in the North Pacific
somewhere in our environment. twice the size of Texas, where
Most apparent and shocking is the researchers found six pounds of
plastic waste now scattered across plastic litter for every pound of
David de Rothschild the surfaces and depths of our plankton. This and four other
planet’s oceans. enormous gyres of swirling trash
Founder,
Adventure Ecology cover approximately 40 percent of
For me the reality of the situation our planet’s surface.
kicked-in back in 2006 when I
came across a UNEP publication: As much as 90 to 95 percent of
“Ecosystems and Biodiversity in the total amount of marine debris
Deep Waters and High Seas.” The is plastic, which, unlike organic
report pointed out that there were compounds, doesn’t biodegrade.
22 OUR PLANET CHEMICALS
Plastic is impervious to enzymatic ocean, beginning to breakdown into
breakdown and literally jams simpler compounds without ever
up the code of nature. The very actually disappearing. The resulting
durability that renders it so useful tiny pellets — called nurdles or
to humans also makes it incredibly ‘mermaid tears’ — sponge up
harmful to all natural life cycles fat-soluble compounds like PCBs,
in every ecosystem worldwide, it DDT, and a host of herbicides
has a double effect on fish, marine and pesticides present in diluted
mammals and birds. quantities in the ocean. Plastics also
have a nasty affinity for oil.
First is ingestion of plastic, as by
the majestic and now endangered Small amounts of these chemicals
albatross. The laysan albatrosses work their way up the food chain
that nest on Kure Atoll and from filter feeders through to the
Oahu Hawaii get it worst. fish fingers on the kitchen table.
Researcher Lindsay Young of the So, all over the world, children and
University of Hawaii found adults are unwittingly exposing
“so many small plastic toys in the themselves to low levels of toxicity.
birds from Kure Atoll…that we
could have assembled a complete Plastic and other marine debris
nativity scene with them.” Almost is also smothering beaches —
half of the 500,000 albatross chicks especially those in the path of a
born every year on Midway are swirling garbage patch. Currents
thought to die from consuming that drag rubbish into the gyres
plastic fed to them by their also shoot it out. The 19 islands
parents. One was found to have of the Hawaiian archipelago, for
306 pieces of plastic in its belly. instance, receive massive quantities
of trash, some of it decades old.
The second major issue, toxicity Some beaches are buried under 5 to
transference, is even more ominous. 10 feet of refuse: others are riddled
Plastic photo-degrades in the open with fine granules of “plastic sand.”
© Sergey Kamshylin/Shutterstock
“If we can shift the
perception of plastic
from waste to
a valuable resource we
can slow, and in some
places even reverse, the
environmental damage.”
and making biofuel — was the grand prize winner of The Earth Awards 2010.
events
Other category winners included: Earth Tiles, which empower people in
the world’s poorest and most remote areas to build their own sustainable
homes with natural resources; and Polli Bricks, a cost-effective
form of cladding, which is the world’s first scalable carbon-neutral
recycled polymer architectural cladding, 100 per cent re-engineered
from recycled plastic bottles. The Earth Awards encourage designers,
innovators and consumers to find new ways to build a new economy.
2011 International Year of Forests
www.theearthawards.org
www.seedinit.org
Mermaid’s Tears
About 70 per cent of the surface of our Micro-plastics — defined as any plastic
planet is ocean. We depend on it to particle less than 5mm in diameter,
regulate the climate, as a source of food, which can readily be ingested by
for transport, and as a place to enjoy, an organism — mostly arise from
especially along the coast. We have Peter John Kershaw
the breakdown of larger fragments.
also tended to regard it as a convenient Others consist of plastic resin pellets
place to dispose of our unwanted Principal Research Scientist, Environment & — used as a raw material in the plastics
Ecosystems, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and
waste. The type of waste we produce, industry, and sometimes referred to
Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft, UK
and the way in which we dispose of it, as ‘Mermaid’s Tears’ when found on
reflect a combination of technological Plastic, including discarded or lost the beach — which reach the ocean
advances, the increasing demands of a fishing gear, threatens marine life, through poor waste management
growing population, economic growth and much discarded plastic ends up and accidental losses in transport.
