Policy options to account for multiple chemical pollutants threatening biodiversity

Leonie K. Mueller; Marlene Ågerstrand; Thomas Backhaus; Miriam Diamond; Walter R. Erdelen; David Evers; Ksenia J. Groh; Martin Scheringer; Gabriel Sigmund; Zhanyun Wang; Andreas Schäffer

doi:10.1039/D2VA00257D

Policy options to account for multiple chemical pollutants threatening biodiversity

Leonie K. Mueller,

*^a Marlene Ågerstrand,

^b Thomas Backhaus,^c Miriam Diamond,

^d Walter R. Erdelen,^e David Evers,^f Ksenia J. Groh,

^g Martin Scheringer,

^hi Gabriel Sigmund,

^j Zhanyun Wang

^k and Andreas Schäffer

*^alm

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a RWTH Aachen University, Institute for Environmental Research, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
E-mail: leonie.nuesser@rwth-aachen.de, andreas.schaeffer@bio5.rwth-aachen.de

^b Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Sweden

^c Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

^d University of Toronto, Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada

^e Ostrhauderfehn, Lower Saxony, Germany

^f Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, Maine 04103, USA

^g Eawag – Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, CH8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland

^h ETH Zürich, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland

ⁱ RECETOX, Masaryk University, Kamenice 126/3, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic

^j Department of Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria

^k Empa–Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, CH-9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland

^l State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, 163 Xianling Road, 210023 Nanjing, China

^m Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Chongqing University, 174 Shazheng Street Shapingba, 400045 Chongqing, China

Abstract

Chemical pollution poses a threat to biodiversity on a global scale. This has been acknowledged in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which proposes to regulate the release of chemicals to the environment and names specific indicators focusing on pesticides, nutrients and plastic waste. We fully welcome the inclusion of these substances but would like to further emphasize that in order to protect biodiversity from hazardous chemicals, the scope of Target 7 should feature a wider range of pollutants that can contribute to biodiversity loss. We propose the inclusion of non-agricultural biocides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), toxic metal(loid)s, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Furthermore, data on emerging pollutants (e.g., rare earth elements, toxic and persistent industrial chemicals, liquid crystal monomers, pharmaceuticals, personal care products) need to be regularly reviewed with the aim to integrate additional pollutants to Target 7 in the case of biodiversity risk. We suggest to amend Target 7 to postulate the aim for the overall reduction of chemical production and emissions, as well as the addition of the aforementioned substance groups of high concern to biodiversity for integration in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. We further elaborate on different strategies for the reduction of emissions of hazardous chemicals through chemical simplification and grouping, reduction of chemicals with non-essential use, and innovative synthesis strategies (e.g., “benign-by-design”). In this context, the full life cycle of chemicals (i.e., production, use, and end of life) needs to be considered. Lastly, we propose to set up transparent data inventories, in cooperation with the industry, to inform about the production, transport and emissions of chemicals, which can serve as a basis for indicators related to monitoring the progress towards achieving the goals set under Target 7.

This article is part of the themed collections: Environmental Science Advances Recent Review Articles, Environmental Science: Advances – Editorial and Advisory Board Member Publications, Environmental Science: Advances: Highlight Europe, Ecotoxicology and environmental toxicology – Topic Highlight and World Earth Day

Environmental Science: Advances

Policy options to account for multiple chemical pollutants threatening biodiversity

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Policy options to account for multiple chemical pollutants threatening biodiversity

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