Session 5: Access to data and its dissemination, data presentation, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Session 5: Access to data and its dissemination, data presentation, including capacity building for data usage and public awareness

Mara SILINA/European ECO Forum “Get your right to a healthy community” Second subregional workshop on the Protocol on Pollutant release and Transfer Registers for countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia 19 – 21 September 2016 Minsk, Belarus

Article 1 Objective

The objective of this Protocol is to enhance public access to information through the establishment of coherent, integrated, nationwide pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs) in accordance with the provisions of this Protocol, which could facilitate public participation in environmental decision-making as well as contribute to the prevention and reduction of pollution of environment.

PRTRs empower the public to exercise two basic human rights:

• The right to information in order to take action to protect
• The right to a healthy environment

In fact it is not possible to judge from outside a facility whether is meets the environmental and safety requirements or not. Two major questions arise:

• Is this all relevant?
• Are people interested in what the industry is releasing into the

environment?

It is getting more a

• 1. State of the environment is degrading and there are examples of extreme
• situations. So, it is getting more and more important what industry is

releasing into the environment.

• 2. There is growing public interest in knowing what is happening in the
• neighborhood. This interest is fueled by high tech IT tools, smart phones,

tablets, etc.

With an increasing emphasis on public participation and access to information, PRTRs are an elegant mechanism which help to engage the public in pollution and regulation issues. Not only do PRTRs implement the public’s right-to-know about pollution in their neighbourhood or on a country-wide basis, they increase accountability of companies and create pressure to reduce the emissions.

Question Sample Data Use Key information

How much pollution does a facility generate? An official identifies companies that release or transfer particular hazardous chemicals and determines where they go. Chemicals name/identification number; environmental medium or disposal destination. What sensitive population are located near by? Students can map their neighbourhood, census data, and pollution sources on (home) computers. Locational information (accurate latitude and longitude). How does a facility compare to other firms in its industry? An investment researcher learns which companies in a sector have fewer emissions and can investigate which have adopted cleaner technologies. Industrial sector classification. What environmental data does the facility submit to Government? A community group readily obtains a factory’s environmental permit/s and emission data from a single source. Facility/site identification ( unique ID number for all reports from one facility) How has a firm behaved at its other facilities elsewhere? A citizens’ group quickly finds out if a firm has been a “bad neighbour” at its

• perations elsewhere.

Parent company identification. How much pollution does traffic generate in a neighbourhood? A group of neighbours look at maps to see the quantity of particulates released in a certain area and compare that with industry releases. Locational information on diffuse sources.

Potential users of PRTR data

• Neigbourhood community groups, citizens’ groups, NGOs and individuals
• Workers and management at industrial facilities
• Pollution abatement companies
• Pollution control and planning authorities
• Local, regional and national government
• Emergency planning services
• School teachers and students
• Investment and insurance analysts
• The press
• Etc.

How does a PRTR system look like from inside (what kind of data it manages)?

• - facility specific
• - reporting on point sources
• - reporting on diffuse sources
• - pollutant specific or waste specific

How does a PRTR system look like for the user (interfaces)?

• standardized and timely data
• coherent and designed to be user-friendly
• publicly accessible, including in electronic form
• allows for public participation in its development and modification

Role of NGOs in use, implementation and development of PRTRs

• To use the Protocol on PRTRs(collect, analyse, disseminate information)
• To contribute to the relevant policy-making and development processes

(public participation)

• To monitor implementation of the PRTR Protocol
• To ensure compliance with and enforcement of relevant legal acts
• To promote the principles of the PRTRs Protocol internationally,

regionally,nationally and locally

• To organise public awareness campaigns and create and interest of public

about the PRTRs

Role of NGOs in use, implementation and development of PRTRs

• To build capacity for ourselves and citizens on interpretation and use of

data provided in the PRTRs

• To facilitate exchange of information and good/bad practices and

experiences

• To provide a platform for bringing together different stakeholders,

including industry representatives

• To ensure openness and transparency of different institutions, government

bodies and agencies

• To develop pilot PRTRs (if necessary)
• To be a whistle-blowers if things go wrong!!!

Need of NGOs regarding PRTRs

• Extention of the list of pollutants
• Require reporting the presence of any Substance of Very High Concern

(SVHC) (REACH)

• Include resource consumption and other data that enable to assess

environmental performance of facilities

• Report on investments/actions taken by the operator(s) to reduce the

pollutant load in the first place

• Report on track record of compliance with legal framework for each facility
• Confidentiality
• Lower thresholds of pollutant emissions

Need of NGOs regarding PRTRs

• There should be an independent monitoring of the reporting as sometimes

public does not trust official data

• There is a need to compare/link PRTRs data with statistics from other areas

like health

• Include more factual data and not only calculations
• Local specificities need to be taken into account when reporting on

substances

• Data should be presented in a comparable way
• Regular analysis of data and posting on the web
• Harmonization of different systems at the global level

And what about the normal human being?

They need to know:

• That such a system of PRTR exists
• How to use it and for what (user guides etc.)
• Link between substances in the PRTR system with their impact to

environment and human health!!!

Challenges ahead

• Full implementation, enforcement and further development

(Protocol adopted in 2003, entered into force on 8 October 2009, national and EU PRTRs in place but 10 out of 12 EECCA countries still do not have them)

• Respecting and meeting the needs of NGOs and public in general

Examples of what the European ECO Forum has done to contribute to the PRTR Protocol

• Active part of the Protocol’s negotiation process
• Made the first plain language booklet on the newly born PRTR Protocol in

December 2003

• Organised several capacity building workshops in different countries
• Publicity campaigns to promote the PRTR Protocol, its ratification and

implementation

• Developed DEMO PRTR software and presented it to NGOs in EECCA region
• Carried out a project in Kazakhstan and prepared Pilot PRTR (Ust-

Kamenogorsk, 2009)

Plans for the future

Among others:

• New publication on PRTR Protocol
• Promotion material(s) on the Protocol’s compliance mechanism and its use
• Encourage active NGO participation and contribution in relevant policy-

making and PRTR development processes

• Monitor implementation of the Protocol
• Continue work on project based on our survey “Obsolete storages as a

future part of PRTRs” (presented at the PRTR week in Madrid 2015)

• Promote the use of PRTRs in the implementation of SDGs and 2030 Agenda

Thank you!

For more information, please contact Mara Silina European ECO Forum mara.silina@eco-forum.org