Climate Change, catastrophic floods and POPs

The Secretariats of the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, through the Safe Planet Campaign, participated in the UN Climate Conference, in response to the specific relationship between climate change and the work of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants or POPs. This group of toxic chemicals share particularly hazardous properties and can be found virtually everywhere on our planet in measurable concentrations, including in our bodies.

The consequences of the warming of our earth and oceans are becoming clearer and more disturbing. Climate change increases the planet’s vulnerability to POPs, by increasing exposure and heightening toxic effects on humans and the environment.

The increasing frequency and severity of tropical cyclones and flood events place stockpiles containing thousands of metric tonnes of obsolete POPs pesticides and the low-lying agricultural communities where these chemicals are typically stored in harm’s way.

Climate change and POPs: Predicting the Impacts

Climate change increases the planet’s vulnerability to highly toxic chemicals, according to a global study released jointly by the Stockholm Secretariat and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) at the UNEP Governing Council today.

Climate Change Increases Planet’s Vulnerability to Persistent Organic Pollutants

UN study finds climate change increases exposure to POPs and heightens their toxic effects on humans and the environment.

Waste and Climate Change: Global Trends and Strategic Framework

At a global scale, the waste management sector is in a unique position to move from being a minor source of global emissions to becoming a major saver of emissions. The climate benefits of waste avoidance and recycling far outweigh the benefits from any waste treatment technology, yet waste prevention generally receives the least allocation of resources and effort. The informal waste sector makes a significant, but typically ignored, contribution to resource recovery and greenhouse gas savings in cities of developing nations.

Global Recycling Supply Chains and Waste Picking in Developing Countries

The growing demand for recyclable materials is creating the world’s largest recycling effort ever seen in history. These global supply chains constitute a new phenomenon in which several million waste pickers worldwide play a significant role. It has implications for industrialization, for greenhouse gas emissions, and for the reduction of poverty.