Course Overview
Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) can lead to serious health effects including certain cancers, birth defects, dysfunctional immune and reproductive systems, greater susceptibility to disease, and damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems. Given their long-range transport, no one government acting alone can protect its citizens or its environment from POPs.
In response to this global problem, the Stockholm Convention was adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004. This course will introduce you to the history of the Stockholm Convention and how it requires its Parties to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe what persistent organic pollutants are and their properties;
- Identify the core components and mechanisms established by the Stockholm Convention;
- Outline the synergies process undertaken by the Stockholm, Rotterdam and Basel Conventions.