Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
Following is the May/June edition of 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 environment professionals.
Sections:
Article: Multilateral Agreement on Investment
(MAI)
Internet Sites on the MAI
International Environment
News
General
Human Health
Air Pollution
Climate Change
Agriculture and Aquaculture
Chemicals
Treaties, International Agreements, and
Laws
Water Pollution
Waste
Sustainable Development
Soil Conservation
Upcoming International Conferences
INFOTERRA Information
Subscribe to EarthLink
on the Listserv
THE MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT (MAI)
The Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI) is the result of three years of trade negotiations within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). MAI is a trade regime designed to eliminate nearly all barriers to international trade with the intention of bringing a new era of global prosperity. The MAI shares the North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA) goals of liberalizing international trade laws and protecting foreign investments. This agreement has mobilized public action groups and labor organizations worldwide, as well as environmental groups, around the potential threats these groups see in ratification of the MAI. The OECD hosts a website specifically designed to address these issues and to defend the MAI’s text as it currently stands.The basic provisions of the MAI are:
- the opening of most economic sectors and natural resources to foreign
ownership
- fair and equal treatment of foreign firms
- the removal of restrictions against the movement of capital
- allowing for individual firms to sue foreign governments before an
international mediation panel
- full and proper compensation for expropriation
This Agreement is nearing the final stages of completion, and has drawn protest from a number of groups around the world, such as the Alliance for Democracy, Asia Pacific Center for Justice and Peace, Center for International Environmental Law, Communications for a Sustainable Future, Friends of the Earth, Global Exchange, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and the Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch.
INTERNET SITES CONCERNING THE MAI
MAI Home Page (OECD)
http://www.oecd.org/daf/cmis/mai/maindex.htm
This site gives history, current status, links to organizations and members, as well as to full-text papers and speeches presenting arguments for the ratification of the MAI.
University of California, Irvine- MAI Information Page
http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/issueguides/MAI/index.html
Presents arguments for and against the MAI. This page was written as an
assignment in a Campuswide Honors course; Biology H90: The Science of
Biodiversity and Conservation.
Globalization and the MAI
Hosted by the National Centre for Sustainability in Victoria, BC, Canada, this site presents an overview, the history, and differing points of view on the MAI from organizations around the world. This page also contains contact information for the MAI.Yahoo's MAI section
http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Trade/Law/International/Multilateral_Agreem
ent_on_Investment__MAI_
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT NEWS
General
"An Invaluable Environment." The Economist, Vol. 347, No. 8064, April 18, 1997: 75.
For some time, environmentalists have felt that the methods governments use to measure national incomes and wealth (GDP) fail to assign a value to a country's environmental assets. Use of natural capital is treated differently from use of man-made capital, and costs of cleaning up environmental damage are treated as additions to national income, without the subtraction of the environmental loss. Attempts to adjust these measures of national wealth for environmental damage and depleted resources have met with limited success and are more difficult than some realize. Some statisticians favor a compromise where an attempt is made to attach monetary values to natural resource depletion, while admitting that degradation may be almost impossible to capture.
Human Health
Renzoni, A., F. Zino, and E. Franchi. "Mercury Levels along the Food Chain and Risk for Exposed Populations." Environmental Research 77, No.2: 68-72 (May 1998).
(Full issue dedicated to Human Health Effects of Environmental Mercury Exposure)
This article presents a study performed on Mediterranean populations with prolonged or extensive exposure to mercury. The adverse health effects of this type of exposure are enumerated, and a description is given of the area in the Mediterranean Basin which has been most-documented for methyl mercury exposure. The mercury levels in human hair are reported for a couple of study locations. The authors show that more study is needed on this hazard.
Air Pollution
"The Burning of Central America." The Economist, Vol. 347, No. 8070, May 30, 1998: 33.
