Environmental NGOs

The Copenhagen Charter was agreed by a conference of environmental NGOs in Copenhagen in October 2000. It asks for ... 

Within risk management scientists, experts, stakeholders and decision-makers interact to address fundamental questions such as what type and how much data should be required before a particular risk is judged as intolerable and when and to what extent measures to reduce exposures are required. It is evident that these questions include both scientific and policy-related aspects. One specific illustration of these science-policy interactions can be seen in the discussions and various opinions expressed among experts, stakeholders and decision-makers in connection with the current review of the REACH criteria for PBT/vPvB substances where e.g. environmental NGOs such as WWF (Reineke 2008) as well as the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA 2008) argue that the criteria need to be adjusted so that also non-standard scientific information such as monitoring data should be considered if relevant and available. 

At the EU level, environmental NGOs were also ambivalent and fragmented in their interest in accession and the diffusion of chemical safety policies, compared to the highly centralised and highly involved position of CEFIC. EU environmental NGOs developed an interest in enlargement relatively late, and for the most part... 

To illustrate the differences between the four Es , a hypothetical comparison of two risk reduction measures is provided in Box 2.1. The implications of both options are considered for three stakeholder groups regulator, industry trade association (TA), and an environmental NGO. To construct the example, the general approach to chemical risk management for each stakeholder must be clearly established and defined. 

Table 2.3 A hypothetical comparison of two risk-reduction measures from the perspective of a regulator, company TA and environmental NGO... 

A great deal of controversy surrounds the business effects of REACH. Environmental NGO argue that the chemical industry is crying wolf over the potential negative effects that the regulation will have on EU businesses [283]. NGO support this assertion with the fact that the cost estimates for implementing the current REACH proposals represent only about 0.05 % of the annual turnover of the EU chemical industry (about 400 billion) [283]. The costs to downstream chemical users represent <1% of their total turnover of around 425 billion [283]. 

Only one organisation, a Swedish environmental NGO, was unwilling to participate. Emails were not returned and relevant members of staff remained inaccessible despite several attempts to make contact by telephone. 

The UK is also experiencing a dilemma with regards to its consensusseeking policy. While the UK is the only of the four countries to have a Chemical Stakeholder Forum, UK Environmental NGO have complained that the forum is more talk than action [384] and,... 

Exclusion of French and German environmental and consumer NGO from setting technical standards as a result of their lack of expertise or resource availability does not appear to cause dissatisfaction. In France, interviewees reported that this is because the NGO are formally invited to the multitude of committees that provide decision-making support to the ministries. REACH has triggered what one interviewee described as mandatory participation of NGO in two newly created French chemical Working Groups33. Given the political nature rather than technical aspects of current REACH debates (see Chapter 6), interviewees explained that environmental NGO can participate more than in the previous more technically oriented discussions. 

Given the prominent role of the chemical industry in Germany42, it is not surprising that the German public holds one of the highest perceptions of the benefits of the industry in the EU [429, 430]. Several interviewees expressed similar views on the positive public opinion of the industry and described German companies as experiencing less pressure from environmental NGO than the other... 

Ironically, the loss of power for the German Ministry for the Environment (BMU) resulting from the creation of the Ministry for Economics and Labour now means that, according to two interviewees, the BMU needs environmental NGO stakeholder support to achieve its policy objectives. The main Consumer NGO (VZBV) appears to fill some of the gap in chemical issues created by the environmental NGO, but it has closer work-relations with the Ministry for Consumer Protection than the BMU. 

Public perception of a risk often becomes heightened when there is a perceived lack of voluntary control on exposure scenarios and exposure levels. It follows that human exposure to chemicals via the environment as a result of pollution or contamination tends to be a particular concern and a useful lobbying focus for many environmental NGO. Social mobilisation can result in risk level attenuation rather than amplification [505]. For instance, when a chemical is perceived as being of particular value to society, the level of risk may be more acceptable to many members of the public [506]. 

Local environmental NGOs took a very active role when total allocation was decided, proposing of course a decrease in the number of allowances to be allocated however, once the total allowances were fixed, their involvement in discussions about the distribution of the allowances to the installations significantly decreased. 

European Environment Bureau, European Federation for Transport Environment, Seas at Risk, The Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain, Environmental NGO Recommendation on COM (002) 595 as Regards the Sulphur Content of Marine Fuels, 5 February 2003, http //www.eeb.org/ activities/air/Joint position paper S marine fuels Sept 03.pdf. 

Political parties to the left and partly in the center in conjunction with environmental NGOs they have a focus on the environmental and social values at stake and they find the risk and uncertainties to be unacceptable (the point is made that we cannot rule out the possibility that a disaster will happen). 

Campaigners have expressed concern about the possible health effects of nanoparticles. It is believed to be the first time that environmental NGOs have warned about the dangers of a new technology before its commercialisation. 

Balbus, J. 2005. Protecting Workers and the Environment an Environmental NGO s Perspective. In Platform Presentation at the Second International Symposium on Nanotechnology and Occupational Safety and Health. Minneapolis, MN. 

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