bansignfin2001-e23ea7c9beaf988c.pdf

A statement from the Basel Action Network and other environmental organizations opposing the United States government's intent to selectively ratify the 1989 Basel Convention while refusing to implement the 1995 Basel Ban Amendment.

• The Basel Ban Amendment prohibits the export of hazardous wastes from member states of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Liechtenstein to all other countries. It was agreed by 65 Parties in 1994 and adopted by 82 Parties in 1995, with over 100 countries reaffirming it at the Fourth and Fifth Conferences of the Parties.
• The Basel Ban Amendment has been ratified and implemented in national legislation by all 15 European Union member states, as well as Andorra, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, The Gambia, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and Uruguay.
• The signatories argue that the Basel Ban Amendment is essential for environmental justice and waste prevention because it removes the incentive to export hazardous waste to developing countries, which they describe as "toxic colonialism." They claim that closing cheap disposal options will force industry to reduce waste production and toxicity and encourage the development of clean technologies.
• The signatories oppose the U.S. Administration's plan to selectively ratify the 1989 Basel Convention without the 1995 Amendment. They contend that the 1989 Convention alone is a "weak and outdated text" that may legitimize international waste trade rather than prevent it, and they argue the U.S. should not accede to the treaty at all unless it includes the Ban Amendment.
• The document claims the U.S. government has historically contradicted its own stated goals; specifically, that Vice-President Al Gore and EPA chief Carol Browner announced an intention to ban hazardous waste exports beyond North America on February 28, 1994, but the administration subsequently retreated from this commitment following industry backlash.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2001). bansignfin2001-e23ea7c9beaf988c.pdf. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/BANSIGNFIN2001.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. bansignfin2001-e23ea7c9beaf988c.pdf. 2001. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/BANSIGNFIN2001.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=bansignfin2001-e23ea7c9beaf988c.pdf |date=9 August 2001 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/BANSIGNFIN2001.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2001bansignfin2001e23ea7c9beaf988cpdf, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{bansignfin2001-e23ea7c9beaf988c.pdf}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2001}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/BANSIGNFIN2001.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }