Greening Chemistry: New panel confirms importance of fighting pollution

On Friday, June 20, 2025, in the Uruguayan seaside city of Punta del Este, governments from across the world agreed to establish the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISPCWP). This was the result of over three years of negotiations that were initiated by a resolution of the United Nations Environment Assembly in the spring of 2022, which years of work went into developing. This may sound like a case of one committee deciding to form another committee, but it’s truly a globally significant event.Readers are likely familiar with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and perhaps with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Those two bodies are tasked with providing the best available science to enable sound, evidence-based policymaking. So is the new ISPCWP. The very existence of such a body will have an effect immediately. I am imagining a meeting of a country’s new minister or secretary for the environment with their senior civil servants. Up to now, this high-level official, who may not have any science background, would have been told about the IPCC and IPBES and so would have recognized the need to address the important global issues those bodies work on. Now the official will also be told about the ISPCWP. That means the global significance of chemicals, waste, and pollution, critical issues for chemists and the public, will be elevated on the political agenda. The impact of this change should not be underestimated. Making the best possible