Fires have been raging through the forests and scrub of Central America for weeks, with devastating effects that will last long after the fires are put out. Satellite images have shown thousands of fires presently burning, many on the Caribbean side of the region, which harbors the last largely pristine forests in Central America. The fault lies not with El Niño, but with man. Many of the fires were deliberately set by ranchers using "slash and burn" techniques to clear land, only to have the fires get out of control in the current drought conditions. Timber companies also play a role by logging illegally and indiscriminately. Those who protest often fear for their lives. Authorities have done little, and cannot seem to reach consensus on what should be done. Conservationists fear that once burned, forest areas will be taken over by farmers, and will never be restored.
"UNEP Suggests Indonesia Publish List of Logging Firms Responsible for Forest Fires." International Environment Reporter, 29 April 1998 (vol.21, no.9): 433-434.
The United Nations suggested to Indonesian officials that the names of the companies most responsible for the uncontrollable forest fires be published. Some officials say publishing the most problematic logging and plantation company names will only hurt the workers, not the owners. The fires, which most are believed to have been caused by "human activity," have burned 494,000 acres so far this year. The government recognizes that environmental law enforcement has been a problem, especially considering that the logging companies have strong political influence.
Zacaroli, Alec. "Final Rule will Limit VOC Emissions from 24 Types of Consumer Products." International Environment Reporter, 29 April 1998 (vol. 21, no. 9): 425-426.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed a final rule to cut emissions. The rule is expected to be promulgated by August 15. The final rule will set VOC limits for air fresheners, automotive windshield washer fluid, bathroom and tile cleaners, carburetor and choke cleaners, cooking sprays, dusting aides, engine degreasers, fabric protectants, floor polishes and waxes, furniture maintenance products, general purpose cleaners, glass cleaners, hairsprays, hair mousses, hair gels, household adhesives, insecticides, laundry prewash, laundry starch products, nail polish removers, oven cleaners, shaving creams, aerosol antiperspirants, and aerosol deodorants. Emissions from these products would be cut by 20 percent.
"The Terrestrial Carbon Cycle: Implications for the Kyoto Protocol." Science 280, No. 5368 (29 May 1998): 1393-1394.
The inclusion of terrestrial carbon sources and sinks in the framework of the Kyoto Protocol could make the goals of the agreement difficult to achieve. The protocol limits the allowable terrestrial sources and sinks to strictly defined cases of 'aforestation, reforestation and deforestation...' The 1990 estimates of carbon emissions, which form the baseline for all emission reduction targets of the protocol, exclude sinks to terrestrial ecosystems. Most carbon emissions come from fossil fuels and industrial activities--irreversible causes. Carbon from terrestrial sinks, however, are part of a biological cycle. This carbon can offset the carbon from fossil fuels and industrial activities for awhile but not indefinitely.
Climate Change
Petit, Charles W. "Just How Hot is it Going to Get?" U.S. News and World Report, Vol. 124, No. 17, May 4, 1998: 59.
In light of recent news reports, climate and weather watchers have much to ponder regarding the potential impact of climate change. Temperatures are rising, and studies have shown that the 20th Century has been the warmest on record (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) since about 1400. The Larsen B Ice shelf, in Antarctica, is starting to crumble, though it appears it had been stable for years. In the U.S., the tornado season has been particulary fierce, and scientists speculate that this could be another sign of global warming, since increased heating leads to increased humidity, which fuels storms. A recent study which analyzed tree rings, ice and lake sediment layers and other temperature-change indicators (going back 600 years) supports existing views that the recent warming trend is extreme, and accelerating. What is being observed presently may only be a fraction of what may be experienced in the next century.
Bouwman, A.F. "Nitrogen Oxides and Tropical Agriculture." Nature, 392 (30 April 1998): 866-867.
The author discusses how agricultural application of fertilizers has increased emission of nitrous oxide in those regions of the world. This is especially true in the tropics, where temperatures are higher overall and thus soil denitrification occurs more rapidly. The fertilizer loses its nitrogen into the atmosphere more quickly in these places. Because nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas, this could cause real problems for those areas, as well as affecting the global budget of nitrous oxide emissions. The author warns that these trpoical agricultural lands are potentially great emitters of NOx.
