Last time I wrote about the cycle of poison, where one toxic substance is replaced with another, equally toxic, one. This cycle, I wrote, is exactly like the modern economy where business is profitable only when it comes up with profitable solutions for old problems. It is a toxic tango, deadly for our health and environment. It defies the logic of progress.

That's why we desperately need a global compact on product impact assessment and liability. Today, the global ecological regulatory framework does not penalise the producer if his product is dangerous or toxic. Instead, it actually rewards him by providing another lucrative market for substitutes.

International agreements do not even begin to address the principle of liability and compensation