EarthLink November/December 1996

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

The following is the November/December edition of the EarthLink, a bi-monthly current awareness newsletter produced by INFOTERRA/USA. EarthLink provides information on international environmental activities, publications and news of interest to EPA staff and other environmental professionals.

CONSORTIUM FOR INTERNATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE INFORMATION NETWORK (CIESIN)

The Consortium for International Earth Science Information (CIESIN) was established in 1989 as a private, non-profit member-corporation dedicated to furthering the study of global environmental change. CIESIN was formed in response to a U.S. Congressional initiative (P.L.101-144), to manage access and integration of information. Data collected by U.S. government agencies, the scientific community, non-government organizations and international governmental organizations are made available for use in research, public policy-making and education by CIESN. The area of focus is socioeconomic data, primarily in the following categories: population dynamics; human and environmental health; land use; agricultural metabolism; social and political structures and institutions; economic activity; industrial metabolism; and human attitudes, preferences and behaviors.

At the core of CIESIN is the "Information Cooperative" -- a distributive archive allowing users to catalog and exchange data electronically among major international data archives and resource centers. The data-sharing system locates data and information relevant to the impact of the environment on humans. The Cooperative allows users to browse a wide range of data about global environmental change worldwide, and request and obtain data and information. It also allows for communication between those who have common interests in research and resources.

CIESIN's activities include a CIESIN/United States Environmental Protection Agency partnership to develop regional, computer-based environmental information systems which provide local level access to socioeconomic, public health, and environmental data. These systems offer regions the capability to assimilate data from distributed sources, and to use that data to create information necessary for local risk assessment, thus facilitating pollution prevention, and promoting regional sustainable development. Regional systems being developed include the Great Lakes, the US-Mexico Border Area and the Chesapeake Bay.

Further information on CIESIN can be obtained by contacting:

Robert C. Worrest, Ph.D
Section Head, Government Programs
Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network
1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20006 USA
Phone: (202) 775-6614
Fax: (202) 775-6622
E-mail: robert.worrest@ciesn.org

You can visit CIESIN's web page at: http://www.ciesin.org

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

**Chemicals**

Fairley, Peter. "Biologically Derived Chemicals Find Niches,"
Chemical Week (September 18, 1996), pp. 52-53.

Pressure from customers and regulators for green alternatives to toxic materials is driving innovation in biologically derived chemical markets. Due to regulatory constraints, the most prominent market for biologically derived chemicals is cleaning solvents. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) derived from wood lignin has extremely low toxicity, and breaks down quickly, enabling it to compete against well-established polymer cleaners and solvents such as methylene chloride, dimethlyformamide, and sulfone. Other biologically derived solvents include terpenes and nonlinear alcohol derived from corn cobs and rice hulls. Biologically derived chemicals are also beginning to compete with paint additives, the plastics market and paper manufacturing.

**Climate Change**

Begley, Ronald. "International Body Moves Forward on Controlling Greenhouse Gas Emissions,"
Environmental Science and Technology (1996) vol. 30 no. 10, p. 435-6.

The final declaration issued following the Second Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) in Geneva included language indicating that international climate change agreements negotiated after the year 2000 should have "legally binding targets instead of voluntary goals." The U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, Timothy Wirth, stated that the U.S. supports "realistic, verifiable, and binding" reductions in greenhouse gases. The idea of legally binding limits contained in the non-binding declaration are widely, but not universally supported, and will form the basis of discussions at the 1997 conference in Kyoto, Japan. Under Secretary Wirth also said that the U.S. "hopes to provide concrete proposals during the next meeting of negotiators in December." Mr. Begley also reported that officials from the U.S. State Department indicated that "more legally binding targets were necessary because only two countries, Germany and the United Kingdom, were on track to meet the voluntary schedule."

Wood, James C. "Intergenerational Equity and Climate Change,"
Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, Spring 1996, vol. VIII, no.2, pp.293-332.

This article examines the current and future prospects of controlling greenhouse gas emissions in order to de-accelerate global warming, for the benefit of future generations. Unfortunately, existing conceptual and legal mechanisms for representing future interests have been limited and ineffectual. Economic analysis methods offer no viable formula or model, as these tend to either over- or underestimate the value of future interests.

An institutional model for a global climate regime that protects future interests, this author asserts, could be based upon small scale "Common Pool Resources" (CPR) management regimes that operate effectively in various parts of the world. These CPR regimes support fairness, communication and monitoring, essential elements in channeling self-interested behavior toward common benefit. Examples of CPR regimes and rules that support intergenerational equity are offered. The author admits, however, that the scale, diversity, definition of boundaries, and interdependence of CPR regimes are vastly different from the global climate change management situation.

A number of ways of assuring compliance and cooperation in a worldwide, climate change regime that will support intergenerational equity are proposed throughout the article. These include "technical cooperation over mutually beneficial economic objectives." An example is: technology transfer to assist developing countries in moderating their energy demands by improving their energy efficiency.

**Environmental Reporting**

Stringer, Judy and Michael Roberts. "Environmental Reporting: Companies Strive for Credibility,"
Chemical Week (August 21, 1996), pp. 18-21.

Corporate Environmental Reports (CERs) initially viewed as descriptions of companies' commitments to the environment, have evolved into performance-driven standards. However, CERs have no prescribed format, so their content varies with each company's decision as to what information should be included. The most recent change in CERs has been the inclusion of third-party "attestation statements" on the accuracy of the company's CER or its responsible environmental management. In the European Union, use of third-party verification has accelerated, due to the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (Emas). Emas guarantees that a site has an environmental management system, is improving performance, and has local community interaction. Most chemical companies are committed to Emas, and must publish a CER with third-party verification to obtain certification. Future certifications are expected to include additional information on product life-cycle analysis, and to address key challenges for selected products and manufacturing issues.

**Ozone**

Report Explains How Success on Ozone Can Apply to Climate Change Policymaking.
Daily Environment Reporter, November 6, 1996, p. A-9.

A report entitled "Ozone Protection in the United States: Elements of Success," by the World Resources Institute, lists some key components for implementing a successful ozone depletion policy. Some of the components include: setting a firm environmental goal, giving industry flexibility to meet that goal, economic incentives, and government involvement.

Elizabeth Cook, senior associate at the World Resources Institute and editor of the report, said that an emission goal signals an industry to invest in new technology. The goal should be set early and should allow time for the industry to make the transition.

The report noted that the main motivation for ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon producers to invest in alternatives was the phaseout goals set under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

**Recycling**

Matten, Dirk. "Deregulation by Tighter Regulation (and other specialties of the New German Recycling and Waste Management Act),"
Warmer Bulletin (50) August 1996, pp. 20-21.

The German Recycling and Waste Management Act (RWMA) sets forth new controls over entrepreneurial waste management activities. The legislation broadens the concept of national waste by defining it as being property which occurs in the course of a production process, and as being property "'where original purposes no longer exists or is given up, without being directly replaced by a new purpose.'" The RWMA also establishes new priorities regarding the awareness of, and the duty to utilize waste, and extends specific obligations for companies to provide information. Lastly, the law legally codifies manufacturers' product responsibility (product stewardship). Impending government ordinances based upon the Act are expected to cause a shift from environmental management towards entrepreneurial risk management, that may produce serious consequences for product planning and management.

**Reef**

Nash, J. Madeleine. "Wrecking the Reefs,"
Time, September 30, 1996, pp. ?

1997 has been proclaimed International Year of the Reef by marine scientists and environmental activists because 10% of the earth's reefs have been "mortally wounded." The damage has been caused by human-related stress and temperature changes. Humans have been over-fishing and in some cases using dynamite and cyanide that forces fish out of coral areas. Temperature changes can cause "bleaching" where the coral turns white, the equivalent to a fever. This can be fatal. It is possible 30% of the coral reefs could die by the year 2050. Normally, as one reef dies another rises, but humans are disrupting the natural cycle.

**Sanitation**

Arimah, Ben C. "Willingness to Pay for Improved Environmental Sanitation in a Nigerian City,"
Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 48, 1996, pp. 127-138.

