Hazardous Waste Trade Research Articles

The Transboundary Trade of Hazardous Wastes, 2000–2006

Abstract The regulation, disposal, and risks posed by hazardous waste are global issues. The Basel Convention and the Pollution Release and Transfer Registry were initiated to reduce the trade and to monitor the cradle-to-grave progress of hazardous wastes. We examined the quantities of hazardous wastes internationally transported during the period of 2000 to 2006 by countries that ratified the Basel Convention. Because the United States has not ratified the Convention, we reported data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. We found that much of the hazardous waste trade flows to and from nations with the technological capacity to process and dispose of these wastes. In addition to the United States, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and the Netherlands are major participants in both exporting and importing hazardous wastes. Data issues are discussed.

Still Up to the Challenge? International Trade Issues Facing the Basel Convention as it Enters its Third Decade

The Basel Convention is inarguably a noble effort to combat the grave threat to human and environmental health posed by hazardous wastes, but it has failed in at least one of its fundamental objectives: to minimize the movement of hazardous waste across international borders. Is the framework of the Convention sufficient to achieve its goals as well tackle emerging issues in international trade?The first half of the paper provides generous background information about the Basel Convention including: - its origins and purpose - a case study of the infamous Khian Sea incident - the organization and scope of the treaty - how the treaty employs trade measures to minimize trade in hazardous waste - how the Convention approaches compliance and dispute resolution - the future implementation of the Convention via the New Strategic Framework to be addressed at COP10 - proposed provisions including the Basel Ban Amendment and the Protocol on Liability and Compensation.The second half of the paper discusses the Basel Convention's strengths and analyzes its shortcomings. It also suggests improvements for the Convention to succeed in its original and assumed objectives. Topics addressed include: - the incorporation the Precautionary Principle into the treaty - inconsistent standards in Annex IX - the circumvention of the convention by traders of e-waste and ship breaking - hazardous wastes outside of the Convention such as ship wastes and radioactive waste - the failure of the treaty's trade measures to achieve its objectives - the potential conflict of the treaty's trade measures with the WTO Agreements - inadequacies of the Basel Compliance Mechanism - the lack of a dispute settlement system.After 20 years, the purpose of the Basel Convention remains as relevant as ever, but its framework, while not ill-conceived, has proven insufficient. Unfortunately, the New Strategic Framework fails to adequately address most of Convention’s most significant weaknesses. Ratification of the Ban Amendment and Liability Protocol in addition to significant tweaks, particularly in the arena of compliance, will likely afford the Basel Convention an opportunity to position itself to face the emerging issues of international trade and achieve a reduction in the transboundary movement of hazardous waste over its third decade.

International Trade in Hazardous Waste

AbstractThis paper combines a gravity model with country characteristics to examine trade in hazardous waste. A significant pollution haven effect is observed as rising per capita income reduces the amount of hazardous waste countries’ import. However, this effect is outweighed by high‐income countries’ relative capital abundance, and by rising GDP creating larger increases in disposal capacity than waste production. Simulating the volume and direction of hazardous waste trade in the absence of distance costs, leads to a 153% increase in waste traded, and a larger increase in shipments from non‐OECD countries to OECD members than from the OECD to nonmembers.

Environment as ‘High Politics’? Explaining Divergence in US and EU Hazardous Waste Export Policies

Present‐day patterns in the EU and USA's management of electronic waste, or e‐waste, have their roots in the two entities’ past hazardous waste management practices. The EU and the USA have followed divergent trajectories in regulating the export of hazardous waste. From 1989 onward, the EU has been a leading advocate for banning the North–South trade in hazardous waste. In contrast, the USA has opposed such a ban and argued in favour of continued trade. This divergence is explained by differences both in the two entities’ domestic institutions and in their valuations of international environmental leadership. First, differences in waste trade regulatory capacities, in international treaty ratification processes, and in the access of industry and non‐governmental organizations to the environmental policy process have contributed to US–EU divergence on hazardous waste trade policy. Second, the USA and EU have differed in the extent to which they seek international political leadership through environmental leadership. These differences not only provide an explanation as to why the USA and EU have regulated the North–South hazardous waste trade in dissimilar ways, but also lend significant insight into current waste trade issues, most notably the management of electronic waste.