and attitudes towards stewardship of on the seabed. There have also been Industry moves to reduce these have
the environment. The acute impacts media reports of mid-ocean ‘garbage been partially successful, but the
of such marine pollution are relatively patches’ and ‘floating islands’ of plastic pellets already released will persist for
easy to demonstrate, but longer-term debris, ‘as big as Texas’ or ‘twice the many years to come. A third, more
or more chronic effects — such as size of France’. Most of this debris recent, source arises from the use of
those caused by plastic debris, micro- consists of relatively small fragments, plastic micro — and nano — particles
plastic particles and the contaminants or micro-plastics, distributed in such products as toothpaste and
they may carry — can be very difficult through the upper few metres of the hand cleaners, which are not retained
to identify and quantify. ocean, concentrated in five regions by wastewater treatment so end up in
known as convergence zones or the ocean.
Plastics began being produced at ocean gyres, as a result of known
an increasingly industrial scale oceanographic processes. Particles may damage or block an
midway through the 20th century, animal’s digestive tract or other
and scientists began reporting the It is generally assumed that the organs, depending on its lifestyle
spread of plastic debris in the oceans problem is increasing, but we lack and the quantities involved. Even
from the early 1970s. Many plastics reliable and comprehensive estimates more worryingly plastics can absorb
are buoyant and very durable, and of the material’s sources, quantities, persistent organic pollutants (POPs),
their debris is common on coastlines distribution, fate and effects. Some such as PCBs and DDT, concentrating
worldwide. Several assessments by of the most comprehensive studies them by up to a million times before
UNEP and others — and many have indicated no change in the being ingested. And nano-sized
local and international beach ‘clean- quantities of debris in the ocean particles can cross cell membranes
up’ campaigns — have helped raise surface, but we are largely ignorant of and may have additional impacts,
awareness of the problem and reduced the eventual fate of what enters the though this is an issue of great
local impacts, for a time. ocean every year. scientific uncertainty.
26 OUR PLANET CHEMICALS
There are many different types of “There are degradable’ plastics may cause people to
plastic but only a limited number are show even less willingness to improve
produced in very large quantities: many reported examples of waste management. Clear labelling
polyethylene, polypropylene, poly- and applying proper testing standards
vinyl chloride, polystyrene, poly-amide turtles, seals are critical.
(nylon) and polyethylene terepthalate
(PET), used for the ubiquitous soft Developed countries generally have
drinks bottles. Per capita use of plastic
and whales dying the technical know-how to manage
is predicted to reach 140 kg per year in waste effectively, but there is often a
North America and Europe, and 36 kg
as a result of ingesting lack of coordination or willingness
per year in Asia by 2015. in local government and industry to
plastic bags, perhaps bring this about. The results are very
There have many advantages for the patchy, with several European countries
change. Switching from glass to plastic mistaking them for jelly fish recycling or re-using (for example by
food containers, for example, or using burning for energy) over 80 per cent of
a greater proportion of plastic in cars or another food.” waste plastic while in others the figure
and planes, reduces emissions of CO2 is less than 25 per cent. In developing
from transport. Life-cycle analysis but the claims can be misleading. countries, infrastructure is often
shows that plastic single-use shopping In many cases, the plastic will not lacking and managing plastic waste has
bags can have a lower environmental truly degrade (i.e. reduce to carbon to compete with other demands for
impact than paper ones, in terms of dioxide, methane and water) unless limited resources.
energy and resource use. But, while a it is subject to the temperature
paper bag will disintegrate rapidly in and chemical conditions found Plastic pollution may gradually become
seawater, the plastic bag will remain in an industrial compostor — less of a problem if waste is considered
intact for much longer and will pose quite unlike those in the ocean. a valuable resource — for recycling, re-
a threat to sea life. There are many Some ‘degradable’ plastic bags use or energy generation — and if people
reported examples of turtles, seals and are designed to disintegrate into accept more personal responsibility
whales dying as a result of ingesting smaller pieces, which will be just for the waste they generate. This
plastic bags, perhaps mistaking them as persistent. Bio-plastic produced would require political commitment
for jelly fish or another food. from crops, once polymerised, can and investment — and an integrated
have the same durable properties as approach from politicians, the plastics
‘Bio-degradable’ plastics, whose use is material made from petrochemicals. industry, major users of plastics, retailers,
growing can appear to be greener — And promoting so-called ‘bio- user groups and the general public.
Fashion statement or disturbing testimony of human’s footprint? Antarctic fur seal entangled in plastic sheeting.
OUR PLANET CHEMICALS 27
people
Philippe Cousteau
Vandana Shiva
In the footsteps of his legendary grandfather, Captain
Philosopher, environmental activist and eco-feminist — Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau is an
a true environmental guru — Dr. Vandana Shiva is highly indefatigable advocate for the conservation of the
sought after as an adviser to Governments around the Earth’s marine and freshwater environments. He is
world on environmental matters and defending the continuing the work of his father and grandfather in
developing country poor. She has authored more than a variety of avenues. He is also the CEO of EarthEcho
20 books and over 500 papers in leading scientific International, the non-profit organization he founded
and technical journals. Among her many notable with his sister to empower youth to take action that
achievements was the creation in India in 1991 of restores and protects the planet’s water environments.
Navdanya, “Nine seeds”, a national movement to protect Mr. Cousteau is a high-profile documentary filmmaker
the diversity and integrity of living resources, especially and media presenter. Among many other environmental
native seed, and to promote organic farming and fair endeavours, Cousteau serves on several boards
trade. Navdanya has a membership of more than 70,000 — such as the The Ocean Conservancy and Marine
farmers, and its efforts have resulted in conservation Conservation Biology Institute — and is a member of
of more than 2,000 rice varieties. She is the recipient the Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Initiative Council. In
of numerous high-profile environment awards, including 2009 he was one of the faces fronting UNEP’s Seal the
UNEP’s Global 500 Roll of Honour. Deal campaign.
“One Planet Living” is the simple, yet powerful concept For over a decade Yuyun Ismawati and her Indonesian
at the heart of Pooran Desai’s international initiative to non-governmental organization (NGO), the Bali Fokus
make truly sustainable living places around the world. Foundation, have worked prolifically on pollution control
Mr. Desai is CEO of Bioregional, an “entrepreneurial and prevention and sustainable development issues. In
charity” that helps housing developers make “One Planet Bali, a premier tourist destination, concerns about over-
Communities” places where living and working within a consumption of natural resources and unregulated waste
fair share of our planet’s resources is easy, attractive disposal prompted Ms. Yuyun to pressure major hotels to
and affordable. BioRegional is a sustainability advisor reduce solid waste and improve their recycling efforts.
to property developers throughout the lifetime of a Her promotion of “green tourism” became a model that
construction project, guiding them on the 10 One Planet has been successfully replicated in several other resort
principles covering areas such as energy demand and towns. Bali Fokus produced a handbook for eco-auditing
generation, waste, transport, water use, materials, food, hotels, and has conducted a national workshop for NGOs
equality and heritage. Bioregional started in the United on solid waste management. Ms. Yuyun helped to craft
Kingdom and currently has award-winning and endorsed Indonesia’s first-ever bill on waste management and the
projects in the USA, UK and Portugal, with others country’s strategy on climate change issues. She won
emerging in South Africa, China, Australia and Canada. the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2009.
