One planet: one health. A call to support the initiative on a global science-policy body on chemicals and waste

• Authors: BRACK Werner; CULLERES Damia Barcelo; BOXALL Alistair B. A.; BUDZINSKI Helene; CASTIGLIONI Sara; COVACI Adrian; DULIO Valeria; ESCHER Beate I.; FANTKE Peter; KANDIE Faith; FATTA-KASSINOS Despo; HERNANDEZ Felix J.; HILSCHEROVÁ Klára; HOLLENDER Juliane; HOLLERT Henner; JAHNKE Annika; KASPRZYK-HORDERN Barbara; KHAN Stuart J.; KORTENKAMP Andreas; KUEMMERER Klaus; LALONDE Brice; LAMOREE Marja H.; LEVI Yves; LARA MARTIN Pablo Antonio; MONTAGNER Cassiana C.; MOUGIN Christian; MSAGATI Titus; OEHLMANN Joerg; POSTHUMA Leo; REID Malcolm; REINHARD Martin; RICHARDSON Susan D.; ROSTKOWSKI Pawel; SCHYMANSKI Emma; SCHNEIDER Flurina; SLOBODNÍK Jaroslav; SHIBATA Yasuyuki; SNYDER Shane Allen; FABRIZ Sodre Fernando; TEODOROVIC Ivana; THOMAS Kevin V.; UMBUZEIRO Gisela A.; VIET Pham Hung; YEW-HOONG Karina Gin; ZHANG Xiaowei; ZUCCATO Ettore
• Year of publication: 2022
• Type: Article in Periodical
• Magazine / Source: Environmental Sciences Europe
• MU Faculty or unit: Faculty of Science
• Web: https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-022-00602-6
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12302-022-00602-6
• Keywords: Chemical pollution; Science-policy body on chemicals; Planetary boundaries; One-health perspective; Systems thinking

Attached files

• 1860665.pdf

• Description: The chemical pollution crisis severely threatens human and environmental health globally. To tackle this challenge the establishment of an overarching international science-policy body has recently been suggested. We strongly support this initiative based on the awareness that humanity has already likely left the safe operating space within planetary boundaries for novel entities including chemical pollution. Immediate action is essential and needs to be informed by sound scientific knowledge and data compiled and critically evaluated by an overarching science-policy interface body. Major challenges for such a body are (i) to foster global knowledge production on exposure, impacts and governance going beyond data-rich regions (e.g., Europe and North America), (ii) to cover the entirety of hazardous chemicals, mixtures and wastes, (iii) to follow a one-health perspective considering the risks posed by chemicals and waste on ecosystem and human health, and (iv) to strive for solution-oriented assessments based on systems thinking. Based on multiple evidence on urgent action on a global scale, we call scientists and practitioners to mobilize their scientific networks and to intensify science-policy interaction with national governments to support the negotiations on the establishment of an intergovernmental body based on scientific knowledge explaining the anticipated benefit for human and environmental health.