Monday, November 27, 2023 at 14-16h Central European
The 2023 General Assembly of the IPCP will once again take place remotely. All IPCP members are welcome to attend. read more
Geneva OEWG Policy Briefs
The third and final scheduled session of the ad hoc United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-3) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in in Geneva, Switzerland on June 17–21, 2024. Policy briefs and other documents prepared by the IPCP as inputs to the process are available on the IPCP publications page.
Geneva Briefings (OEWG-3 Day 5)
The third and final scheduled session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-3) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 17–21, 2024. IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. Policy briefs and other documents prepared by the IPCP as inputs to the process are available on the IPCP publications page. read more
Geneva Briefings (OEWG-3 Day 4)
The third and final scheduled session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-3) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 17–21, 2024. IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. Policy briefs and other documents prepared by the IPCP as inputs to the process are available on the IPCP publications page. read more
Geneva Briefings (OEWG-3 Day 3)
The third and final scheduled session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-3) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 17–21, 2024. IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. Policy briefs and other documents prepared by the IPCP as inputs to the process are available on the IPCP publications page. read more
Geneva Briefings (OEWG-3 Day 2)
The third and final scheduled session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-3) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 17–21, 2024. IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. Policy briefs and other documents prepared by the IPCP as inputs to the process are available on the IPCP publications page. read more
Geneva Briefings (OEWG-3 Day 1)
The third and final scheduled session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-3) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 17–21, 2024. IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. Policy briefs and other documents prepared by the IPCP as inputs to the process are available on the IPCP publications page. read more
Geneva Briefings (OEWG-3 Preparatory Meetings)
The third and final scheduled session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-3) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 17–21, 2024. IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. Policy briefs and other documents prepared by the IPCP as inputs to the process are available on the IPCP publications page. read more
Environmental Science & Technology Letters: Exploring Outputs of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution Prevention
A peer-reviewed article co-authored by a number of IPCP members and colleagues provides examples of assessments that the intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention being established under a mandate of the United Nations Environment Assembly could take on. The Panel is being established under a mandate of the United Nations Environment Assembly. read more
Virtual Workshop: Science and Capacity Building on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention
Miriam Diamond, the IPCP board vice chair, will be a speaker at an upcoming “Science and Capacity Building on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention” virtual workshop. The event is free and open to all registered participants. The workshop is co-sponsored by Norway’s Institute of Marine Research, Aarhus University, Denmark & AMAP, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA, European Horizon 2020 MERFISH Program, and in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). DATE: Tuesday, June 11, 2024TIME: 14:00-17:00 CESTREGISTRATION: https://hi.no/en/hi/about-us/events/science-and-capacity-building-on-chemicals-waste-and-pollution-prevention
Geneva Environment Network Webinar: Towards a Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution: An Overview
Miriam Diamond, the IPCP board vice chair, will be a speaker at an upcoming Geneva Environment Network webinar: Towards a Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution: An Overview. Featured speakers will present on their participation at different stages in this process, with the aim of informing Member States, non-government stakeholders, and other interested parties as they prepare for the third session of the open-ended working group taking place in read more
IPCP Webinar: Setting the Stage for the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals and Waste
The April 4th webinar is intended to provide input for the upcoming 3rd and last scheduled meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group for establishing a science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste and pollution prevention, which will take place in Geneva, June 17-21, 2024. read more
IPCP Board Member Elections (2024-2027)
The International Panel on Chemical Pollution Election Committee (IPCP-EC), composed of Robert Letcher and Anna Soehl, coordinated the IPCP board elections for a 4-year term: 2024-2027. The following board members have been reelected to serve another term: Miriam Diamond, Rainer Lohmann, and Andreas Schaeffer. Additionally four new board members have been elected: Michael Bertram, Alex Ford, Gabriel Sigmund, and Maria Clara Starling. IPCP is looking forward to working under the leadership of the current board.
IPCP Activities Update | December 2023
Here are brief summaries of some of key IPCP efforts that the board has been involved in. read more
Nairobi Briefings (OEWG-2 Official Session 5)
The second session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-2) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 11 to December 15, 2023. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. read more
Nairobi Briefings (OEWG-2 Official Session 4)
The second session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-2) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 11 to December 15, 2023. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. read more
Nairobi Briefings (OEWG-2 Official Session 3)
The second session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-2) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 11 to December 15, 2023. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. read more
Nairobi Briefings (OEWG-2 Official Session 2)
The second session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-2) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 11 to December 15, 2023. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. Photo by IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou. read more
Nairobi Briefings (OEWG-2 Official Session 1)
The second session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-2) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 11 to December 15, 2023. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. read more
Nairobi Briefings (OEWG-2 Preparatory Meeting 2)
The second session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-2) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 11 to December 15, 2023. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. read more
Nairobi Briefings (OEWG-2 Preparatory Meeting 1)
The second session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-2) on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 11 to December 15, 2023. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily summaries. Photo by IISD/ENB | Tallash Kantai. read more
Environmental Science & Technology Feature Paper: Scientists Flag Conflicts of Interest Ahead of UN Plastic and Chemical Talks
PRESS RELEASE An international group of 35 scientists is calling out conflicts of interest plaguing global plastic treaty negotiations and that have interfered with timely action on other health and environmental issues. They urge the implementation of strict guidelines to prevent the same problems from affecting the UN’s upcoming Science Policy Panel on chemicals. Their concerns and recommendations are outlined in a Feature paper in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. “From Big Tobacco to Big Oil, powerful industries use read more
Bonn Briefing (ICCM5 Meeting)
The Fifth Meeting of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) for the negotiations of the future of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) took place in Bonn, Germany from 25–29 September 2023. IPCP members were in attendance and provided their recaps. read more
Call for Abstracts: SETAC Seville Session
6.14 | Science for Global Management of ChemicalsChairs: Penny Vlahos, Lena Vierke, Miriam Diamond, and Marlene Ågerstrand The United Nations has identified chemical pollution as one of the three drivers threatening humanity’s future, the other two being the loss of biodiversity and climate change. For some years, concerns about chemical pollution have resulted in actions addressing specific substances or groups of substances. On the global level, these are, for example, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. However, a comprehensive global read more
General Assembly 2023
Monday, November 27, 2023 at 14-16h Central European
The 2023 General Assembly of the IPCP will once again take place remotely. All IPCP members are welcome to attend. read more
Science Editorial: Innovate beyond PFAS
Dr. Martin Scheringer, the IPCP Chair, was recently invited to write an editorial for Science. In his article, Dr. Scheringer calls on “chemists, material scientists, product designers, and process engineers, but also downstream users of chemicals in many sectors who have to define product requirements” to innovate beyond PFAS. read more
CBS News Podcast: Forever chemicals are in Canadians’ air, water and blood
Dr. Miriam Diamond, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment and IPCP Vice Chair, talks on CBS News Front Burner podcast about why PFAS or “forever chemicals are seemingly everywhere, what can be done about them, and why it’s taken so long for the government to act”. read more
Nature Ecology & Evolution: Better integration of chemical pollution research will further our understanding of biodiversity loss
A peer-reviewed article published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution and co-authored by a number of IPCP members and colleagues calls for the need for a stronger interdisciplinary research focus on the impacts of chemical pollution on biodiversity loss. The authors point out the importance of obligating chemical industry to make relevant data public and developing ecological test models that cover not only individual organisms but also populations, communities, and entire ecosystems.Press release: https://idw-online.de/de/news816916Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-02117-6
Paris Briefings (INC-2 Meeting): Briefing Two
The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) on plastic pollution took place in Paris, France, from 29 May – 2 June 2023. IPCP members were in attendance and provided their recaps. read more
Paris Briefings (INC-2 Meeting)
The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) on plastic pollution took place in Paris, France, from 29 May – 2 June 2023. IPCP members were in attendance and provided their recaps. read more
IPCP Activities Update | May 2023
Here are brief summaries of some of key IPCP efforts that the board has been involved in. read more
IPCP Webinar Series: POPs in plastic and monitoring approaches
The IPCP hosted a series of webinars, for a UNEP project, on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and POP candidates in plastics. Part I of this webinar series provided an overview on relevant POP groups (and other chemicals of concern) in plastics and some insights into related human exposure and environmental pollution including biota. Part II introduced screening and sampling strategies of plastic categories potentially containing POPs, such as plastics in electronics and vehicles or recycled pellets. Part III introduced extraction read more
Global Change Biology Opinion: Addressing chemical pollution in biodiversity research
A new paper in Global Change Biology by IPCP members and colleagues reviews the complex impacts of chemical pollution on biodiversity loss. The authors also emphasize that, to facilitate effective solutions for comprehensive environmental protection, chemical pollution, as a significant factor contributing to worldwide biodiversity loss, should be more systematically incorporated into biodiversity research. A wider collaboration among ecologists, ecotoxicologists, and environmental chemists, is urgently needed.
