Framework for Novel Entities
21/08/2026
A new paper in Nature Sustainability lays out a roadmap to set limits on chemicals and materials that are both safe for the planet and just for people’s health.
Led by Commissioner Miriam Diamond and collaborator Zhanyun Wang, the authors argue the world can no longer manage chemicals on an individual basis. By 2020, more than 350,000 individual chemicals and mixtures had been registered for large-scale use, yet just over a third of them had been evaluated for safety by regulators, and the makeup of many are hidden behind confidentiality claims.
At the same time, uncontrolled production, use and release of these “novel entities” exacerbate climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, with harmful impacts on ecosystems and human health.
“The effects of chemical pollution are all around us,” said Diamond, a professor at the University of Toronto and an international expert in chemical contaminants, “from declining populations of insects, pollinators and certain birds linked to pesticides to the rise of illnesses among people that are associated with chemical exposure.”
She added: “We have more chemicals and more types of chemicals to contend with, while our capacity to assess and control them is limited and, in some countries, shrinking.”
Alongside Diamond, several other Commissioners and Earth Commission contributors helped co-author the paper: Anna Shalin, Lin Boynton, Matthis Schäfer, Shengnan Wang, Miguel van der Velden, Albert Norström, Fatima Denton and Johan Rockström.
To address these challenges, the researchers propose a three-pillar conceptual framework.
The first is to synthesize what we know by compiling already measured levels of chemicals in air, water, soil and people and compare them to health and ecosystem benchmarks.
The second pillar is to uncover what is missing from our understanding with horizon-scanning tools, including AI and large language models, to spot overlooked or emerging chemicals and to anticipate how larger trends like climate change will shift chemical risks in the future.
Pillar three focuses on charting transformation pathways. It calls for identifying the structural drivers and “lock-ins” that keep harmful practices in place, and charting realistic pathways leading to safer and more equitable ways humanity can produce, use and dispose of chemicals and materials.
Rather than trying to calculate limits for every single chemical, the framework also focuses on the overall impact of novel entities and urges action even when the data is incomplete.
“The framework provides a global and as-comprehensive-as-it-can-be picture of the current state of chemical pollution. It also shows the numerous data and knowledge gaps,” Diamond said. “But we assert that the data are sufficiently compelling to move forward along transformation pathways.”
It suggests putting limits in place early, on the cautious side, to avoid causing harm that is hard or impossible to reverse as well as halting non-essential uses of the most hazardous and persistent chemicals, such as not using “forever chemicals” and antimicrobials in every day consumer products where they offer limited or no benefit and where alternatives are available or should be developed.
The authors emphasize this is also just a starting point to guide science, monitoring and policy. They invite researchers, decision-makers, industries and communities to help build the evidence base and co-design solutions so the world can benefit from chemicals and materials without crossing into dangerous territory for people or the planet.
