Background Paper - Towards a Pollution-Free Planet Advanced version– not for citation/not for quotation (as of 23 June) Towards a Pollution-Free Planet Report of the Executive Director – United Nations Environment Programme This advance version of the report "Towards a Pollution- Free Planet" by the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme is meant to support the preparations for the third session of the UN Environment Assembly. This is not for quotation or citation at this point. Comments to the secretariat are welcome by 14 July. A shorter version of this paper targeting policy makers will be prepared and provided in September. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 109 1- EVIDENCE OF A POLLUTED PLANET: THE SCIENCE, IMPACTS AND ECONOMIC COSTS ............... 1211 1.1 Air pollution ........................................................................................................................................................ 1211 1.2 Land and soil pollution ..................................................................................................................................... 1514 1.3 Freshwater pollution ........................................................................................................................................ 1716 1.4 Marine and coastal pollution .......................................................................................................................... 1918 1.5 Cross-cutting sources of pollution ................................................................................................................ 2120 1.5.1 Chemicals ................................................................................................................................................................................... 2120 1.5.2 Waste............................................................................................................................................................................................ 2322 1.6 Costs of pollution: global and regional ........................................................................................................ 2524 2-ADDRESSING POLLUTION: GLOBAL FRAMEWORKS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE 2030 AGENDA ................................................................................................... 2524 2.1 Global and regional environmental agreements and national regulations: tackling pollution .. 2625 2.2 Actual and potential benefits of addressing pollution ............................................................................ 3029 Potential of enhanced health and economic benefits from tackling pollution ....................................................... 3130 2.3 Challenges that limit the effectiveness of pollution actions .................................................................. 3231 2.4 The Sustainable Development Goals: an opportunity to accelerate pollution action ......................... 33 2.5 Multi-stakeholders and multi-level engagement: central to improved environmental governance ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 3635 3-TRANSITIONING TO A POLLUTION-FREE PLANET ........................................................................ 3736 1 Background Paper - Towards a Pollution-Free Planet Advanced version– not for citation/not for quotation (as of 23 June) 3.1 Targeted priority interventions for key pollution areas ........................................................................ 3938 3.1.1 Interventions targeting hard hitting pollutants ........................................................................................................ 3938 3.1.2 Interventions targeting key pollution areas ............................................................................................................... 4039 3.2 Transformative actions to shift the economy ............................................................................................ 4241 3.2.1 Building circularity into production processes and supply chains and key economic sectors ........... 4241 3.2.2 Reorienting finance and investments ............................................................................................................................ 4645 3.2.3 Promoting green technologies and ecosystem based solutions to mitigate and manage pollution .. 4746 3.2.4 Integrating policies to tackle pollution: the example of city level actions: ................................................... 4948 3.2.5 Incentivizing responsible consumption and lifestyles choices .......................................................................... 5049 3.3 Enablers ................................................................................................................................................................ 5150 3.3.1 Evidence-based decision-making .................................................................................................................................... 5150 3.3.2 Improving pollution-related governance..................................................................................................................... 5251 3.2.3 Economic instruments ......................................................................................................................................................... 5453 3.2.4 Education for change ............................................................................................................................................................ 5554 3.2.5 Cooperation and partnerships .......................................................................................................................................... 5655 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................. 5756 2. ANNEXES .............................................................................................................................. 5958 Annex 1: Comparison of the magnitude (severity) of different types of pollution by proxy ........................... 5958 Annex 2: The costs of pollution ................................................................................................................................................... 6059 Annex 3: How pollution is reflected in the various multilateral frameworks and environmental agreements .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6362 Annex 4: Regional initiatives, networks and agreements................................................................................................ 7170 Annex 5 Analysis of the linkages between addressing pollution types and implementing sustainable development goal targets. .............................................................................................................................................................. 7675 Annex 6 – Rio Principles relevant to a pollution-free planet ......................................................................................... 8180 Annex 7- Impacts, benefits and limitations of cleaner technologies........................................................................... 8281 3. REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 8584 2 Background Paper - Towards a Pollution-Free Planet Advanced version– not for citation/not for quotation (as of 23 June) Executive Summary Pollution today is pervasive and persistent. While the world has achieved impressive economic growth over the past few decades, this progress has been accompanied by increased pollution. As populations grow and more people escape poverty and aspire to improved consumption, the linear economic model of “take-make-dispose”is burdening an already polluted planet. Pollution is clearly not a new phenomenon, and is largely controllable and often avoidable. Many stories exist of countries, cities, and businesses that have addressed serious air, soil, freshwater and marine pollution issues. Adequate knowledge and technological solutions exist to both prevent, Commented [A1]: Preventing pollution should be the treat, and control and avoid pollution. Encouragingly, more and more governments, industries and top priority. citizens are moving towards a sustainable materials management and a circular economy, with greater resource efficiency, sustainable chemistry and clean technologies, as part of a transition towards a green sustainable economy. Differences in capacity and development to tackle pollution Commented [A2]: Surely, in light of the 2030 agenda, adequately worldwide, however, are still huge. As the number of success stories of preventing, this should be a sustainable economy. reducing and better managing pollution increase, identifying systemic approaches, steps and interventions to transition towards a pollution-free planet is achievable. “Towards