# Boundaries, Limits, Global Threats – How Can the Impacts of Global Synthetic Pollutants Be Reduced?

## TL;DR

This paper explores how global chemical pollutants pose planetary risks and suggests policy solutions to reduce their impact.

## Contribution

The paper proposes new policy instruments like premarket controls and global burden sharing to address global chemical threats.

## Key findings

- Historical evidence shows chemical regulation has repeatedly failed to prevent widespread contamination.
- The paper links chemical risks to planetary boundaries and growth limits.
- Pragmatic solutions include class-based phase-outs and Safe and Sustainable by Design frameworks.

## Abstract

The planetary-scale risks posed by “chemicals
of global
concern” have deep historical roots that predate the literature
on the Planetary Boundaries concept. Two largely separate scientific
and regulatory tracks emerged from mid-20th-century research: an atmospheric
track (exemplified by chlorofluorocarbons and stratospheric ozone
depletion) and an aquatic-terrestrial/ecotoxicological track (exemplified
by DDT, PCBs and other bioaccumulative organohalogens). Both tracks
produced early warnings, scientific consensus, and eventual multilateral
environmental agreements (the Montreal Protocol and Stockholm Convention).
In this Perspective, we synthesize the historical evidence, link it
to the planetary-boundaries and limits-to-growth narratives, highlight
why chemical regulation repeatedly failed to prevent widespread contamination,
and propose a set of pragmatic policy instruments, including targeted
premarket controls such as the application of the Safe and Sustainable
by Design framework, class-based phase-outs to speed up the removal
of hazardous substances from the market, and global burden sharing
to better manage planetary-scale chemical problems.