Stockholm Convention

Why in news?

• The 18th meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Review Committee (POPRC-18) to the Stockholm Convention is being held in Rome.

What is Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)?

• 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.
• The Stockholm Convention has listed 36 chemicals as of 2022.

About Stockholm Convention:

• It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It entered into force in 2004.
• As of 2021, there are 181 parties to the Stockholm Convention who have ratified it.
• It focuses on eliminating or reducing releases of POPs.
• It sets up a system for tackling additional chemicals identified as unacceptably hazardous.
• Global Environmental Facility (GEF) is the designated interim financial mechanism for the Stockholm Convention.
• UNIDO is also responsible for supporting developing countries and countries with economies in transition to implement the Stockholm Convention

Aim:

• Eliminate dangerous POPs, starting with the 12 worst (Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT etc.)
• Support the transition to safer alternatives
• Target additional POPs for action
• Cleanup old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs
• Work together for a POPs-free future

Three annexes under Stockholm Convention:

• There are three annexes under Stockholm Convention that define which POPs are eliminated, restricted and which unintentionally produced POPs will be reduced:
  • Annex A – Chemicals listed under this annexure are to be eliminated by the member states (Some exceptions are given.)
  • Annex B – Chemicals listed under this annexure are to be restricted for their use. (Some exceptions are given.)
  • Annex C – Unintentionally produced chemicals are to be reduced with measures for ultimate elimination under this annexure.

Ratification by India

• India had ratified the Stockholm Convention in 2006 as per Article 25(4), which enabled it to keep itself in a default "opt-out" position such that amendments in various Annexes of the convention cannot be enforced on it unless an instrument of ratification or accession is explicitly deposited with UN depositary.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had notified the 'Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules in 2018 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Key highlights of the recent meeting

• It has included five more chemicals in its agenda.
• The listed 5 chemicals include a pesticide, a flame retardant and some plastic stabilising substances.
• The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) proposal to list chlorpyrifos as POP was resisted by India. However, chlorpyrifos got nominated as persistent organic pollutants.

Add ons:

• India has been exempted from the ban of DDT and is allowed to produce and use DDT—but only for the control of vector-borne diseases (malaria control etc.)

PRACTICE QUESTION

With reference to ‘Stockholm Convention’, consider the following statements:

1. Global Environmental Facility (GEF) is the designated interim financial mechanism for the Stockholm Convention

2. India is allowed to produce and use DD for malaria control

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

                             C

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