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Considerations for Ensuring Protection of Human Health From Plastic Pollution in the Future Treaty
The document argues that plastic pollution constitutes a public health crisis, with adverse effects occurring across the entire life cycle of plastics. It proposes three options for the treaty's structure: an integrated approach, a standalone article on health, or a combination of both. The briefing details how specific articles of the treaty could be used to eliminate harmful chemicals, improve product design, and support vulnerable populations, such as informal waste workers and fence-line communities.
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Document type: Briefing
Transparent 2024
The Transparent 2024 report by WWF International reviews five years of progress among ReSource: Plastic members. Key findings show a collective reduction of 221,000 metric tons of virgin fossil-based plastic relative to baseline years and an increase in recycled content to 14.5% of the aggregate portfolio by 2023. However, the report notes that progress is incremental, with reusable packaging accounting for only 0.8% of the portfolio. Waste management modeling estimates that 16% of the members' plastic footprint is mismanaged globally, with China and India identified as the countries with the highest total tonnage of mismanaged waste. The report concludes that voluntary corporate action is insufficient and advocates for a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution to mandate standards and drive systemic change.
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Document type: Report
3 ways the US can act on the plastic waste crisis and protect our oceans
The US produces a disproportionate amount of global solid waste and recycles only 9% of its plastic. To combat this, the document advocates for policies that protect afflicted communities, shift recycling costs to producers via Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and support a globally binding UN treaty on plastic pollution.
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Document type: Statement
Five Steps We Must Take to Protect Refugees in the Future
The author contends that the current international refugee system is under severe strain and fails to protect those displaced by climate change because they do not meet the 1951 Convention's definition of fleeing political persecution. To address this, the document proposes five steps: reforming the UN Refugee Agency's budgeting to be more predictable and binding; drafting a new legal treaty with a modernized definition of refugees; establishing a review mechanism for country accountability based on the Montreal Protocol model; utilizing digital technologies like blockchain for identification and banking; and integrating refugees into sustainable global value chains. The author calls for leadership from Canada and Denmark to drive these reforms within the UN system.
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Document type: Statement
Analysis of POPs treaty implementing provisions in Senate and House TSCA reform bills
The report evaluates two proposed reforms to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regarding their ability to enable U.S. ratification of three international chemicals treaties. It finds the Lautenberg bill more effective in providing the comprehensive prohibitions required for ratification, while the Rush-Waxman draft contains delays and gaps that could hinder compliance. Both bills are criticized for failing to provide sufficient authority for the EPA to lead internationally on the elimination of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals beyond the minimum treaty requirements.
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Document type: Report
SGR Statement
SGR calls for the protection of existing worldwide cooperative agreements regarding space to prevent 'selfish and warlike exploitation'. The organisation specifically opposes the US National Missile Defence programme, citing risks of a nuclear arms race and the waste of resources that could instead fund renewable energy technologies to combat climate change and air pollution. SGR also warns against the use of nuclear-powered spacecraft, highlighting the extreme radioactivity of Pu238 used in missions like Cassini. Finally, the statement urges civil society to reinforce treaties such as the Outer Space Treaty and the Moon Agreement against trends of increasing commercialisation and militarisation.
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Document type: Statement
Climate Change, Critical Minerals, and Indigenous Engagement with Regulatory Processes
The report examines the historical and current state of Indigenous engagement in Canada's resource sector, focusing on the transition to clean energy and critical minerals. It argues that while regulatory frameworks like the Impact Assessment Act have improved since the colonial era, they remain too complex, costly, and onerous, often failing to adequately recognize Indigenous sovereignty. Through case studies in Quebec, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and British Columbia, the document illustrates the spectrum of engagement from successful modern treaties and equity partnerships to ongoing conflicts over land title. The authors recommend a shift toward Indigenous-led evaluation and approval processes, the formal acceptance of Indigenous laws, and increased capacity support for communities to ensure the energy transition is equitable and grounded in free, prior, and informed consent.
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Document type: Report
BUILDING ON SUCCESS: LESSONS FROM HUMANITARIAN TREATY MOVEMENTS FOR A FOSSIL FUEL NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
The document argues that fossil fuels act as weapons of mass destruction, contributing to 86% of CO2 emissions in the last decade. It analyzes the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Mine Ban Treaty, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to provide a roadmap for a similar global fossil fuel regime. The brief identifies four pivotal areas for success: building an evidence base through civil society reporting, igniting conversations via city and parliamentarian advocacy, shifting the narrative from defense to humanitarian issues, and convening pioneering countries through regional bans and strategic conferences. It also details treaty elements such as prohibitions, victim assistance obligations, and the role of implementation agencies like the IAEA and OPCW.
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Document type: Policy brief
PATHWAYS TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON FOSSIL FUEL SUPPLY BRIEFING NOTE
The briefing note advocates for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to complement the Paris Agreement by addressing fossil fuel production. It proposes a three-pillar approach—non-proliferation, global phase-out, and just transition support—and suggests that a group of 'champion' countries could drive the process. The document outlines a roadmap from building public support and evidence bases to formal negotiations via standalone processes, UN General Assembly resolutions, or other UN bodies, drawing parallels to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Mine Ban Treaty.
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Document type: Briefing