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Green C, Bilyanska A, Bradley M, Dinsdale J, Hutt L, Backhaus T, Boons F, Bott D, Collins C, Cornell SE, Craig M, Depledge M, Diderich B, Fuller R, Galloway TS, Hutchison GR, Ingrey N, Johnson AC, Kupka R, Matthiessen P, Oliver R, Owen S, Owens S, Pickett J, Robinson S, Sims K, Smith P, Sumpter JP, Tretsiakova-McNally S, Wang M, Welton T, Willis KJ, Lynch I. A Horizon Scan to Support Chemical Pollution-Related Policymaking for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Economies. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023; 42:1212-1228. [PMID: 36971460 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
While chemicals are vital to modern society through materials, agriculture, textiles, new technology, medicines, and consumer goods, their use is not without risks. Unfortunately, our resources seem inadequate to address the breadth of chemical challenges to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is important we use our intelligence and knowledge wisely to prepare for what lies ahead. The present study used a Delphi-style approach to horizon-scan future chemical threats that need to be considered in the setting of chemicals and environmental policy, which involved a multidisciplinary, multisectoral, and multinational panel of 25 scientists and practitioners (mainly from the United Kingdom, Europe, and other industrialized nations) in a three-stage process. Fifteen issues were shortlisted (from a nominated list of 48), considered by the panel to hold global relevance. The issues span from the need for new chemical manufacturing (including transitioning to non-fossil-fuel feedstocks); challenges from novel materials, food imports, landfills, and tire wear; and opportunities from artificial intelligence, greater data transparency, and the weight-of-evidence approach. The 15 issues can be divided into three classes: new perspectives on historic but insufficiently appreciated chemicals/issues, new or relatively new products and their associated industries, and thinking through approaches we can use to meet these challenges. Chemicals are one threat among many that influence the environment and human health, and interlinkages with wider issues such as climate change and how we mitigate these were clear in this exercise. The horizon scan highlights the value of thinking broadly and consulting widely, considering systems approaches to ensure that interventions appreciate synergies and avoid harmful trade-offs in other areas. We recommend further collaboration between researchers, industry, regulators, and policymakers to perform horizon scanning to inform policymaking, to develop our ability to meet these challenges, and especially to extend the approach to consider also concerns from countries with developing economies. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;00:1-17. © 2023 Crown copyright and The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. This article is published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the King's Printer for Scotland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Green
- Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Chemicals, Pesticides and Hazardous Wastes Team, London, United Kingdom
| | - Antoaneta Bilyanska
- Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Chemicals, Pesticides and Hazardous Wastes Team, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mags Bradley
- Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Chemicals, Pesticides and Hazardous Wastes Team, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jason Dinsdale
- Horizon Scanning & Futures Team, Environment Agency, Horizon House, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Lorraine Hutt
- Environment Agency, Horizon House, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Backhaus
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Frank Boons
- IMP Innovation, Strategy and Sustainability, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - David Bott
- Head of Innovation, SCI, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Collins
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Soil Research Centre, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah E Cornell
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mark Craig
- Severn Trent Water, Darlington, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Depledge
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Bob Diderich
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, France
| | | | - Tamara S Galloway
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences: Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Gary R Hutchison
- School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Ingrey
- Landfill and Resources from Waste Team, Environment Agency, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | - Rachael Kupka
- The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Robin Oliver
- Syngenta Crop Protection, Jealotts Hill Research Station, Bracknell, United Kingdom
| | - Stewart Owen
- AstraZeneca, Global Sustainability, Brixham, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Owens
- Newnham College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - John Pickett
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Robinson
- School of History, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Kerry Sims
- Chemical Strategic & Regulatory Planning Team, Environment Agency, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Pete Smith
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - John P Sumpter
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Mengjiao Wang
- Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Innovation Centre Phase 2, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Welton
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine J Willis
- Department of Zoology, Long-Term Ecology Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Iseult Lynch
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Boons F, Doherty B, Köhler J, Papachristos G, Wells P. Disrupting transitions: Qualitatively modelling the impact of Covid-19 on UK food and mobility provision. Environ Innov Soc Transit 2021; 40:1-19. [PMID: 34751238 PMCID: PMC8565922 DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2021.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic provides an empirical testing ground for assessing the impact of critical events on societal transitions. Such events are typically seen as exogenous to the transition process, an assumption which is investigated in this paper. Using a qualitative system dynamics modelling approach we conceptualize transition pathways as sets of interacting sequences of events. This enables the analysis of event sequences that constitute the evolving pandemic as impacting on those pathways. We apply this approach to the provision of (auto)mobility and food in the UK. This shows the way in which the pandemic has had a differential effect on ongoing transitions in both systems, sometimes slowing them down, and sometimes accelerating them. In addition, it reveals how it has established new transition pathways. The empirical work further shows how qualitative modelling with system dynamics facilitates an explicit and systematic comparative analysis of transition case studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Boons
- University of Manchester, Room 9.011, AMBS, Booth Street West, Manchester, M15 6PB, United Kingdom
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