Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
The following is a monthly update providing international environmental news of interest to EPA staff. It includes information from current news sources including journals, newsletters and other publications. All items listed are available for review in the EPA Headquarters Library.
**Viewpoints expressed in the following articles do not necessarily reflect EPA policy. Mention of products does not indicate endorsement.**
** United Nations **
U.N. Agencies Developing Indices for Measuring Environmental Progress. International Environment Reporter, September 20, 1995, pp. 716-717.
Beginning in mid-1996, environmental indicators included in each country's annual report submitted to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) may be calculated using a standardized global system developed by the CSD. These indicators are used to measure each country's progress toward the implementation of the various chapters of Agenda 21 which were adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992, as well as for comparisons between countries. CSD expects that the indicators will be used by some countries as early as 1997. The draft methodologies are tentatively scheduled for review by a seminar of experts and government officials in January 1996.
Heading for Apocalypse?: A New U.N. Report Says Global Warming is Already Underway-and the Effects Could be Catastrophic, TIME Magazine, October 2, 1995 pp.54-55.
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations sponsored organization, has written a new report on the dangers of global warming. The Panel, made up of 1,500 climate experts from 60 different countries, based its conclusions on improved computer models that offer more reliable evidence than has been available in the past.
If current trends continue, the panel warned of a global temperature increase as high as 6 degrees over the next 100 years. Such an increase would cause sea levels to rise by up to 3 feet, flooding vast low-lying coastal areas (which tend to be highly populated), more frequent and intense warm weather hot spells, increasingly severe droughts, and stronger hurricanes. In addition, natural ecosystems would face unpredictable shifts in rainfall and temperature patterns with possibly devastating consequences.
The Panel's recommendations include increasing the use of natural gas, nuclear and solar power while decreasing reliance on the burning of coal and oil. Even more formidable goals include slowing deforestation, altering land-use, lessening use of automobiles, changing life-styles, and altering employment patterns.
** World Bank **
The Banker's Hour. National Journal, October 7, 1995, pp. 2471-2475.
The success of James D. Wolfensohn's efforts as president of the World Bank to reform the fifty year old institution may determine "whether the Wold Bank continues to play a central role in the economic development of much of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the former Soviet Union or whether it becomes increasingly marginalized in that effort." The author discusses the current situation at the World Bank, including: ongoing reforms implemented by Wolfensohn's predecessors, Wolfensohn's first four months as president, and the problems and issues facing the bank.
** European Union **
EU Officials Fault US Hearings that Questioned Need to Phaseout Chemicals. Daily Environment Report, October 6, 1995, p. AA-1.
European Union Commission officials criticized the September 20th hearing before the US Congress' House Science Subcommittee at which Republican members questioned the need for a ban implemented on December 31st on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and the scientific basis for the controls on ozone-depleting compounds. The officials stressed the importance of US support and the need to convince developing nations to examine their CFC use and production. The article discusses what the EU Commission hopes to achieve at the Montreal Protocol Conference to be held in Vienna, Austria late next month.
EU to Seek Accelerated Phaseout of Methyl Bromide, HCFCs Under Treaty. Daily Environment Report, October 10, 1995, p. A-7.
The European Union Council of Ministers approved a negotiating position for accelerating the phaseout of methyl bromide and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for the next meeting of Montreal Protocol partners in Vienna, Austria on November 28 through December 7, 1995. Their new position on these phaseouts outpaces existing European Law and the timetables in place under the Protocol. Their phaseout plan calls for a 25% reduction by 1998 and a 50% reduction by 2005 for methyl bromide, and a complete phaseout at an undetermined future date. HCFCs would be phased out by 2015.
** Canada **
EM: Environmental Manager, September 1995.
The September issue spotlights key Canadian environmental protection issues, including: the impact of the recent 25% reduction in force at Environment Canada; vehicle and fuel emissions; air quality management plan for Vancouver; and ways that the Canadian government can assist Canadian companies which produce "green products" for sale abroad. Articles include: Remaking Environment Canada; Marketing Green Products: A Canadian Perspective; Air Quality Planning in One of North America's Fastest Growing Regions; New Directions for Canadian Environmental Policy; Canada Tackles Cleaner Vehicles and Fuels.
** Chile **
Lack of Environmental Laws, Regulation, May Thwart Early Chilean Entry into NAFTA. Daily Environment Report, September 28, 1995, p. B-1
Chile's entry into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has stalled in part because of the disorganization of its environmental legislation. Chile has in place a series of local and national environmental regulations, guidelines and decrees but lacks both national environmental legislation and a uniform national code.
Chilean businessmen are partly responsible for stalling any environmental bills because they see environmental legislation as an potential obstacle to the continuation of the booming economic growth experienced over the last twelve years. Though industry claims it can enforce itself, this has not been borne out by the serious environmental problems in desert areas, along coastlines, and in Santiago.
