Chemical Pollution and Sustainability: International Perspectives

My research on emerging chemical contaminants, including plastic-associated chemicals, flame retardants, and other persistent pollutants of concern, in environmental and human matrices across sub-Saharan Africa and in Nigeria in particular. I will discuss how scientific evidence from my research (and other related researchers' work) can inform policies that protect vulnerable populations such as informal waste recyclers, promote environmental justice, and support the achievement of the SDGs, especially in low- and middle-income countries. My presentation will also aim to emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations, international partnerships, and locally driven solutions for addressing environmental pollution and advancing sustainable development.

Ricardo O. Barra is a Full Professor and former Director of the Centro de Ciencias Ambientales EULA-Chile at the Universidad de Concepción, Chile, and an Associate Researcher at Instituto Milenio SECOS. His research spans environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, persistent organic pollutants, and microplastics in Andean, Patagonian, and coastal aquatic systems. He works at the science-policy interface as a member of the Stockholm Convention's POPs Review Committee (POPRC) and the GEF Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), and has contributed to UN environmental assessments including the Global Environment Outlook and the Global Chemicals Outlook. His current work examines lithium extraction and water governance in the Salar de Atacama, with attention to Indigenous participation and basin-scale hydrological limits.

"Contaminants, Water, and Justice: Rethinking Environmental Boundaries in Chile's Andean and Patagonian Territories"

From persistent organic pollutants redistributing under climate change to microplastics in coastal sediments, chemical contamination in Chile cannot be understood in isolation from Societal conditions. This talk traces that connection across two bodies of my work: long-term monitoring and science-policy engagement on persistent pollutants (through the Stockholm Convention's POPs Review Committee and the Global Chemicals Outlook), the involvement in improving chemical risk assessment in the salmon Aquaculture in Southern Chile, as well as the issue of effects on fish communities of industrial effluents, finalizing with the interdisciplinary work on Water and society issues.

I have a background in environmental engineering, geography, anthropology, population health, and environmental epidemiology. My scholarship studies the intersection of human well-being and the integrity of ecosystems that support life on Earth, using a combination of geospatial, quantitative, and qualitative research methods to assess contamination issues at multiple spatial scales. This work is grounded in exploring the connection between pollution and other planetary health challenges and the structural drivers of health disparities, such as biodiversity loss and social marginalization. My research program follows four main streams: 1) Globalized food systems contamination, 2) Environmental health and infectious diseases, 3) Built environments, health equity, and environmental justice, and 4) Advancing knowledge in planetary health.

My approach is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and focused on solutions and communities’ aspirations beyond solely evaluating damage. My work has taken me to meaningful collaborations in Colombia, Peru, Mexico, South Africa, Ecuador, Canada, and the United States.

“Connecting Scales, Centering Communities: Reorienting Exposure Assessments in the Planetary Pollution Crisis.”

Based on our ongoing research on pesticide exposures and contamination of traditional food systems, I would like to discuss two transversal topics: 1) The importance of creating conversations and finding connections between pollution assessments at multiple spatial scales, and 2) the key role of community engagement to re-focus exposure assessments to include solutions and communities’ aspirations beyond solely evaluating damage.

Miriam L. Diamond is a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment at the University of Toronto. Over the past 35 years she has investigated chemical contaminant emissions, their transport, and resultant human and ecological exposure. Currently she focusses on international chemicals management and planetary boundaries for chemical pollution. This work has been shared in over 250 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, in addition to receiving extensive media attention. Prof. Diamond is a Commissioner for Earth Commission 2.0, the Vice-Chair of the International Panel on Chemical Pollution, and is the chemicals and waste expert on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.