Shindell, Drew T., David Rind and Patrick Lonergan. "Increased Polar Stratospheric Ozone Losses and Delayed Eventual Recovery Owing to Increasing Greenhouse-gas Concentrations." Nature, 392 (9 April 1998): 589-592.
The authors investigate the interplay between projected future emissions of greenhouse gases and levels of ozone depleting halogen species using a global climate model which incorporates simplified ozone-depletion chemistry. They address the question of how rising levels greenhouse gases will affect ozone depletion over the Arctic ion the years to come. The authors use the model to predict ozone losses for the next decades, and conclude that the ozone hole will increase in size due to stratospheric cooling.
Cao, Mingkui, and F. Ian Woodward. "Dynamic Responses of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Cycling to Global Climate Change."
The authors set out to test the hypothesis that changes in climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have modified the carbon cycle so as to render terrestrial ecosystems as carbon sinks. They used a terrestrial biogeochemical model to quantify the dynamic variations in ecosystem carbon fluxes from 1861-2070. The authors predict that these changes increase global net ecosystem production significantly, but that this response will decline as the CO2 fertilization effect becomes saturated and is diminished by changes in climate factors.
Agriculture and Aquaculture
Perkinson, Glen. "‘Green Bank’ Offers Farmers Incentives to Adopt Environment-Friendly Practices." International Environment Reporter, 13 May 1998 (vol. 21, no. 10): 479-480.
Thailand’s Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), or the 'green bank', is offering $300 million in cheap loans to farmers as an encouragement to improve production methods and adopt environmentally friendly farming practices. The BAAC borrowed the money from Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan. A large majority of Thai farms use chemicals and pesticides excessively and are unaware of the "environmental demands of overseas markets." When applying for loans, the farmers must provide a detailed description of ways they will work toward meeting international environmental standards.
Boyd, Claude E. and Jason W. Clay, "Shrimp Aquaculture and the Environment." Scientific American, Vol. 278, No. 6, June, 1998, 58.
Shrimp farming (or aquaculture) has offered a way to reduce overfishing and damage to other marine species due to massive trawling. However, these benefits have yet to be fully realized,and the practice creates environmental problems of its own. Many shrimp farms use hatchery-produced larvae, but others still use larvae caught in the wild, which employs destructive trawling methods. Shrimp ponds are often situated on land ill-suited for the purpose, such as mangrove forests and wetlands, which contributes to their destruction and threatens animal and plant life that depends upon them. Wastes are also generated and often exceed the capacity of coastal waters to assimilate them. The authors present ways to make the aquaculture process more sustainable, less polluting, while maintaining profitability.
Chemicals
Montague, Peter. "Is Regulation Possible?" The Ecologist 28, No.2: 59-61 (March/April 1998).
In this editorial, Montague makes the case that the federal government cannot keep up with all of the chemicals on the market and therefore has no chance of adequately regulating the chemical industry. He says there are too many new chemicals out there each year, and that the government has limited time and funding for this effort. The TSCA legislation which calls for chemical companies to report any risk to the EPA is not strict enough to really cause chemical companies any damage, even when fines are levied. The author contends that the companies represent the interests of big business, and that there is nothing the EPA can do to change the companies’ actions as long as it has low levels of funding (compared to the companies) and lower numbers of law staff.
Treaties, International Agreements, and Laws
"Chemical Weapons: Just Checking." The Economist, Vol. 347, No. 8066, May 2, 1998, 42.
Although no one knows for sure how well the Chemical Weapons Convention (passed last year) will function in the future, it appears that the first year has been fairly successful. So far, 168 countries have signed the Convention, and 107 have ratified it. Convention ratifiers must disclose information about weapons they possess, as well as details of any potentially dangerous chemicals used by civilian industry. Weapons must be destroyed and industrial chemicals with military uses must be monitored. Trade in chemicals is also closely monitored, and is banned in some instances. The question remains whether the system of checks now in place can keep up with changes in weapons technology and deter cheaters.
