Rethinking the science-policy interface for chemicals, waste, and pollution: Challenging core assumptions
April 8, 2025 - Jen Iris Allan, Anwesha Borthakur, Fiona Kinniburgh, Moritz Petersmann, Angeliki Balayannis, Andrew Barry, Silke Beck, Kevin Elliott, Tim Forsyth, Anita Hardon, Hannah Hughes, Philip Macnaghten, Henrik Selin, Yixian Sun, Alice Vadrot
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Negotiations are ongoing but fraught for designing a new global science-policy panel for chemicals and waste pollution. In this Perspectives article, we challenge three assumptions guiding these negotiations. First, the new panel should resemble the existing panels of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Inter-governmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Second, the creation of a new panel will automatically carry authority within policymaking. Third, the participation of industry is crucial without special consideration for its interests. Further, we identify three steps to enhance the panel’s relevance and influence.