Shipping hazardous waste: implications for economically developing countries

Trade in hazardous waste has given rise to great concerns. One source of transboundary trade in hazardous waste is the ship-breaking industry. Though end-of-life vessels provide incentives to developing countries in the form of raw materials, these same developing countries are not only ill equipped to manage hazardous waste in an environmentally sound manner, but they also lack the resources to mitigate health impacts arising out of the handling of hazardous waste. These concerns of weaker economies have been addressed by the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. However, the shipping of vessels with hazardous waste for final disposal in developing countries continues. To illustrate the inequity involved in such negotiations, we present a case study of the French aircraft carrier “Le Clemenceau”, which was sent to a shipyard in Alang, India, for disposal. This vessel became the focus of attention given its transport of an unknown amount of toxic waste, including asbestos. Similarly, there are reports that large quantities of toxic waste are still being imported by India from countries that ban the use of this waste. The use, import, and export of these chemicals raise serious environmental and health concerns. This paper assesses the implications of shipping such hazardous waste to developing countries and emphasizes the need for promoting research to plug the gaps and for implementing stringent measures to check the trade in environmental pollutants.

Achieving Compliance With the Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes

Literature has it that compliance with treaties is generally good. However, there is need for improvement to ensure that the objectives of a treaty are met. This paper recognizes that compliance with the Basel Convention on transboundary movement of hazardous wastes is low; hence, the increase in the amount of illegal trade in hazardous wastes. On this basis, this paper argues that there is need to improve the existing compliance strategy in the Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of hazardous wastes by the adoption of hard (enforcement) measures as advocated by Downs and soft (managerial) measures as advocated by the Chayeses (collectively the dual approach). The efficacy of this dual approach depends on the inclusion of mechanisms such as funding, external and internal monitoring and verification, and sanctions, modeled on those adopted and applied in the Montreal Protocol, Kyoto Protocol, and CITES.

The Beat

The Beat

International transport of hazardous waste: legal and illegal trade in the context of professional ethics

An example of illegal trade is presented in the context of hazardous waste movement across internaional borders. It highlights the fact that unethical conduct can have negative enviromental health consequences, especially for improverished countries. The example exposes how ethical principles are breached through illegal trade in hazardous waste, and points to the role that environmental epidemiology plays in the assessment of risk associated with trade in hazardous waste.

A Long Way from Basel Clarity: Implications of the Basel Convention for the Consumer Electronics Sector

An overview of the maze that is the international regulation of trade in hazardous wastes and how it is likely to frustrate producers attempting to meet the take-back and waste recovery obligations foreseen in the European Commission's latest draft of its Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Book reviews

Books reviewed: International Trade in Hazardous Waste. D. Kofi Asante‐Duah and Imre V. NagyFisheries Structural Adjustment: Towards a National Framework. Rebecca Metzner and Peter Rawlinson

What's to Become of Trade in Hazardous Wastes?: The Basel Convention One Decade Later

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsJonathan KruegerJonathan Krueger is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics und Political Science and a fellow with the Global Environmental Assessment Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard University. He may be contacted at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. 79 John F. Kennedy Street. Cambridge. MA 021.18 (telephone: M 7495-8132; e-mail: jonathan_krueger@harvard.edu).

Trade Implications of the Basel Convention Amendment Banning North‐South Trade In Hazardous Wastes

Review of European Community & International Environmental LawVolume 7, Issue 3 p. 237-248 Trade Implications of the Basel Convention Amendment Banning North-South Trade In Hazardous Wastes David A Wirth, David A WirthSearch for more papers by this author David A Wirth, David A WirthSearch for more papers by this author First published: 17 December 2002 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9388.00155Citations: 3AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume7, Issue3November 1998Pages 237-248 RelatedInformation

The European Community’s Internal Regime on Trade in Hazardous Wastes: Lessons from the US Regime

The European Community’s Internal Regime on Trade in Hazardous Wastes: Lessons from the US Regime

The implications of the Basel Convention for developing countries: the case of trade in non-ferrous metal-bearing waste

Abstract The decision to introduce a ban on trade in hazardous waste with secondary values between Annex VII countries (the OECD, EU and Liechtenstein) and Annex VIII countries (other signatories) could have important implications for developing countries. The specific case of non-ferrous waste has been chosen for analysis since it is an important component of waste trade flows and since a number of reports have been written which argue that the ban may have adverse economic and environmental effects for a number of developing countries. The study examines some of the relevant trade data as well as the underlying economic factors behind the trade. In particular, the generation of non-ferrous metal (NFM)-bearing waste, the use of non-ferrous metals in manufacturing sectors, and the production of secondary non-ferrous metals in the two areas will be examined. The main findings of the paper are that: metal-bearing solid waste generation amongst developing countries is lower in absolute terms, but the rate of growth is much higher than amongst OECD countries; many developing countries are exhibiting much faster rates of growth in demand for non-ferrous metal than OECD countries due to shifts in the sectoral composition of their economies; international trade in NFM-bearing waste and scrap is relatively significant for some metals, but those types of waste most likely to be affected by the ban do not appear to be important parts of this trade; and, imports of non-ferrous metal waste and scrap help to explain the production of secondary metals, thus indicating that at least some of the trade in waste is motivated by demand for the waste for reclamation. The report concludes that while the ban is far from being an ideal environmental policy instrument, it must be understood as a reflection of both market failures (in the market for hazardous waste treatment and reclamation) and policy failures (in previous efforts to control adverse effects from the trade). If appropriate criteria are applied (mainly waste classifications and Annex classifications) then the environmental implications of the ban may be positive and the negative economic consequences quite small. However, given the rate of growth in generation in many of the Annex VIII countries, such benefits are likely to be slight relative to the problem of the treatment and reclamation of waste generated domestically. Thus, it is argued that if the ban is to be introduced, the dormant `positive' measures in the Convention related to financial and technical assistance need to be revived.

