Statement, 16. July 2025

Milestone towards global environmental monitoring: Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution founded

Statement by Prof Dr Werner Brack, Environmental Chemist and Head of the UFZ's Research Unit "Chemicals in the Environment"

They still exist, the good news, even if they hardly find their way into the media anymore with all the global crises. Under the umbrella of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), the nations of the world declared war on chemical and plastic pollution at a meeting in Punta del Este (Uruguay) on 20 June 2025. In addition to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), an Intergovernmental Platform on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution was established. In addition to global climate change and the worldwide loss of biodiversity, it aims to get to grips with the third major global environmental crisis - environmental pollution. It is a major cause of species extinction worldwide (IPBES / Global Assessment 2019) and is also blamed for around 9 million premature deaths worldwide every year (as at 2018) and a large number of diseases. Many substances are extremely persistent, such as PFAS or plastic, and are almost impossible to remove from the environment and the food chains of which we humans are a part. Only decisive global action against further pollution can help here. International co-operation is therefore more important than ever.

The urgency of the problem has not only been recognised on the international stage. It is also a clear mandate for us scientists to use our research to advance solutions to the global pollution crisis. This has many aspects. While more and more data is available on environmental pollution in Europe and North America, the gaps in data and knowledge in many countries of the Global South are huge, despite dedicated scientists and experts on the ground and a public that is increasingly aware of the problems. Close cooperation with universities, research institutions, environmental agencies and non-governmental organisations in the Global South, the development of adapted technologies for environmental monitoring and the exchange of young researchers are key to this. At the same time, we at the UFZ will intensify our efforts to understand the processes that lead to pollution and to develop computational models that help to close data gaps and develop realistic predictions of pollution under changing conditions. An important question is what we can learn from the successes and failures of research, environmental monitoring and pollution prevention and reduction strategies in the Global North for the whole world. Chemical and plastic pollution is a global problem and must be tackled worldwide. We want to play a major role in this.

Further information:

UNEP press release, 20 June 2025: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/nations-come-together-establish-new-intergovernmental-science-policy

Werner Brack et.al: One Planet - one Health: A Call to Support the Initiative on a Global Science-Policy Body on Chemicals and Waste. Environmental Sciences Europe DOI: 10.1186/s12302-022-00602-6, https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-022-00602-6

Further information

Prof Dr Werner Brack
Head of the UFZ Research Unit "Chemicals in the Environment"
werner.brack@ufz.de

UFZ press office

Susanne Hufe
Phone: +49 341 6025-1630
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