Efforts to solve the problem of deterioration of the urban environment in Nigerian cities have not been successful. Major criticisms of the environmental management programs to date are that they have been short-term in their conception, ad hoc in their execution, and have failed to take into consideration the willingness to pay. This study uses an indirect method which seeks to elicit the value of an environmental good from the households' behavior in related markets. Using the Achapo landfill in Lagos, the willingness to pay for improved environmental sanitation was estimated, and the parameters of the willingness to pay schedule were identified. The analysis showed that residents are willing to pay a location premium which increases with distance from the landfill. In this case, they are willing to pay about 9.4% of their annual housing rent in order to be one kilometer away from the landfill. The key determinants of the willingness to pay are income, current level of environmental sanitation, the consumption of other attributes analogous to improved environmental sanitation, and household size. Policy implications discussed included: adoption of poverty-alleviation strategies, and the inclusion of programs to upgrade surrounding areas within housing project plans.

Williams, William David. "What Future for Saline Lakes?,"
Environment, November 1996, pp. 12-20.

A lake which contains "salt in concentrations greater than 3 grams per liter and sometimes greater than 300 grams per liter" is referred to as a saline lake. These lakes are sensitive to climate change, and their water levels seem to be decreasing as a global trend, according to Williams. With the salty lake bed exposed "(d)ust and salt particles blown from this bed have adversely affected human health, increasing the incidence of emphysema and other respiratory diseases, and led to decreases in agricultural productivity in adjacent regions." Wildlife and waterfowl are affected as well.

**Transportation**

Sperling, Daniel. "The Case for Electric Vehicles"
Scientific American, November 1996, pp. 54-60.

Gasoline-run cars account for nearly "half the oil consumed in the U.S., about half the urban pollution and one fourth the greenhouse gases." According to Sperling, electric-drive cars could significantly reduce these figures. The major drawbacks to electric cars are: (1) the costs (GM's priced $33,000 and Solectria's priced between $30,000 and $75,000), and (2) they can only drive relatively short distances between charges, about 150 kilometers. Most major car manufactures are currently working on creating an electric car model.

**Water**

Conway, Declan, Maarten Krol, Joe Alcamo, and Mike Hulme. "Future Availability of Water in Egypt: the Interaction of Global, Regional, and Basin Scale Driving Forces in the Nile Basin," Ambio, Vol. 25, No. 5, August 1996, pp.336-342.

The future availability of water in Egypt was studied using: (1)an integrated model for the assessment of climate change (IMAGE 2.0), and (2)the results of Global Climate Model experiments. The research involved linking a variety of driving forces, acting on three different spatial scales - river basin, regional, and global - to investigate the relative importance of the various driving forces in the Nile Basin.

For the river basin scale, the driving forces of population density and economic activity influence the demand for water. The climate and characteristics of the land affect the availability of water.

On the regional scale, modifications in population and agricultural and economic policies, along with factors such as trade and migration, influence how the land is used. Land cover will affect the runoff and water storage capabilities of a basin, and any irrigated croplands will affect water use. In addition, export of water from a river basin will impact the availability of water.

At the global level, human activities and socioeconomic driving forces play roles that ultimately result in land-cover changes and climate change.

The study concluded that, by the year 2050, depending on the different scenarios used, the water supply in Egypt could range from a large surplus to a large deficit. A large deficit would be the result of continued expansion of irrigated cropland. For the range showing a water surplus, the trend was for decreasing surpluses toward the end of the study period, indicating increasing pressure on available water resources. The integrated approach used in the study highlights the need to consider the impact and interaction of future policies pertaining to water resource management, population growth, and agricultural, environmental, and economic activities.

"Overcoming Agricultural Water Pollution in the European Union,"
Finance & Development, September 1996, pp. 32-35.

Agricultural water pollution is becoming a major concern in both developed regions and developing countries. Increasing use of fertilizers and pesticides, specialization and concentration of crop and livestock production has had a growing impact on water quality. Controlling agricultural water pollution is difficult, since it occurs over a wide area and its sources are widespread. Climatic variability, land use changes, market influences, and governments' agricultural support policies make agricultural water pollution highly unpredictable.

