Green, Christopher, Bilyanska, Antoaneta, Bradley, Mags, Dinsdale, Jason, Hutt, Lorraine, Backhaus, Thomas, Boons, Frank, Bott, David, Collins, Chris, Cornell, Sarah E., and others. (2023) A horizon scan to support chemical pollution–related policymaking for sustainable and climate-resilient economies. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 42 (6). pp. 1212-1228. ISSN 0730-7268. E-ISSN 1552-8618. (doi:10.1002/etc.5620) (KAR id:108398)
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| Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620 |
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Abstract
While chemicals are vital to modern society through materials, agriculture, textiles, new technology, medicines, and consumer goods, their use is not without risks. Unfortunately, our resources seem inadequate to address the breadth of chemical challenges to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is important we use our intelligence and knowledge wisely to prepare for what lies ahead. The present study used a Delphi-style approach to horizon-scan future chemical threats that need to be considered in the setting of chemicals and environmental policy, which involved a multidisciplinary, multisectoral, and multinational panel of 25 scientists and practitioners (mainly from the United Kingdom, Europe, and other industrialized nations) in a three-stage process. Fifteen issues were shortlisted (from a nominated list of 48), considered by the panel to hold global relevance. The issues span from the need for new chemical manufacturing (including transitioning to non-fossil-fuel feedstocks); challenges from novel materials, food imports, landfills, and tire wear; and opportunities from artificial intelligence, greater data transparency, and the weight-of-evidence approach. The 15 issues can be divided into three classes: new perspectives on historic but insufficiently appreciated chemicals/issues, new or relatively new products and their associated industries, and thinking through approaches we can use to meet these challenges. Chemicals are one threat among many that influence the environment and human health, and interlinkages with wider issues such as climate change and how we mitigate these were clear in this exercise. The horizon scan highlights the value of thinking broadly and consulting widely, considering systems approaches to ensure that interventions appreciate synergies and avoid harmful trade-offs in other areas. We recommend further collaboration between researchers, industry, regulators, and policymakers to perform horizon scanning to inform policymaking, to develop our ability to meet these challenges, and especially to extend the approach to consider also concerns from countries with developing economies.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| DOI/Identification number: | 10.1002/etc.5620 |
| Uncontrolled keywords: | Horizon scanning; chemical pollution; early warning; emerging risk; chemicals management; sustainable chemicals; Climate change; biodiversity loss |
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World |
| Divisions: | Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of History |
| Funders: | Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (https://ror.org/00tnppw48) |
| SWORD Depositor: | JISC Publications Router |
| Depositing User: | JISC Publications Router |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jan 2025 11:41 UTC |
| Last Modified: | 29 Jan 2025 03:47 UTC |
| Resource URI: | https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/108398 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes) |
University of Kent Author Information
Robinson, Samuel.
| Creator's ORCID: |
 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6475-0343
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| CReDIT Contributor Roles: | Writing - original draft, Investigation, Writing - review and editing |
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