28 OUR PLANET CHEMICALS
Jochen Zeitz
Anna Cummins and
At the age of 30, Jochen Zeitz was appointed Marcus Eriksen
Chairman and CEO of PUMA in 1993 becoming the
youngest Chairman in German history to head a Late last year Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen
public company. As a visionary and a leader in the and the crew of the Sea Dragon embarked on the
corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement he first expedition across the southern Atlantic to
introduced an innovative corporate approach in 2008 research plastic pollution. The pair are co-founders
– PUMAVision. In April 2010, Mr. Zeitz launched a of the 5 Gyres Institute, a non-profit organization
comprehensive sustainability programme aimed at committed to research and education about marine
making PUMA the most desirable and sustainable plastic pollution. The 4,100 mile Rio-to-Cape Town
sports lifestyle company. PUMA has a close voyage — the latest in a series of expeditions to
relationship with UNEP having been the first major each of the Earth’s five sub-tropical ocean gyres —
sportswear company to join the Climate Neutral found plastic pollution in every one of the 70 surface
Network in 2009, and having been a leading partner samples taken. By examining fish they caught along
in the “Play for Life” campaign to support the 2010 the way, the crew is furthering its research into
International Year of Biodiversity. In October 2010, whether humans are being harmed by eating fish
he was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer for that have ingested plastic debris contaminated
the PPR Group . Outside his corporate life, Zeitz with persistent organic pollutants such as DDT and
founded the non-profit Zeitz Foundation which aims PCBs. The expedition is run in collaboration with the
to maintain or improve the integrity of ecosystems Algalita Marine Research Foundation and Pangaea
through the balance of conservation, community, Explorations. 5 Gyres is a partner in UNEP’s Safe
culture and commerce. Planet campaign.
Fatima Jibrell
José Goldemberg
Few people have worked as prolifically for grassroots environmental
causes as Fatima Jibrell, whose work focuses on organizing With Rio+20 on the horizon, it is fitting to acknowledge
women and protecting diminishing natural resources in Somalia. Professor José Goldemberg, who was the acting Minister of
Ms. Jibrell is Executive Director of Horn Relief, which campaigned Environment for Brazil in 1992 during the seminal United
to reduce Somalia’s illicit and environmentally devastating Nations Conference on Environment and Development
charcoal trade. She is also the co-founder of the Sun Fire Cooking held in Rio Janeiro, Professor Goldemberg, a leading
organization, which has been has been instrumental in providing expert on energy end environmental issues, has authored
solar cookers and training to villagers in rural Somalia; and is many technical papers and books on nuclear physics,
the coordinator of the Resource Management Somali Network, the environment and energy, including the acclaimed
which includes environmental groups throughout the Horn of collaborative work entitled Energy for a Sustainable World.
Africa. Her many other accomplishments include reduction of He served as Chairman of the Editorial Board (1998-2000)
soil erosion through the promotion of rock dams, and speaking and a lead author of the United Nations Development
out against the degradation of the Somali marine environment. Programme’s World Energy Assessment. Professor
She won the 2002 Goldman Environment prize and the 2008 Goldemberg has held various ministerial positions with
National Geographic Society Buffett Award for Leadership in the Brazilian Government and is currently Secretary for
African Conservation. the Environment of the State of São Paulo, Brazil.
OUR PLANET CHEMICALS 29
“Every day, tonnes of
manufactured goods
and crops are loaded
Pollutants
Gwynne Lyons onto ships and planes
Director, CHEM
(Chemicals, Health and and taken across the
Environment Monitoring) Trust
globe. Indeed their
with passports
Everyone is contaminated with issue. They too get transported
components may be
made in different
parts of the world,
making it difficult to
chemicals. They arise from pollution long distances — in exported
of food and, increasingly in consumer products. Every day, tonnes of know what all the
products, from which they can manufactured goods and crops are
be inhaled, absorbed through the loaded onto ships and planes and constituent chemicals in
skin, or ingested via hand to mouth taken across the globe. Indeed
contact. Food is the main source their components may be made in products may be.”
of many contaminants, including different parts of the world, making
industrial chemicals that have built it difficult to know what all the names, because they were decorated
up in the food chain, pesticides and constituent chemicals in products with paint containing lead, a
those leaching from packaging. may be. neurotoxicant. Lead in children’s
jewellery and novelty drinking
The ability of some contaminants to There is, rightly, concern about glasses has also resulted in costly
build up in fat and bio-accumulate the potential long-term health product recalls and such incidents
up the food-chain means that high effects of cumulative exposure to a indelibly tarnish the reputations of
concentrations have been found in plethora of chemicals, especially as companies and brand names.
