New Delhi, June 23 -- Countries gathered in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from June 15 to 18 have agreed to establish a new global science-policy panel on chemical pollution. However, they failed to adopt its core objective: the protection of human health and the environment.

Delegates adopted a foundational document that lays the groundwork for the panel, which will support the sound management of chemicals and waste and help prevent pollution. The new body joins the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), completing a "trifecta" of international science-policy bodies aimed at addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, bi...