IPCP Bangkok Briefings (Day Five: OEWG-1.2 Meeting)
The first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG-1.2) is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30th of January to 3rd of February 2023 with a focus on the Panel’s scope and principal functions. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily recaps. read more
IPCP Bangkok Briefings (Day Four: OEWG-1.2 Meeting)
The first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG-1.2) is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30th of January to 3rd of February 2023 with a focus on the Panel’s scope and principal functions. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily recaps. read more
IPCP Bangkok Briefings (Day Three: OEWG-1.2 Meeting)
The first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG-1.2) is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30th of January to 3rd of February 2023 with a focus on the Panel’s scope and principal functions. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily recaps. read more
IPCP Bangkok Briefings (Day Two: OEWG-1.2 Meeting)
The first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG-1.2) is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30th of January to 3rd of February 2023 with a focus on the Panel’s scope and principal functions. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily recaps. read more
IPCP Bangkok Briefings (Day One: OEWG-1.2 Meeting)
The first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG-1.2) is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30th of January to 3rd of February 2023 with a focus on the Panel’s scope and principal functions. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily recaps. read more
ES&T Viewpoint: Key Principles for the Intergovernmental Science–Policy Panel on Chemicals and Waste
This ES&T viewpoint, prepared by a group of international scientists working on chemical pollution, highlights 10 critical aspects for consideration in determining the settings of the global panel for chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention. The first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG-1.2) is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30th of January to 3rd of February 2023 with a focus on the Panel’s scope and principal functions. read more
IPCP Bangkok Briefings
The first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG-1.2) is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30th of January to 3rd of February 2023 with a focus on the Panel’s scope and principal functions. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily recaps. read more
Engagement of Independent Scientists in the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG 1.2)
At a recent Geneva Environment Network event, Dr. Martin Scheringer, IPCP Chair, provided an overview of how academic scientist can engage in the ad hoc open-ended working group on the global science-policy panel on chemicals and waste (OEWG 1.2) and what IPCP is doing to help the voices of academic scientists be represented in this process. Dr. Scheringer’s talk starts at 1h 17m 44s of the video recording.
Webinar: Unwrapping Conflict of Interest in Chemicals and Waste Governance
In the webinar organized by the IPCP on 26 January 2023 the issue of conflicts of interest and corporate manipulation and suppression of scientific evidence was addressed and presented to a wide audience of over 400 participants by five renowned experts who have been working on this issue for many years. read more
An opportunity to provide input: UNEP questionnaire on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel
The IPCP Board would like to bring to your attention that UNEP has started the work to develop the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution. To facilitate this process, UNEP Secretariat recently issued a survey (click on the “Questionnaire” tab). Our main concern is that independent scientists do not have a clear “entry-point” into this process and that multi-sector associations do not represent the voice of independent academic read more
General Assembly 2022
DATE: Wednesday, December 7, 2022TIME: 14-16h Central EuropeanDue to the global pandemic travel restrictions, the 2022 General Assembly of the IPCP will once again take place remotely. All IPCP members are welcome to attend.
We Are Part of a Global Chemical Experiment
Alexandra Martins | BBC News World13 October 2022 Read a recent interview with Joan O. Grimalt, an IPCP Board Member (in Spanish | auto-translation to English)
UNEP Webinar Series: Lessons Learned for the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Prevention of Pollution
Source: UNEP webinar page The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) hosted a series of webinars to introduce the new science-policy panel on chemicals, waste and prevention of pollution and the processes of the associated ad hoc open-ended working group (OEWG). The second webinar held on October 5 focused on lessons and examples from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the International Resource Panel (IRP), the Montreal Protocol, and the read more
IPCP Activities Update | October 2022
Here are brief summaries of some of key IPCP efforts that the board has been involved in. read more
California Continues to Ban PFAS
In September 2022, the Governor of California signed a bill (AB 1817/Ting), which by 2025 bans the use of PFAS in fabrics. “PFAS are commonly added to clothing and household items to make them water or stain resistant. AB 1817 builds upon legislation already enacted in California, including the phasing out of PFAS in paper-based food wrappers (AB 1200/Ting), children’s products (AB 652/Friedman) and firefighting foam (AB 1044/Allen).” AB 1817 is expected to result in the phase out of the read more
New Global Biodiversity Framework Falls Short on Chemicals
[English: Univ. of Toronto | [French: Univ. of Luxemburg | German: Univ. of Vienna, RWTH Aachen, Univ. of Luxemburg] Environmental scientists, ecologists, and policy experts argue in a letter published in Science that the proposed Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework—a new international agreement to protect biodiversity—fails to account for the totality of chemical pollutants that threaten the health of ecosystems worldwide. Their recommendations arrive ahead of Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework negotiations taking place from June 21 to 26, 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. read more
The IPCP Stands in Solidarity with Ukraine
The IPCP stands in support of Ukraine. Please consider helping Ukrainians as follows: Share opportunities available to Ukrainian students and researchers on the #ScienceForUkraine website: https://scienceforukraine.eu/help.html Donate directly to help Ukrainian people who cannot flee the war: https://gofund.me/42205682 If you have other ideas for how our global scientific community can help, please share those with us via email or social media.