OWG Proposed Target 12.4

RATING: GOOD – while it can be costly to manage chemicals and hazardous waste, the release of these substances into the environment can create significant health and environmental problems. There is a solid economic case to restrict the release of such substances into air, water and soil.
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In our recent report, not just the target above, but all 169 targets have been assessed by 60 teams of the world’s top economists. The targets have been categorized into five ratings based on evidence of economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits. While we applaud that the UN Open Working Group's final outcome document contains 43 fewer targets than the previous document, we are concerned that many targets have simply been combined, therefore reducing the number of both phenomenal and poor targets assessed according to our cost-benefit analysis. Our new assessment includes suggestions for how these can be improved as reported in this article by the Financial Times.