PRTR initiation - Identify the goals of the PRTR System

National Goals – Governments should cooperate with affected and interested parties to develop a set of goals and objectives for the system.

Goals for a PRTR system should include as a minimum those intended to meet national needs or objectives. Specific goals should be established and agreed upon prior to designing a PRTR; the goals can be used to inform design decisions regarding the PRTR’s purpose and scope. To identify specific national goals for a given PRTR, it may be useful to consider:

  • The potential benefits of the national PRTR for government, industry, and the public;
  • Objectives that PRTR systems have served in other countries that are relevant for your country; and
  • How the system could advance national environmental management goals.

International Goals – It is also important that governments consider the PRTR system is harmonised across the country. Greater harmonisation of PRTR data would provide increased opportunities for a global analysis of pollutant releases as well as facilitate comparisons between countries. Releases of pollutants do not respect national borders, and efforts to monitor such releases are needed on a multinational level. This is especially important for pollutants of global concern, such as greenhouse gases, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and metals such as mercury, which are known for their long-range transport via the environment to regions where they have not been used or emitted.

The OECD Council Act on Implementing PRTRs proposes that countries take into account the principle that PRTR systems should allow as far as possible comparison and co-operation with other national PRTR systems and possible harmonisation with similar international data bases. To guide design of a PRTR so that it is harmonised with other PRTRs, your country may set harmonisation goals. For example, harmonisation goals might include:

  • Obtaining data relevant to international environmental issues;
  • Providing data suitable for use in international scale analyses (e.g. designing the PRTR such that its chemical and sector coverage and reporting requirements are similar to or overlap with those of other PRTR systems);
  • Promoting sustainability on a global scale; and
  • Working with other countries’ PRTR programs to gain insight from lessons learned, obtain solutions, or improve methodologies for the PRTR.

For a cost-effective management scheme, you may wish to implement the next element (Performing an Infrastructure Assessment) or choose another element from the Management scheme elements list.


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