Prior Informed Consent and the Basel Convention: The Hazards of What Isn't Known

The international agreement to regulate hazardous waste trading, the Basel Convention, has relied on the procedure of prior informed consent (PIC) to ensure that human health and the environment are protected. As the debate over banning such trade continues, and as a new agreement using PIC for the trade in hazardous chemicals is being negotiated, it is useful to ask how effective the PIC mechanism has been. This article outlines how PIC functions in theory and in practice, and examines data on the notification and response rates of hazardous waste trade proposals. After outlining the experiences and draw backs of the PIC mechanism for hazardous wastes, several lessons regarding the use of PIC for hazardous chemicals are suggested.

Out of the Backyard: The Problems of Hazardous Waste Management at a Global Level

This article explores recent developments in the regulation of the international hazardous waste trade. It begins with the move in recent years toward banning the North-South waste trade and shows how this ban reflects a particular specification of the waste trade, as a transboundary environmental issue whereby domestic waste management problems are seen as issues of sovereign national responsibility. It examines another way of formulating the waste trade: as a symptom of more fundamental problems afflicting waste management sectors in most industrialized countries. Without taking this perspective into account, the ban on the waste trade is likely to fail. The final section is more optimistic, examining how certain countries—Britain, France, Germany, and Australia—are formulating policy change in ways likely to have an impact on the waste trade, drawing conclusions about how the role of international authorities might be revised in the light of these developments.

The illicit trade in hazardous wastes and CFCs: International responses to environmental ‘bads

The illicit trade in hazardous wastes and CFCs: International responses to environmental ‘bads

Regulations as Arbiters of Risk: Great Britain, Germany, and the Hazardous Waste Trade in Western Europe

This article seeks to explain why Great Britain is one of the world's largest importers of hazardous wastes, while Germany, in contrast, is a waste exporter. Why one country exhibits such risk-acceptance behavior, while another is so risk averse, I argue, depends on differences between their national systems of environmental regulation. The style and structure of Britain's regulatory system, unlike that of Germany and its other partners in Western Europe, gives a high degree of leeway to private firms, filtering out the preferences of environmental groups and public opinion, thus enabling and facilitating the importation of hazardous wastes by waste disposal companies. The empirical section tests this argument against two alternative explanations: a state-centric explanation based on individual governments' calculations of the relevant costs and benefits associated with the waste trade, and second, a comparative advantage explanation, based on the technological superiority of Britain's waste disposal facilities. The conclusion draws out the implications for international environmental regulation and for domestic-level regulatory change. Great Britain is one of the world's largest importers of hazardous wastes. It has maintained this position throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, during which time its waste imports steadily increased.1 Nearly all of this trade is legal, in the sense that its importation has the knowledge and consent of the British government, and the majority of waste imports come from other developed countries, especially Britain's partners in the European Union. By way of contrast, Germany, one of these partners, is one of the world's largest waste exporters, despite its strong environ

The Third World in Global Environmental Politics

Part 1 The global context: global environmental politics from Stockholm to Rio the Third World and environmental politics the link between global inequality and environmental degradation. Part 2 The Third World and environmental regime formation: the Third World at the bargaining table hazardous waste trade biodiversity and technology transfer atmosphere and climate. Part 3 Conflict or cooperation in global environmental politics: the future of global environmental politics the Third World after Rio.

Reassessing the Waste Trade Crisis: What Do We Really Know?

Most analyses of the international trade in hazardous waste have begun with the assumption that uncontrolled waste movements have created an environmental crisis of monumental proportions, especially in the world's poorest and weakest countries. This article questions that assumption by taking a close look at the best available data on legal and illegal transfers of waste to developing and middle-income countries. The data reveal little indication of a vast, uncontrolled waste trade from North to South. While further empirical investigations are needed, the incongruity between assumption and fact must be reconciled. This article begins to resolve that inconsistency by offering some explanations for the lack of evidence that developing countries have been unwitting recipients of the toxic detritus of the industrialized world.