Worldwide Emerging Environmental Issues Affecting the U.S. Military. December 2006 Report
Abstract
Electronic devices account for 20-50 million metric tons of waste per year around the world that introduce lead, cadmium, mercury and other hazardous wastes into the land and water supplies. To counter the acceleration of this problem, over 500 experts from more than 150 countries met at the UN offices in Nairobi, Kenya, November 27-December 1 for the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. The conference theme was "Creating innovative solutions through the Basel Convention for the environmentally sound management of electronic waste." An e-waste declaration and more than 30 decisions were adopted, including synergies and cooperation among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (UNEP/CHW.8/CRP.8), safer ship dismantling procedures, amendments to the guidelines for the environmentally sound management (ESM) of persistent organic pollutant wastes, the 2007-2008 program, and implementation of the Strategic Plan for the Implementation of the Basel Convention to 2010. The E-waste Declaration called for wider transfer of information on technologies and e-waste management from developed to developing countries, prevention and fighting e-waste trafficking, introduction of broader and stronger national legislation to control e-waste management, promotion of eco-friendly technologies and phasing-out toxic components, and raising awareness of e-waste issues and integrated systems to reduce and limit damage due to e-waste. The meeting also discussed environmentally sound management of ship dismantling and agreed to a draft ship recycling convention, as well as the need for greater guidance in managing abandoned ships. The next COP will take place in fall 2008, in Indonesia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA528471