ABSTRACT
The prevention of environmental pollution by pesticides has become a norm of conduct, guiding the behaviour of all actors. To some actors, the evidence of environmental damage due to pesticide use is enough to warrant the outright abolition of their use in any capacity, whereas others merely wish to see them used with some consideration for their ecological consequences. The issue of pesticide induced environmental pollution was the catalyst for the appearance of all pesticide issues on the international political agenda, and also to some extent the emergence of the wider issue of environmental degradation itself. The politics of environmental pollution by pesticides generally operates at the state or regional level, and not directly on a global scale. The impact that Prior Informed Consent (PIC) will have on environmental pollution still remains to be seen, but ultimately the decisions relevant to the issue are still being taken at the level of national government, often according to a perceived national interest.