Rather than depending on specific pollution treatment options, pollution control measures must be based on methods that affect farmers' land use and production decisions. It is necessary, therefore, that agricultural policies which directly influence farmers' decisions, and environmental policies to control water pollution, be coordinated.

Until the mid-1980s, the European community had separate sets of policies for agriculture and the environment. Agricultural policy encouraged increasing productivity, mostly through price supports which stimulated intensive agricultural practices. Concurrent environmental policies did not specifically address water pollution from agriculture. As a result, using nitrates as an example, agricultural use of nitrogen increased while industrial and municipal discharges of nitrates decreased. By the end of the 1980s, agriculture accounted for 70-85% of nitrogen pollution of water.

During the last decade, the European Union countries have worked to reconcile their agricultural and environmental policies. The trend is away from incentive-based methods, toward regulatory measures. While monitoring and enforcement will be facilitated by more sophisticated administration and information systems, there is still much to learn about agricultural pollution control.

**United Kingdom**

Burke, Maria. "United Kingdom to Set Air Quality Emission Standards,"
Environmental Science and Technology (1996) vol. 30 no. 10, p. 436.

John Gummer, the U.K. Environment Secretary, announced the issuance of a national air quality strategy which establishes a system of regulations. These regulations he claims, will be the first of this type in Europe. The strategy, if passed by Parliament, would establish emission levels for nitrogen dioxide, particulates, ozone, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, benzene, and 1,3-butadiene. District authorities would be required to monitor local air quality, and to develop action plans for areas that are unable to met the standards. The standards could go into effect as early as April 1997, and would require national compliance with the established levels by 2005. Ms. Burke notes that local authorities would be given "the power to conduct roadside vehicle emissions tests...[but] includes no details about additional funding to support these efforts."

**United States**

Matthew, Richard A. "The Greening of U.S. Foreign Policy,"
Issues in Science and Technology, Fall 1996, pp. 39-46.

National security policy decisions can be integrated with environmental concerns if practical guidelines are set in place. According to Matthew, what is needed is to focus security assets on environmental problems and to distribute data without compromising military and intelligence community roles. In addition, it is necessary to develop strategies for tracking and responding to areas of conflict and incorporate environmental expertise into conflict resolution capabilities. This can be achieved by: investing in environmental education programs; measuring every foreign policy decision with environmental standards; supporting environmental initiatives such as United Nations programs; and ensuring that environmental experts are included in international negotiations.

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

Notices regarding the following international conferences have been sent to INFOTERRA during the last few months. Notification is received through the mail and over the Internet. The list below is not comprehensive; INFOTERRA maintains a fairly large file of conference announcements. If you have any questions about the conferences listed below, or would like to consult our conferences file, please contact the INFOTERRA office (202) 566-0544 or send an email request to: library-infoterra@epamail.epa.gov.

International Conference on the Ecology of Estuaries and Soft Sediment Habitats
Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia 3280
February 3-8, 1997

Conference will address aspects of ecology of estuaries in order to stimulate discussion on future directions for research into estuaries and soft sediment ecology. Contact: Dr. Andrew Constable or Assoc. Prof. Brad Mitchell, Deakin University, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280 Australia. Phone: +61 55 63 3099; fax: +61 55 63 3462; e-mail: aconst@deakin.edu.au.

R'97. Recovery, Recycling, Re-integration
Geneva, Switzerland
February 4-7, 1997

Comprehensive conference on integrated resource management which will consider ecological, economic and social factors and implications. The Congress and exhibition will show the latest developments in recovery, recycling and reintegration technologies, leading to environmentally and economically acceptable solution, through the active involvement of all interested parties. Contact: KUONI CONGRESS, Geneva (Fax: +41 22/908 18 35).

