The Effectiveness of Global Chemicals Treaties

Multiple global environmental agreements cover different steps in the life cycle of hazardous substances from their production to final disposal. Yet, chemicals, including many pesticides, continue to cause much harm to human health and the environment. One of the global chemicals treaties — the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade — provides a mechanism for information sharing and the tracking of exports and imports of listed harmful substances among its current 165 parties.

In a new journal article in Nature Sustainability, Henrik Selin evaluates a study documenting legal and illegal exports of chemical under the Rotterdam Convention, through trade-based data related to the operation and effectiveness of the Rotterdam Convention. This research found that, while overall trade volumes increased during 2004-2019, data show that trade was decreasing for over 70 percent of highly hazardous chemicals included in the study. However, Selin notes that this analysis cannot quantify this impact, as many factors external to the Rotterdam Convention, including the growing influence of private agricultural standards, can have contributed to this decline.

Selin underscores that analyses of international chemicals trade are hampered by data limitations, as governments report incomplete and/or incorrect export and import data to the Comtrade database. He writes that further research on why trade continues despite objections to import could help the Rotterdam Convention parties strengthen treaty implementation and further limit trade of hazardous or illegal chemicals.