Gov’t urged to ratify protocol vs ocean pollution

An environmental group urged the government to ratify and enforce soonest an international agreement that bans waste dumping and incineration at sea. EcoWaste Coalition issued the call after a government-backed workshop on the "London Protocol" in Pasay City. “We urge the government to expeditiously ratify the 'London Protocol' and develop a national implementation plan that will protect the marine environment from deliberate waste disposal at sea," EcoWaste president Manny Calonzo said in an entry on the group's blog site. Last week's workshop was organized under the auspices of the Philippine Coast Guard in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). EcoWaste noted that the 1996 London Protocol to the 1972 London Convention (or the “Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter") entered into force in 2006 and will in time replace the Convention the Philippines ratified way back in 1973. At least 37 countries have ratified the London Protocol. EcoWaste said the "London Protocol" prohibits all dumping, “except for possibly acceptable wastes and substances on the so-called ‘reverse list’" and subject to the observance of certain guidelines. It added that the London Protocol further bans altogether the practice of incineration at sea, except for emergencies, as well as bans the export of wastes or other matter to non-Parties for the purpose of dumping or incineration at sea. “We hope that RP’s ratification of the 'London Protocol' will also see the Philippines leading the fight to protect the oceans from dumping and other potentially toxic human activities such as ship sinking, breaking and recycling," Calonzo said. “The ratification should likewise elicit open, informed and meaningful debates and consultations on any plans to manipulate or geo-engineer the oceans to 'fix' climate change," he added. On the other hand, London Protocol integrates the precautionary and polluter pays principles that are essential in halting practices that could turn the oceans into depositories for damaging materials and contaminants. The precautionary principle is enshrined in Article 3 of the Protocol, which requires that "appropriate preventative measures are taken when there is reason to believe that wastes or other matter introduced into the marine environment are likely to cause harm even when there is no conclusive evidence to prove a causal relation between inputs and their effects." The same article states that "the polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution," further stressing that contracting parties should ensure that the Protocol should not simply result in pollution being transferred from one part of the environment to another. — LBG, GMANews.TV