Further difficulties are expected to arise during the negotiation of the environmental side agreements, since U.S. and Canadian mining, forestry, fishing, and farming sectors believe that Chile would have an unfair advantage due to the lack of regulation.
NAFTA's Hill Foes Hit Plan to Add Chile. Washington Times, October 26, 1995, pp B6, B10.
Ira S. Shapiro, general counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, has urged the United States to extend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to Chile before the European Union or Japan can develop trade agreements in Latin America.
Critics of Mexico's role in NAFTA, and the existing trade deficits of both Mexico and Canada are opposed to extending NAFTA before it has been renegotiated. All agree that Chile is an attractive first Latin American addition to NAFTA because of its economic growth over the last decade, its relatively low tariffs, and its high savings rate.
** China **
China Develops Pollution Control Policy. Chemical Engineering, September 1995, p. 49.
The Chinese Ministry of Chemical Industry recently established a new national industrial policy to minimize air and water pollution by industrial plants. The program involves, for those plants that create serious pollution problems, government-imposed production restrictions or even shut-downs in some situations.
** Baltic Sea **
Environment Ministers Renew Commitment to Cooperation on Environment in Baltic. International Environment Reporter, September 6, 1995, p. 669.
The Environment ministers of Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway released a communiqu, following their meeting in Kiel, Germany on August 23, 1995 that outlines their policy objectives for increased cooperation and integration of environmental concerns in the Baltic Sea Region.
** Acid Rain **
Controlled Reversal of Lake Acidification by Treatment with Phosphate Fertilizer. Nature, October 12, 1995, p. 504-506.
The authors describe the results of a three year eutrophication experiment conducted in Seathwaite tarn in the English Lake District. The experiment was designed specifically to test the effect on the acidity of the lake by adding phosphorus. The researchers concluded that phosphate sufficiently raised the pH level of the lake without generating excessive phytoplankton growth and without changing the "qualitative composition of the community."
"Scientific Uncertainty" Scuttles New Acid Rain Standard. Environmental Science and Technology, October, 1995, p. 464-466.
EPA's October report to Congress concerning whether or not the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 protect sensitive areas from acid rain does not call for new regulation because of scientific uncertainty about the role of nitrogen deposition. Most of the research conducted on acidic deposition focused on sulfur. Recently, however, scientists have determined that excess nitrogen can also contribute to watershed acidification. Improved test models and further research are necessary before new regulations can be developed.
** Coal **
Better Coal-Cleaning Possible, Researchers Say. BNA Environment Reporter, October 6, 1995, p. 1023.
A new method of cleaning coal offers to help utilities reduce sulfur dioxide emissions more efficiently. The process combines several commonly-used procedures. The integrated technology provides a "better quality coal at a higher recovery rate than most systems currently in use." Thus it may allow coal producers to use a wider variety of coals. In addition to providing a more efficient operation, the system can clean larger amounts of coal more quickly, 100 or more tons per hour. The system was developed and pilot-tested by Southern Illinois University's Illinois Clean Coal Institute and will be used at a Kerr-McGee facility next year.
** Environmental Cleanup **
The Green Clean: The Emerging Field of Phytoremediation Takes Root. BioScience,. Vol. 45, No. 9, October 1995, pp. 579-582.
Scientists are hopeful that phytoremediation "will prove a cheap way to clean man-made messes at mining, nuclear, and industrial sites." Research is currently being done on the hyperaccumulators, such as the perennial alpine pennycress, which naturally accumulate high concentrations of metals from the soil. The article discusses the research issues and problems related to the use of hyperaccumulators for phytoremediation.
Stick or Carrot? How to Move Waste Management Up the Hierarchy. Warmer Bulletin, 46, pp. 16-20.
The current trend in waste management is to develop sustainable legislation, policies, and programs which promote and encourage the use recycling, minimization, and avoidance over disposal and treatment. Landfills, which most countries agree should be used only as a last resort, have dominated waste management in recent years. This may be because it is the cheapest option available, or because it appears to be the cheapest. Getting businesses and the general public to see the long term benefits of the more desirable waste management options can be accomplished through economic sticks, such as requiring the waste generator to pay to have their waste removed, or carrots, such as providing grants or subsidies for waste prevention programs.
Recycling in Nepal: The Indian Connection. Warmer Bulletin, 46, pg. 6.
The recycling system in Nepal, similar to that of other developing countries, consists of a group of waste collectors, a waste trade market, and a reprocessing industry. As the Nepalese are very reluctant to deal directly with waste, most of the collectors are from India's more competitive waste markets. The recycling industry itself is not flourishing in Nepal, partly as a result of the outflow of materials to India, but perhaps the most serious problem is the lack of community involvement and awareness.
