IUCN Resolutions on pollution

This document provides an overview of IUCN’s Resolutions and policy positions relating to pollution, organized in four main areas:

• Marine pollution: Oil spills, plastic debris, underwater noise, ship discharges, radioactive waste, an chemicals harmful to coral reefs.
• Water, land, soil, and forest pollution: Extractive industries, hydraulic fracturing, river governance, waste trade, plastics in protected areas, pesticides, agriculture, sand extraction, and artificial light.
• Air pollution: Acid rain, ozone depletion, energy systems, climate–pollution linkages, and dust storms.
• Plastic pollution (case study): IUCN’s engagement in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, with a focus on biodiversity integration, circular economy approaches, and addressing the plastics lifecycle.

The overview is intended to support discussion of how IUCN Resolutions relate to ongoing international processes on chemicals, waste and pollution, and how future governance outcomes may intersect with biodiversity and conservation priorities.