Environment
Issues
- Biosafety
- Climate Change
- Commission on Sustainable Development
- Hazardous Chemicals
- Hazardous Waste
- Trade and the Environment
- Whales
Key Multilateral Treaties to which Australia is Party or a Signatory
International Environmental Policy Goals of the Department
To advance and safeguard Australia's environmental, economic and trade interests in relation to:
- the global response to climate change, particularly post-Kyoto climate change negotiations;
- the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, particularly the Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety under the Convention on Biological Diversity;
- the international aspects of chemicals management, particularly the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (PIC); and
- the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs);
- the development of compliance and liability regimes under multilateral environment agreements (MEAs) (in particular Kyoto, Biosafety, PIC, POPs and Basel Conventions) and more generic work on these issues by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP);
- linkages between multilateral trade and environment rules, including approaches to precaution in a range of international forums (in consultation with Office of Trade Negotiations);
- Australia's campaign to promote whale conservation measures, including the establishment of a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary;
- To develop and use international coalitions as appropriate (e.g. Umbrella Group, and JUSSCANNZ).
- To work cooperatively with stakeholders and relevant agencies to obtain input and develop Australia's position and approaches on international environment issues.