March 13, 2019

Why the world should pay more attention to the UN Environment Assembly

located:	USA, Kenya
editor:	Bob Koigi

The global chemical industry continues to dominate virtually every sphere of our lives now more than ever, with humanity’s reliance on the industry reaching unprecedented levels, a UN report dubbed Global Chemicals Outlook II has revealed.

The global industry – estimated to have exceeded $5 trillion in 2017 – will double in size by 2030, the report further notes in what could portend serious health and environmental risks. While chemicals continue to provide potent solutions to key threats such as tackling pests, the risks in using them continue to pose major threats to global populations.

The burden of disease from the industry was estimated to be 1.6 million lives in 2016 according to the World Health Organisation, a figure which has been said to be an underestimate. Add the devastating impacts in the disappearance of pollinators, which is having a toll on food production and the destruction of the coral reefs and it becomes easy to understand why the world is staring at a future catastrophe.

The UN report further notes that the global commitment to reduce adverse impacts of chemicals and waste will not be achieved by 2020. Although the world has solutions, matching them with action by both public and private sector players will determine how fast the situation can be rescued. It is encouraging to note that international legal instruments have been pivotal in taming the risks of certain chemicals and wastes. However, implementation still remains uneven and snail-paced.

Which is why the Fourth Session of the UN Environment Assembly, UNEA, currently underway in Nairobi Kenya, must walk the talk in matching policies with action and moving the conversation from the lofty confines of the United Nations to the grassroots where implementation needs to be expedited. The message of embracing innovation to tackle the twin problems of chemical and plastic waste and promoting robust and sustainable public-private partnerships should reverberate louder after the Assembly ends.

It is time to do things differently if we are to rescue the planet. To quote Siim Kiisler, the President of the fourth session of UNEA, “We know we can build more sustainable, prosperous and inclusive societies with sustainable consumption and production patterns that address our environmental challenges and leave no one behind."