some foods considered beneficial babies in the womb are particularly
for health, including oily fish and vulnerable. There may be less
cod-liver oil. Breast milk is also awareness in developing countries
contaminated, although mothers than in developed ones, but
should be reassured that it remains hopefully, action taken to safeguard
healthier than bottle feeding. consumers will also protect the
health of workers and families in
Thankfully, some progress is being the countries where products and
made in reducing the contamination their components originate.
of the food-chain. The Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Unsafe consumer products can have
Pollutants is slowly addressing tragic consequences, but companies
persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic have an interest in safety as recalls
chemicals that travel on air and ocean are immensely costly, involving
currents, building up in the food web setting up systems to take back
far from their place of release. Klaus products and refund customers,
Toepfer, UNEP’s former Executive damage to the company’s
Director, called these pollutants reputation, the potential for large
‘travellers without passports’ fines for breaching safety standards
and the costs of possible court
Contaminants that travel ‘with cases and compensating customers.
passports’, that is those that are used Recent examples include the recall
in the formulation of some consumer by a well-known toy company of
products, are also a growing safety plastic toys, sold under major brand
© Charles Gullung/Corbis
50
Percentage cut in current extinction rate; the
“Things look pretty bleak for the polar bear, if current trends continue.” target of the 2010 Nagoya Protocol
— New York Times
Anote Tong, Kiribati President, about the vulnerability of his low-lying country to a 30
rise in ocean levels. Percentage of illnesses attributed to the
environment in the African continent
“In some parts of the island you throw a stone and you actually hit the — Angola Press (Luanda)
other side of the island, so there is no inland.”
1 to 10
Greenpeace, in a statement after the Nagoya Protocol agreement. The targeted percentage increase in area of
protected oceans by 2020 under the
“Alarm bells have been ringing for decades, and developed nations have new Nagoya Protocol — Guardian
been hitting the snooze button by delaying both action on and funding for
environmental protection.” 2,000,000,000
Dollars pledged by Japan for biodiversity
Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, speaking at the 2010 UN conference on conservation in association with the
biodiversity.
Nagoya Protocol — Guardian
Environmental Agreements
www.unep.org
The Stockholm Convention
Harmful Substances and Hazardous Waste www.pops.int/
www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/ The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the
Harmful substances and hazardous waste is one of UNEP’s six priority thematic environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
areas of work, promoting international activities related to the sound management
of chemicals, chemical safety and providing countries with access to information The Basel Convention
on toxic chemicals. www.basel.int/
The Basel Convention is a global treaty for environmentally sound management
UNEP Chemicals Branch (ESM). Its aim is to protect human health and the environment by minimizing
www.chem.unep.ch/ hazardous waste production whenever possible.
UNEP Chemicals works to protect humans and the environment from adverse
effects caused by chemicals throughout their lifecycle, and hazardous waste. It The Rotterdam Convention
is the focal point of UNEP activities on chemicals issues and the main catalytic www.pic.int/
force in the UN system for concerted global action on the environmentally- The Rotterdam Convention made it legally binding for exporters to obtain the
sound management of hazardous chemicals. prior informed consent (PIC) of importers before proceeding with the trade of
hazardous substances.
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)
www.saicm.org/
SAICM is a policy framework to foster the sound management of chemicals. It
supports the achievement of the goal agreed at the 2002 Johannesburg World Multilateral Organizations
Summit on Sustainable Development of ensuring that, by the year 2020, chemicals
are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on the Inter-organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC)
environment and human health. www.who.int/iomc/index.html
Chemical Information Exchange Network The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS)
http://jp1.estis.net/communities/cien/ www.who.int/pcs/index.htm
This a network that helps communication and collaboration among various
stakeholders responsible for the environmentally sound management of
chemicals, and a framework that helps access to and exchange of chemical Chemical Forums
information that supports national decision-making and the implementation of
multi-lateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Information Exchange Network on Capacity Building for the Sound Management
of Chemicals (INFOCAP)
Reducing Risk from Mercury www.who.int/ifcs/infocap/index.htm
www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/tabid/434/Default.aspx
This site has information on UNEP’s Mercury Programme, which has been working International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement
to address mercury issues since 2003. (INECE) Forums
www.inece.org/forums.html
The Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from
Land-Based Activities (GPA) Occupational and Environmental Medicine Internet- Mail List
www.gpa.unep.org/ http://dmi-www.mc.duke.edu/oem/occ-env-.htm
OUR PLANET CHEMICALS 33
“There
have b
een tox
before ic chem
, but n icals
ever h
ave or
dinary
people been exposed to
such
E D
BEGLEY
34 OUR PLANET CHEMICALS
Don’t tell Kermit the frog, He says: “I decided to make a As a post-war ‘baby boomer’, he
but it’s quite easy being difference in every part of my points out, he is a member of “the
green in Hollywood these life. Forty-one years on, it’s still first generation to live life in a sea of
days: stars vie with each working.” He powers his home chemistry that is new to our bodies.
other to establish their with solar energy and owns There have been toxic chemicals
environmental credentials. a windmill in the desert that before, but never have ordinary
But Ed Begley started living produces more energy than people been exposed to such a
sustainably and campaigning he needs, making him “carbon combination of so many of them for
for change decades before it negative”. He even provides so much of the time.
became fashionable. the electricity to make his toast
each morning by riding an “Suddenly we were getting exposed
Best known for playing the exercise bicycle (15 minutes to perchloroethylene a lot because
intern, Dr Victor Ehrlich, pedalling per serving). He we are doing more dry-cleaning,
in the television series, St harvests rainwater and recycles we’re sleeping on polyurethane
Elsewhere –for which he was grey water from his home, and mattresses, we’re pumping gas with
nominated for an Emmy in has established a drought- benzene and ethylene dibromide in it,
six successive years – he has tolerant garden of native and we are eating food contaminated
been a committed activist for Californian plants. with pesticides and herbicides. So
over four decades. “I started in many young people are getting
1970 after 20 years of living in A vegetarian, he bicycles and cancer. That did not happen when
smoggy Los Angeles” he told uses public transport whenever I was young.”
Our Planet. “That year the first possible, and drives an electric
Earth Day came along and said car when it isn’t. He recycles so The most comprehensive study ever
‘We gotta clean up the smog’. much, that years he ago cut his undertaken into human exposure
It was like ‘Hell, yeah’”. trash down to “about a glove to chemicals — which examined
compartment’s worth a week.” 2,400 people in the United States —
His father – the son of Irish Now that he’s married and has found more than 200 chemicals in
immigrants – had died a few a child it has inevitably grown, their bodies, he adds. Among them
days previously and Begley but only to about three times were some of “the most dangerous
also wanted “to do something that modest amount. known to life on the planet: dioxins,
to honour him. He never used mercury, DDT and a host of other
the word ‘environmentalist’ He has also tried to avoid toxic pollutants that travel far and
but he was one. He turned off using toxic chemicals since the bury deep in our bodies”. As part of
the lights, turned off the water, 1970s and now participates in the Safe Planet Campaign he has
saved string and tinfoil”. UNEP’s Safe Planet Campaign given some of his own blood to be
for responsibility on hazardous analysed for its chemical content, and
chemicals and waste, because promises to make the results public.
he is worried about “the vast
amount of toxic chemistry that He stresses that he is “not a
we all come into contact with chemophobe”, emphasizing that
every day”. many chemicals have brought great
JNR.
benefits .But he says people should
“have the opportunity to make a
non-toxic choice”. The need is “to
begin to get rid of the chemicals we
do not need and to move towards
a less toxic environment. We can
stop hazardous chemicals and
wastes flowing into our lives with
awareness and action. These harmful
substances do not belong in us”.