Beinart, Peter. "Greens Flip over Turtles." Time (27 April 1998): 34.
Environmentalists are fighting free trade legislation which has caused setbacks in legislation established to protect, in particular, the dolphin and the sea turtle. “The charge that the Multilateral Agreement on Investment would eviscerate national environmental protections has turned a technical agreement into a cause celebre.” The environmental movement focusing on free trade has created a more conservative outlook on the part of environmentalists, a groupprided by their liberal stance on the human factor in environmental issues.
DiMento, Joseph F. and Pamela Doughman. "Soft Teeth in the Back of the Mouth: The NAFTA Environmental Side Agreement Implemented." Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, Vol. X, Iss.3 (Spring 1998): 651-752.
This article evaluates implementation of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation. The authors provide a context for development and adoption of the Agreement, and then review the positions taken in the debate over the relationship between the environment and free trade. They then provide an overview of the goals, objectives, and effects of the Agreement. At the end of the article, the authors present an evaluation of the implementation of the Agreement in the last two years, and give recommendations for further successful implementation.
Water Pollution
Dowideit, Peter and Clemens Von Sonntag. "Reaction of Ozone with Ethene and Its Methyl-and Chlorine-Substituted Derivatives in Aqueous Solution." Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 32, No. 8, April 15, 1998, 1112.
Ozone is commonly used in drinking water and wastewater processing. Information about byproducts is of interest, especially in relation to drinking water and concerns about health effects, similar to those concerns regarding chlorine and other oxidants used for disinfection. Increasingly, drinking water is contaminated with chlorinated olefins, and the byproducts resulting from their degradation by ozone were unknown. A study of the reactions of ozone and chlorinated olefins was done to research this question. This article outlines the results of the study. It characterizes the reaction byproducts and discusses the reaction rates.
Waste
"EU Parliament Strengthens Draft Landfill Law." Environmental Science and Technology 32, No. 7 (1 April 1998): 170A.
The EU Parliament aims to limit the amount of landfilled biodegradable waste by one third of 1993 levels by 2010. Environment ministers, however, support cutting this waste by little more than one half. If the measure is passed, it will take effect in June 2000.
Sustainable Development
"Global Environment Facility: Science Moves up Ladder in Push for Sustainable Growth." Science 280, No. 5362 (17 April 1998): 374-375.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a fund maintained by 36 countries to help developing nations combat environmental problems. Its aim is to actively pursue the goals of sustainable development. The GEF was established in 1991 to coordinate the environmental activities of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank. In April 1998, delegates from member countries of the GEF met to discuss the progress of its projects. They all agree that all is going well for the most part but could do better with some improvement. A key factor of the success of individual projects is the ability of the host country to continue the project once outside funding is ceased. The biggest challenge GEF faces is incorporating sustainable development into the actions of each participating nation.
Soil Conservation
Eijsackers, Herman. "Soil Quality Assessment in an International Perspective: Generic and Land-use Based Quality Standards." Ambio 1 February 1998 (vol. XXVII, no. 1): 70-77.
The complimentary approaches to soil protection (generic versus land-use based) are illustrated in this paper. A basic approach is given to what soils, quality, and assessment mean in relation to soil protection, followed by a description of various soil functions, and the way these are applied in soil protection regulations in various countries. In order to reach an integrated soil risk assessment, a number of research activities have been started in Europe. These are briefly described together with recommendations for further activities.
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.
1. Biotechnology 2000
Berlin, Germany
Sept. 3-8, 2000
The aim of the 11th International Biotechnology Symposium is to review
the present state of the art, to discuss the way in which pure and applied
research in different fields of science and technology interact, and to
demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of biotechnology. Contact: DECHEMA
e.V. c/o 11th IBS, TheodorHeussAllee 25, D60486 Frankfurt am main, Germany.