Industrial Waste Technical Conference
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
March, 1997

Conference will focus on issues relating to treatment, disposal, remediation, and minimization of industrial and hazardous wastes. Contact: Nancy Blatt or Dave Troubs, Water Environment Federation, 601 Wythe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. Phone: 703 684-2400; fax: 703 684-2492; e-mail: msc@wef.org.

International Conference on Agricultural Production and Nutrition
Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
March 19-21, 1997

Conference topic: will be how nutritional value and safety of food is affected by methods used to raise it. Special focus will be alternative production systems which can provide wholesome and healthful foods. The conference is intended for researchers, agricultural producers, consumer groups, food processing and marketing industry and agencies concerned with agricultural policies. Contact: William Lockeretz, School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA. E-mail: wlockeretz@infonet.tufts.edu.

Tools for Drinking Water Protection
Live Via Satellite
March 19, 1997/ 2:30-4:00 pm EST.

Live, interactive satellite broadcast sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Public Broadcasting Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Its purpose is to give citizens and decision makers practical planning and management tools to create successful water protection programs. To encourage community outreach, resources are available such as site facilitator guide, companion educational materials, national water map and publication on water from the National Geographic Society. Contact: Public Broadcasting Service, phone: 800 257-2578; website: www.drinkingwater.org .

Control of Emissions of Odor and Volatile Organic Compound
Houston, Texas, USA
April 20-23, 1997

Conference will provide up-to-date information on problem assessment and measurement methods, regulatory requirement, equipment and process options, and control technology. Contact: Nancy Blatt or Dave Trouba, Water Environment Federation, 601 Wythe Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314, USA. Phone: 703 684-2400; fax: 703 684-2492; e-mail: confinfo@wef.org.

Second International Symposium on Environmental Software Systems: ISESS 1997
Delta Whistler Resort, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
April 28-May 2, 1997

Symposium will discuss progress and trends in the development of environmental software systems. Topics will include monitoring measurement networks, application methods, waste management remote sensing, modeling and simulation, global changes, and ecosystem research. Contact: David A. Wayne, Dept. Of Computing & Information Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1; e-mail: dswayne@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca.

Communities Working for Wetlands
Radisson Plaza Hotel, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
May 7-9, 1997

Conference objectives are to discuss methods for heightening public awareness of the value of wetlands to the community; to foster creation of voluntary public-private partnerships for wetlands conservation and management; provide information tools and to foster exchange of information on wetlands management. Contact: Communities Working for Wetlands, Terrene Institute, 4 Herbert Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22305, USA. Phone: 800 726-4853; fax: 703 548-6299; e-mail: terrene@gnn.com.

GW8: 8th Global Warming International Conference & Expo
Columbia University, New York City, USA
May 25-28, 1997

Conference will focus on regional extreme climatic swing, extreme events and the extreme event index (EEI), industrial technology and greenhouse gas emission, and global and regional natural resource management. Contact: Global Warming International Center, PO Box 5275, Woodridge, Illinois 60517, USA. Phone: 630-910-1551; fax: 630 910-1561.

INTERNET SITES

A selection from many sources of electronic information on specific topics.

**CHEMISTRY**

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS). Instituted by the International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals of the United Nations Environment Programme. POPS are chemical substances which are persistent, bioaccumulated, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. http://irptc.unep.ch/pops/manil01.html

Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS). Administered by the World Health Organization, the FORUM is a non-institutional organization represented by international and national governmental and non-governmental agencies to promote chemical safety. http://www.who.ch/whosis/ifcs/ifcshome.htm

Chemicals in the Environment: OPPT Chemical Fact Sheets. Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, these chemical fact sheets are summaries on selected chemicals which describe effects of human and environmental exposure to chemicals. http://www.epa.gov/docs/chemfact

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Under the direction of the Centers for Disease Control, the ATSDR TOXFAQS feature a series of fact sheets summarizing hazardous substances.

The Extension Toxicology Network (EXTOXNET). A cooperative effort of the University of California-Davis, Oregon State University, Michigan State University, and Cornell University, the EXTOXNET InfoBase includes Pesticide Information Profiles (PIPs) which contain objective, science-based information about pesticides, written for the non-expert. http://ace.ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet