Global chemical production is growing rapidly, supporting the green and digital transitions but also creating risks for health and ecosystems. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, key policy measures foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability offer significant potential to ensure consumer safety, cut pollution and clean up material flows.
Chemicals play a key role across economic sectors in Europe and globally, including agriculture, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Almost all consumer goods contain chemicals to improve product functionality. At the same time, evidence suggests that chemical pollution has exceeded safe limits at global level. Our pervasive use and release of chemicals means that today, the bodies of European citizens are contaminated with a large number of chemicals — some at levels damaging to health. Europeans are also concerned about the negative impacts of chemicals on health and the environment.
According to the EEA briefing ‘Managing the systemic use of chemicals in Europe’, the increasing production and consumption of chemicals creates challenges at global scale, ranging from negative impacts on people’s health and pollution of our environment to reinforcing our dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence suggests that we have now exceeded the planetary boundary for chemical pollution. Chemicals in products also present a barrier to re-use or recycling, hampering resource efficiency and the transition to circular economy.
The EEA briefing highlights the importance of delivering on key actions, foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability, to ensure safe products for citizens, keep ecosystems clean and healthy and support the transition to a circular economy.
These include:
Promoting chemicals that aresafe and sustainable by design, harnessing the innovative capacity of the chemical industry to provide technologies, materials and products that are non-toxic, low-carbon and fit for circularity;
Phasing out uses of harmful substances that are not essential. Harmful chemicals should be used only when they are necessary for health, safety or if critical for the functioning of society and if there are no acceptable alternatives; and
Managing the risks of chemicals in groups, rather than one-by-one, to expedite protection of citizens and the environment.
The European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability is part of the European Green Deal aiming to better protect citizens and the environment and to boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals in Europe.
Global chemical production is growing rapidly, supporting the green and digital transitions but also creating risks for health and ecosystems. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, key policy measures foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability offer significant potential to ensure consumer safety, cut pollution and clean up material flows.
Chemicals play a key role across economic sectors in Europe and globally, including agriculture, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Almost all consumer goods contain chemicals to improve product functionality. At the same time, evidence suggests that chemical pollution has exceeded safe limits at global level. Our pervasive use and release of chemicals means that today, the bodies of European citizens are contaminated with a large number of chemicals — some at levels damaging to health. Europeans are also concerned about the negative impacts of chemicals on health and the environment.
According to the EEA briefing ‘Managing the systemic use of chemicals in Europe’, the increasing production and consumption of chemicals creates challenges at global scale, ranging from negative impacts on people’s health and pollution of our environment to reinforcing our dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence suggests that we have now exceeded the planetary boundary for chemical pollution. Chemicals in products also present a barrier to re-use or recycling, hampering resource efficiency and the transition to circular economy.
The EEA briefing highlights the importance of delivering on key actions, foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability, to ensure safe products for citizens, keep ecosystems clean and healthy and support the transition to a circular economy.
These include:
Promoting chemicals that aresafe and sustainable by design, harnessing the innovative capacity of the chemical industry to provide technologies, materials and products that are non-toxic, low-carbon and fit for circularity;
Phasing out uses of harmful substances that are not essential. Harmful chemicals should be used only when they are necessary for health, safety or if critical for the functioning of society and if there are no acceptable alternatives; and
Managing the risks of chemicals in groups, rather than one-by-one, to expedite protection of citizens and the environment.
The European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability is part of the European Green Deal aiming to better protect citizens and the environment and to boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals in Europe.
Global chemical production is growing rapidly, supporting the green and digital transitions but also creating risks for health and ecosystems. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, key policy measures foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability offer significant potential to ensure consumer safety, cut pollution and clean up material flows.
Chemicals play a key role across economic sectors in Europe and globally, including agriculture, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Almost all consumer goods contain chemicals to improve product functionality. At the same time, evidence suggests that chemical pollution has exceeded safe limits at global level. Our pervasive use and release of chemicals means that today, the bodies of European citizens are contaminated with a large number of chemicals — some at levels damaging to health. Europeans are also concerned about the negative impacts of chemicals on health and the environment.
According to the EEA briefing ‘Managing the systemic use of chemicals in Europe’, the increasing production and consumption of chemicals creates challenges at global scale, ranging from negative impacts on people’s health and pollution of our environment to reinforcing our dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence suggests that we have now exceeded the planetary boundary for chemical pollution. Chemicals in products also present a barrier to re-use or recycling, hampering resource efficiency and the transition to circular economy.
The EEA briefing highlights the importance of delivering on key actions, foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability, to ensure safe products for citizens, keep ecosystems clean and healthy and support the transition to a circular economy.
These include:
Promoting chemicals that aresafe and sustainable by design, harnessing the innovative capacity of the chemical industry to provide technologies, materials and products that are non-toxic, low-carbon and fit for circularity;
Phasing out uses of harmful substances that are not essential. Harmful chemicals should be used only when they are necessary for health, safety or if critical for the functioning of society and if there are no acceptable alternatives; and
Managing the risks of chemicals in groups, rather than one-by-one, to expedite protection of citizens and the environment.
The European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability is part of the European Green Deal aiming to better protect citizens and the environment and to boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals in Europe.
Global chemical production is growing rapidly, supporting the green and digital transitions but also creating risks for health and ecosystems. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, key policy measures foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability offer significant potential to ensure consumer safety, cut pollution and clean up material flows.
Chemicals play a key role across economic sectors in Europe and globally, including agriculture, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Almost all consumer goods contain chemicals to improve product functionality. At the same time, evidence suggests that chemical pollution has exceeded safe limits at global level. Our pervasive use and release of chemicals means that today, the bodies of European citizens are contaminated with a large number of chemicals — some at levels damaging to health. Europeans are also concerned about the negative impacts of chemicals on health and the environment.
According to the EEA briefing ‘Managing the systemic use of chemicals in Europe’, the increasing production and consumption of chemicals creates challenges at global scale, ranging from negative impacts on people’s health and pollution of our environment to reinforcing our dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence suggests that we have now exceeded the planetary boundary for chemical pollution. Chemicals in products also present a barrier to re-use or recycling, hampering resource efficiency and the transition to circular economy.
The EEA briefing highlights the importance of delivering on key actions, foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability, to ensure safe products for citizens, keep ecosystems clean and healthy and support the transition to a circular economy.
These include:
Promoting chemicals that aresafe and sustainable by design, harnessing the innovative capacity of the chemical industry to provide technologies, materials and products that are non-toxic, low-carbon and fit for circularity;
Phasing out uses of harmful substances that are not essential. Harmful chemicals should be used only when they are necessary for health, safety or if critical for the functioning of society and if there are no acceptable alternatives; and
Managing the risks of chemicals in groups, rather than one-by-one, to expedite protection of citizens and the environment.
The European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability is part of the European Green Deal aiming to better protect citizens and the environment and to boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals in Europe.
Global chemical production is growing rapidly, supporting the green and digital transitions but also creating risks for health and ecosystems. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, key policy measures foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability offer significant potential to ensure consumer safety, cut pollution and clean up material flows.
Chemicals play a key role across economic sectors in Europe and globally, including agriculture, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Almost all consumer goods contain chemicals to improve product functionality. At the same time, evidence suggests that chemical pollution has exceeded safe limits at global level. Our pervasive use and release of chemicals means that today, the bodies of European citizens are contaminated with a large number of chemicals — some at levels damaging to health. Europeans are also concerned about the negative impacts of chemicals on health and the environment.
According to the EEA briefing ‘Managing the systemic use of chemicals in Europe’, the increasing production and consumption of chemicals creates challenges at global scale, ranging from negative impacts on people’s health and pollution of our environment to reinforcing our dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence suggests that we have now exceeded the planetary boundary for chemical pollution. Chemicals in products also present a barrier to re-use or recycling, hampering resource efficiency and the transition to circular economy.
The EEA briefing highlights the importance of delivering on key actions, foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability, to ensure safe products for citizens, keep ecosystems clean and healthy and support the transition to a circular economy.
These include:
Promoting chemicals that aresafe and sustainable by design, harnessing the innovative capacity of the chemical industry to provide technologies, materials and products that are non-toxic, low-carbon and fit for circularity;
Phasing out uses of harmful substances that are not essential. Harmful chemicals should be used only when they are necessary for health, safety or if critical for the functioning of society and if there are no acceptable alternatives; and
Managing the risks of chemicals in groups, rather than one-by-one, to expedite protection of citizens and the environment.
The European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability is part of the European Green Deal aiming to better protect citizens and the environment and to boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals in Europe.
Global chemical production is growing rapidly, supporting the green and digital transitions but also creating risks for health and ecosystems. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, key policy measures foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability offer significant potential to ensure consumer safety, cut pollution and clean up material flows.
Chemicals play a key role across economic sectors in Europe and globally, including agriculture, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Almost all consumer goods contain chemicals to improve product functionality. At the same time, evidence suggests that chemical pollution has exceeded safe limits at global level. Our pervasive use and release of chemicals means that today, the bodies of European citizens are contaminated with a large number of chemicals — some at levels damaging to health. Europeans are also concerned about the negative impacts of chemicals on health and the environment.
According to the EEA briefing ‘Managing the systemic use of chemicals in Europe’, the increasing production and consumption of chemicals creates challenges at global scale, ranging from negative impacts on people’s health and pollution of our environment to reinforcing our dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence suggests that we have now exceeded the planetary boundary for chemical pollution. Chemicals in products also present a barrier to re-use or recycling, hampering resource efficiency and the transition to circular economy.
The EEA briefing highlights the importance of delivering on key actions, foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability, to ensure safe products for citizens, keep ecosystems clean and healthy and support the transition to a circular economy.
These include:
Promoting chemicals that aresafe and sustainable by design, harnessing the innovative capacity of the chemical industry to provide technologies, materials and products that are non-toxic, low-carbon and fit for circularity;
Phasing out uses of harmful substances that are not essential. Harmful chemicals should be used only when they are necessary for health, safety or if critical for the functioning of society and if there are no acceptable alternatives; and
Managing the risks of chemicals in groups, rather than one-by-one, to expedite protection of citizens and the environment.
The European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability is part of the European Green Deal aiming to better protect citizens and the environment and to boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals in Europe.
Global chemical production is growing rapidly, supporting the green and digital transitions but also creating risks for health and ecosystems. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, key policy measures foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability offer significant potential to ensure consumer safety, cut pollution and clean up material flows.
Chemicals play a key role across economic sectors in Europe and globally, including agriculture, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Almost all consumer goods contain chemicals to improve product functionality. At the same time, evidence suggests that chemical pollution has exceeded safe limits at global level. Our pervasive use and release of chemicals means that today, the bodies of European citizens are contaminated with a large number of chemicals — some at levels damaging to health. Europeans are also concerned about the negative impacts of chemicals on health and the environment.
According to the EEA briefing ‘Managing the systemic use of chemicals in Europe’, the increasing production and consumption of chemicals creates challenges at global scale, ranging from negative impacts on people’s health and pollution of our environment to reinforcing our dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence suggests that we have now exceeded the planetary boundary for chemical pollution. Chemicals in products also present a barrier to re-use or recycling, hampering resource efficiency and the transition to circular economy.
The EEA briefing highlights the importance of delivering on key actions, foreseen in the European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability, to ensure safe products for citizens, keep ecosystems clean and healthy and support the transition to a circular economy.
These include:
Promoting chemicals that aresafe and sustainable by design, harnessing the innovative capacity of the chemical industry to provide technologies, materials and products that are non-toxic, low-carbon and fit for circularity;
Phasing out uses of harmful substances that are not essential. Harmful chemicals should be used only when they are necessary for health, safety or if critical for the functioning of society and if there are no acceptable alternatives; and
Managing the risks of chemicals in groups, rather than one-by-one, to expedite protection of citizens and the environment.
The European Commission’s chemicals strategy for sustainability is part of the European Green Deal aiming to better protect citizens and the environment and to boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals in Europe.
Parliament’s Environment Committee agrees to an ambitious reduction of fluorinated greenhouse gases emissions, to further contribute to EU’s climate neutrality goal.
To accelerate innovation in, and the development of, more climate-friendly solutions and to provide certainty for consumers and investors, MEPs want to strengthen new requirements proposed by the Commission that prohibit the placing on the single market of products containing F-gases (Annex IV). The text also adds prohibitions on the use of F-gases for sectors where it is technologically and economically feasible to switch to alternatives that do not use F-gases, such as refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pumps and electrical switchgear.
Accelerate the transition to climate neutrality
The report introduces a steeper trajectory from 2039 onwards to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) placed on the EU market, with the goal of a zero HFC target by 2050 (Annex VII). Phasing out HFC production and consumption in the EU would align these updated rules with the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goal.
