ABSTRACT
International action is needed, and institutions have been created, to address environmental problems that cross national borders. While the environmental harm caused by these substances is unintentional, they are used and released in the course of intentional industrial activity. Alternately, sometimes the resource of concern is itself transboundary. Though there is no universally accepted definition of hazardous waste, it is generally understood as unwanted material that poses a threat to human health and the environment. The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal was open for signature in 1989 and entered into force in 1992. The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) focuses on the 2002 WSSD goal on chemicals described above, with a policy strategy to work towards chemical safety, broadly conceived. The newest effort to address hazardous pollutants is the Minimata Convention on Mercury.