** Environmental Education **
Environmental Education: A Blueprint for Achievement? Environmental Professional, (17:3) September 1995, p.263-270
It is difficult to evaluate environmental education until the goal is defined: long-term environmental literacy or near-term support for environmental decision-making? Whatever the goal, there has been a dismal record of political support and a paltry level of funding for environmental education. The prognosis for real progress or accomplishment in this area is doubtful. The authors are two officers of the University of Florida's Educational Research and Development Center and a senior science advisor at EPA.
** Greenpeace **
It's Not Easy Being Greenpeace. TIME Magazine, October 16, 1995, p.86
Greenpeace, the most recognized environmental organization in the world, is undergoing an intense internal battle over its future direction. The battle is being waged between the hardline "ecowarriors" that originally founded the organization some 24 years ago and the more diplomatically-minded members. Thilo Bode, elected last summer as executive director of Greenpeace International, is a leader inclined to believe that organizational goals can be better met through offering new solutions to problems and attempting to actually negotiate with industry at times, rather than merely staging headline-grabbing stunts. This argument has gained new supporters in light of recent public blunders and embarrassments such as the confrontation with Shell Oil over the Brent Spar oil storage platform and the seizure of Greenpeace vessels protesting French nuclear testing in the South Pacific.
** International Trade **
The Race for the Bottom. The Economist, October 7, 1995, p. 90
The article discusses the increase in the intensity and number of international trade disputes that result from differing domestic regulations. Companies complain about the increasing costs of adapting to different regulations in different markets and are concerned that the varying labor and environmental protection standards may give unfair advantages to certain countries in attracting direct investment. Alan Sykes (a law professor at the University of Chicago) has argued in a recent book that the market will itself force compatibility because consumers will not buy incompatible goods such as computer components. The article also discusses arguments by Jagdish Bhagwati (economist at Columbia University in New York) on the demands for reducing diversity. These include a fear of the "race for the bottom" in environmental and labor standards in which companies will be attracted to countries where regulations are looser and they can to drop their own standards. Mr. Bhagwati suggests that the American government should require American firms to operate under the same standards and regulations abroad as they would at home rather than force poor countries to adopt higher standards.
** Nuclear Energy **
The International Community and the Closure of Chernobyl. Environmental Policy and Law, vol. 25, no. 4/5, 1995.
Though the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons provides nations with an "unalienable right" to the peaceful use and development of nuclear energy, the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 made it clear that existing international laws and agreements did not provide satisfactory safety systems or adequate definition of international obligations and liabilities. This article traces how issues such as mutual assistance, compensation for damage, and strengthening of safety standards have been addressed. Chapters focus on the historical development of international opinion and assistance on: (1) the liability issue, (2) the European Union's new relationship with the Ukraine, (3) European nuclear energy law initiatives, (4) the G-7 global strategy for the Ukraine, (5) the technical aid program that is being offered to the Commonwealth of Independent States through TACIS, and (6) the results of EU/G-7 delegation to Kiev in April 1995. The goal is to close the Chernobyl nuclear power plant by the year 2000 at an estimated global cost of $4 billion. Funding, however, still remains an issue. An annex describes the contributions of three major international organizations that deal with nuclear safety: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). The second annex provides a "non-exhaustive overview" of conventions in the field of nuclear energy law.
** Ozone Depletion **
Antarctic Ozone Depletion More Rapid, WMO Reports. BNA Environment Reporter, September 22, 1995, p. 936.
At a 12 September press conference by the World Meteorological Organization, summarized by this BNA article, consultant Rumen Boskov said that the ozone hole over the Antarctic is widening "at an unprecedented rate and is the most rapid depletion on record." Boskov believes that until all countries phase out chlorofluorocarbons, the major contributors to the ozone hole, as required by the 1985 Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol the situation will not be alleviated. In fact, he says, despite these actions, it will take at least 10 years for the rate of decline to begin to level off and diminish.
** Pesticides **
The Cost of Bananas. The Economist, September 16, 1995, p. 54.
Multinational companies (Dow Chemical, Shell and Occidental Chemical) are facing lawsuits from 16,000 workers in 11 countries who were exposed to dibromochloropropane (DBCP). The workers are also suing Standard Fruit, Dole Fresh Fruit, and Chiquita for negligence in the use of DBCP, claiming that they were exposed to the chemical after the companies knew the risks to human health. The US EPA put a permanent ban on the use of DBCP in 1979 and production was halted in the USA, but the pesticide was still used in Ecuador and Cote d'Ivoire during the 1980s. Four thousand lawsuits will be heard in the USA.
** Water **
Building a National Water Quality Monitoring Program. Environmental Science and Technology, October, 1995, p. 458-463.
The Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality (ITFM), a three-year-old federal/state committee established to recommend improvements in the methods of acquiring water quality data, is planning to establish a permanent national body for that purpose. The National Water Quality Monitoring Council's mission will be to integrate the wide array of public and private water monitoring programs at the local, state, and federal levels into a coordinated effort to monitor water quality in the United States.