According to MEPs, the Commission should closely monitor market developments in key sectors such as heat pumps and semiconductors. For heat pumps, the Commission needs to ensure that the HFC phase-down would not endanger the RePowerEU heat pump deployment targets as the industry has to work towards replacing HFCs with natural alternatives.
Enhance enforcement to prevent illegal trade
MEPs propose more action on illegal trade in these gases by proposing minimum administrative fines for non-compliance. They also want customs authorities to seize and confiscate F-gases imported or exported in violation of the rules, in line with the environmental crime directive.
Quote
Rapporteur Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, NL) said: “F-gases are not well known, but have major implications for our climate, as they are very powerful greenhouse gases. In most instances, natural alternatives are readily available. That’s why we voted for an ambitious position to fully phase out F-gases by 2050 and in most sectors already by the end of this decade. We are providing clarity to the market and a signal to invest in alternatives. Many European companies are already at the forefront of this development and will benefit from it, because of their market position and export opportunities.”
Next steps
The report is scheduled to be adopted during the 29-30 March 2023 plenary sitting and will constitute Parliament’s negotiating position with EU governments on the final shape of the legislation.
Background
Fluorinated greenhouse gases, which include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride, are man-made greenhouse gases (GHG) with high global warming potential. They are used in common appliances such as refrigerators, air-conditioning, heat pumps, fire protection, foams and aerosols. They are covered by the Paris Agreement together with CO2, methane and nitrous oxide and account for around 2,5% of EU’s GHG emissions.
Tibetan activists from Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), National Democratic Party of Tibet (NDPT) and Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) staged a protest at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi against Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s visit to India on Thursday. Mr. Qin will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on March 2 at the invitation of India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, a statement from the Foreign Ministry read. This will be Qin’s first visit to India after he succeeded foreign minister and State Councillor, Wang Yi in December last year.
The protesters shouted slogans, “Qin Gang Go Back!” and “G20 Protect Tibetan Children”. police detained the protestors, but were later released. The activists condemned the Chinese Communist Party’s policy of sinicization that enforced nearly 1.2 million Tibetan children in colonial boarding schools in occupied Tibet by separating them from their families at the age of just four or five. The rights group also called out G20 leaders around the world to protect the millions of Tibetan children forced into these colonial boarding schools and are stripped of their identity to learn Mandarin and the Chinese way of life.
Meanwhile, banners and posters calling out Mr. Qin and G20 leaders have been torn and taken down around the Indian capital, to which Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) responded by saying, “this shows the insecurity level of CCP China and also the suppression of freedom of speech of Tibetans in a free country,” on their social media handle. “China should be held accountable for all the atrocities and human rights violations in Tibet and other occupied countries,” they added.
Mr. Qin’s visit to the G20 meeting marks the first high-level leadership visit from China to India since March 2022. Since early 2022, bilateral exchange between the two sides was stalled following tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and China’s mobilisation of troops at the friction areas.
Tibetan activist protesting Qin Gang’s India’s visit at the Chinese embassy in New Delhi (Photo/SFT)
Mr. Secretary-General, High Commissioner Turk, President Bálek, fellow members of the United Nations Human Rights Council: we are marking 75 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
At its heart is a simple, yet revolutionary, idea: human rights are universal. Or, as the drafters of the Declaration put it, human rights belong to, “all members of the human family.” And these rights are indivisible, interdependent, and co-equal.
These principles were not shaped by any one country, region, or ideology. They were discussed, debated, and meticulously drafted by experts from countries big and small…North and South…centuries-old and newly independent. Each delegate brought to the collective enterprise ideas and perspectives that helped define the Declaration.
Charles Malik, the delegate from Lebanon, argued that human rights must be defined in terms of the individual – not the nation… or any other group.
Representing China, P.C. Chang suggested the entire framework should be built, in his words, “with a view to elevating the concept of man’s dignity.” And dignity is the first principle in the first line of the Declaration.
Hansa Mehta of India – one of three women delegates, together with Pakistan’s Begum Ikramullah and America’s Eleanor Roosevelt – insisted that rights be framed as belonging to all people, not just men.
Indeed, the fact that the Declaration was forged and agreed upon by people representing nations with such diverse backgrounds, histories, and political systems is what gave it such unimpeachable legitimacy and moral force.
That’s still true today, even as some try to cast the Declaration’s definition of human rights as reflecting the view of one region or ideology… or argue that different countries can have different conceptions of human rights…or try to put the sovereignty of states ahead of the human rights of individuals.
It’s the responsibility of this Council – and every UN Member State – to uphold the Declaration’s universal vision…and defend the human rights of everyone, everywhere.
That includes protecting the human rights of our most vulnerable populations, a central tenet of the Vienna Declaration that we adopted 30 years ago. That’s why the United States partnered with countries from around the world to renew the mandate for the UN’s Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; and why we made a voluntary contribution to support the vital work of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent in countering anti-Black discrimination – the only country to do so.
Upholding the Declaration’s vision also means continuing to advance economic, social, and cultural rights. The United States is committed to enabling people around the world to enjoy these rights. We invest more than any other country in the capacity of fellow Member States to provide health care and food security for their populations. And last year, we joined 160 fellow Member States in supporting a resolution that affirms the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
Fulfilling the Declaration’s universal promise also means advancing human rights within our countries – something we have sought to do in the United States, especially over the past two years.
Since President Biden issued an open invitation in 2021 to all UN special procedures mandate holders, the United States has welcomed the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues and the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. And just a few weeks ago, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism made the first-ever visit by a UN mandate holder to the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
We do this because we believe transparency and openness are not a threat to our sovereignty, but a way to make our government better at advancing the rights, needs, and aspirations of the people we serve. We see our ability to accept critical feedback, and to strive, always, to address enduring injustices and inequities, as a sign of strength – not weakness.
Holding ourselves to the same standards as we do every other government is particularly important at a time when human rights around the world are under assault, perhaps nowhere more than in Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine.
This Council has played a crucial role in shining a spotlight on Moscow’s horrific and ongoing abuses, including through the creation of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. The COI’s first report in October concluded that Russia has committed war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law.
As long as Russia continues to wage its war, the COI should continue to document such abuses, providing an impartial record of what’s occurring, and a foundation for national and international efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
Governments that commit atrocities abroad are also likely to violate the rights of people at home – and that’s exactly what Russia is doing. The Russian government now holds more than 500 political prisoners. In January, it shuttered the Moscow Helsinki Group – one of the last human rights organizations still allowed to operate in the country. The government’s systematic muzzling of independent voices in Russian civil society makes the work of the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the country even more important.
The Iranian regime is also once again cracking down on citizens demanding their human rights and fundamental freedoms. Since the killing of Mahsa Amini in September brought Iranians of all ages out into the streets, the regime has killed at least 500 people, and imprisoned tens of thousands more, many of whom have been tortured, according to human rights groups. In November, the Council came together to create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate Iran’s human rights violations; we must ensure the team can do its work.
We condemn the Taliban’s draconian repression of women and girls in Afghanistan, including barring them from universities and secondary schools. The Taliban’s recent edict prohibiting Afghan women from working for NGOs has closed off yet another pathway that should be open to them. And in a country where 29 million people depend on humanitarian aid for survival, the Taliban’s decision will significantly reduce the amount of food, medicine, and other life-saving assistance reaching vulnerable people. Especially women and girls.
We remain gravely concerned about the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity that China is committing against Muslim Uyghurs and other members of minority groups in Xinjiang. The report issued last year by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights affirmed serious abuses perpetrated by the PRC in Xinjiang, including the large-scale arbitrary deprivation of liberty of members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim communities, and credible allegations of torture and sexual and gender-based violence.
Nearly a dozen years since launching its crackdown on Syrians demanding their human rights, the Assad regime continues to commit widespread abuses, which is why we urge Council members to renew the mandate of the country’s Commission of Inquiry, even as we surge humanitarian assistance to help those in Syria and Turkey impacted by the devastating earthquake.
On this Council, we have a responsibility to act in a way that’s true to the spirit of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, including treating every country equally. That’s why the United States continues to strongly oppose biased and disproportionate treatment of Israel, reflected in the Commission of Inquiry with no end date, and standing Agenda Item 7.
In the 75 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, there has rarely been a time when delivering on its commitments has been more urgent…or more consequential. To international peace and security. To development. To human dignity.
The vision the drafters set out 75 years ago is as clear today as it was then: All members of the human family are entitled to human rights. Let us continue to strive to make those words real – through the actions of the Human Rights Council, within our countries, and around the world.
