Over the past few decades, the massive production of plastics worldwide has posed a real threat to the existence and well-being of all living creatures. This virtually uncontrollable rise in the use of plastics is a matter of serious concern to health professionals, environmentalists and biodiversity advocates. In Cameroon, the issue is just as pressing, and requires special attention from all stakeholders.
Analysis of chlorpyrifos production and use in Russia has shown widespread use of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs), including Chlorpyrifos, Bifenthrin and Cypermethrin. These substances are on the list of HHPs prepared by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and meet the HHP criteria adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Kazakhstan does not produce chlorpyrifos but buys it as an active ingredient to make pesticide products for local use. IPEN member Greenwomen in the Republic of Kazakhstan found information showing that Astana Nan, the largest pesticide production plant in the country, purchases chlorpyrifos as an ingredient from China to use for manufacturing local pesticide products. There are also a number of small local enterprises in Kazakhstan that manufacture ready-made pesticide products containing chlorpyrifos.
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide that has been used since 1970 and non-officially licensed for distribution since 1970 in Indonesia. It is used in agriculture, plantations, household, hygiene and sanitation. Chlorpyrifos is widely used similar to other types of pesticides permitted for circulation and trade in the country. In 2021, the Pesticide Commission of the Indonesia Ministry of Agriculture allowed sixty (60) trademarks for use in agriculture and other sectors. This number continues to increase from 8 brand names (1998) to 60 brands (2021).
Agriculture in India was traditionally non-mechanised and organic, that is, conducted without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These traditional practices persisted in most of India through the 1950s and for much of the 1960s, until the introduction of high yield varieties, popularly known as the Green Revolution. However, the introduction of high yield varieties resulted in the paramount increase in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The total pesticide consumption in India grew nearly tenfold in the two decades between 1958 and 1978.
Agriculture in Ethiopia is the foundation of the country's economy. It is estimated that 85% of the 120 million people in Ethiopia are engaged in agriculture. In an effort to increase production and productivity, the agricultural sector uses inputs like pesticides and fertilizers as driving forces. Input use and distribution is mainly conducted through agricultural development agents who are working at the grassroots level with smallholder farmers.
The report provides information on the import of chlorpyrifos and its use in pest control crops in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's developed agrarian economy ranks first in the non-oil sector. Highly hazardous pesticides, including chlorpyrifos, have been imported into the country since 2014, and since then, Azerbaijan has imported about 75,000 tons of chlorpyrifos.
Agriculture is one of the key contributors to the Armenian economy and the main source of employment. It accounted for about 13.94% of GDP in 2018. The steady decline in GDP in agriculture since 2017 in the overall structure of Armenia's gross product in 2021 reached 10.2%.
The decline in agriculture is partly due to the difficult epidemic situation of COVID-19 throughout the country and the involvement of Armenia in hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and a number of territories of Armenia in 2020-2021 were affected.
IPEN Co-Chair outlines steps for addressing SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
Monday, 11 October 2021
Asked "What are the priorities for achieving the SDGs* within the context of the sustainable consumption and production SDG?" at the 8 July 2021 Berlin Forum on Chemical Sustainability: Ambition and Action towards 2030 Stakeholder Dialog, IPEN Co-Chair Dr. Tadesse Amera focused on four topics:
eliminating the international double-standard,
creating a better financial structure,
recognizing the dangers of chemical additives in plastics, and
the important contributions of youth to a better future.
To cope with the 2020 outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong, the government subsidized the production of disposable masks and issued ordinances to impose social distancing measures and compulsory mask-wearing in public areas. The NGO Greeners Action conducted an online survey in October with over 1,000 people, and results show that most Hong Kong residents used 7-10 disposable masks a week, which is equivalent to 2 billion disposable masks from February to November. Most of the used masks were transported to landfills.
