Highlights of 8 May from 2023 BRS COPs
The approval of resolutions pertaining to technical assistance for developing countries under the Basel Convention commenced the day. More choices were made quickly to forward the development of policies for managing e-waste, lead-acid batteries, and other batteries, including lithium-ion batteries.
Discussions related to waste didn’t stop there. Delegates continued to work on the technical criteria for plastic trash throughout the day. The Co-Chair had earlier told the group in plenary that a “lack of flexibility” was impeding development. This pattern persisted throughout the document’s talks on extended producer responsibility and several other topics.
The Rotterdam Convention spent the day discussing listing of chemicals in the Convention. It is the core mechanism of the treaty. By listing a chemical under the Rotterdam Convention, a chemical becomes subject to its prior informed consent (PIC) procedure. This does not ban a chemical, but specifies that importing countries should have information about the chemical and the right to approve or deny the import.
The day focused on pesticides and herbicides, including terbufos, iprodione, carbosulfan, paraquat, and acetochlor.