Phone: 4969 7564 24; Fax 4969 7564 201; Email:
info@dechema.de . Web Site: http://www.dechema.de
2. SUN 21: First International Week for a Sustainable Energy Future
27 July - 1 August 1998
SUN 21 Convention Center
Basel, Switzerland
Aims: Promotion of Renewable Energies and Energy Efficient Technology, Demonstration of the Possibilities of Use of Renewable Energies, Demonstration of the Employment Possibilities in the Future for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Switzerland and the whole Planet, Promoting Technology and Knowledge Transfer in Central Europe, especially for Switzerland, Inauguration of different Projects in this Area on a National and International Level, Demonstration of the Importance of Renewable Energies for Environmental Protection, especially for Health and against Climatic Change. Contact Info: Marc Keller, M.A., SUN 21 Convention Center Messe Basel, P.O. Box, Messeplatz, CH 4021 Basel, Switzerland, Phone: 41 61 686 28 28; FAX: 41 61 686 21 85, Email:congress@messebasel.ch OR info21@SUN21.ch.
3.OCEANS '98: Conference on Coastal Management & Ocean Resources
28 September - 1 October 1998
ACROPOLIS Conference Center
Nice, France
This conference, organized by the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society in Nice on the French Riviera celebrates the second venue of the Conference in Europe. This OCEANS will be set under the theme of Engineering for Sustainable Use of the Oceans which is also the main theme for the European Union Marine and Science Technology (MAST) program.
4.ERCP 98: European Round Table on Cleaner Production
28-30 October 1998
Lisbon, Portugal
PRE-CONFERENCE FOR AFRICAN COUNTRIES: 28 October 1998
This conference provides a European platform for stimulation, development
and dissemination of new initiatives to foster sustainable development
with the prime focus on Cleaner Production of products, processes and
provision of services. ERCP focuses on fostering dialogue and cooperation
among all interested parties, nationally and internationally and involves
e.g. trade and industry, agriculture, forestry, fishery and tourism, governments
at central, regional and local level, educational and research institutions,
consultants, financial institutions, trade unions, and consumer and environment
organizations (NGO`s). Contact Info: Email: ercp98@mail.ineti.pt;
URL: http://www.ineti.pt/ITA/Conferencia/ERCP1.html
.
5. 4th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies
August 30-September 2, 1998
Interlaken Conference Center
Interlaken, Switzerland
This conference continues the tradition established with the First International
Conference on Carbon Dioxide Removal (ICCDR) Conference Series. Contact
Info: Andrea Smith, IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, United Kingdom;
Phone: 44 (0)1242 680753; FAX: 44 (0)1242 680758; Email:
andrea@ieagreen.demon.co.uk ; URL: http://www.ieagreen.org.uk/ghgt4.htm
6. World Renewable Energy Congress
September 20-25, 1998
Florence, Italy
The World Renewable Energy Network (WREN)has a biannual congress which
normally held during the summer of every even year. Climate change, increasing
energy cost, emerging developing countries and their growing demand on
energy, and maintaining comfortable and prosperous ways of living in developed
countries urge the world to intensify the search for clean energy: RENEWABLE
ENERGY. Contact Info: Prof A Sayigh, 147 Hilmanton, Lower Earley, Reading
RG6 4HN, UK. Phone: 44 1189 611364; Fax: 44 1189 611365, Email: asayigh@netcomuk.co.uk;
URL: http://www.wrenuk.co.uk
7. Euro Environment '98
September 23-25, 1998
Aalborg Congress & Culture Center
Aalborg, Denmark
Pan-European conference on Industry and Performance. Major Issues: environmental management, environmentally sound product development, self regulation versus public regulation, cleaner technology and prevention, stakeholder management. It provides leading industrial representatives from around the world with the opportunity to get together and discuss new environmental achievements and current environmental issues affecting industry. The conference provides a forum in which the business world can meet public regulators, legislators, academics, scientists, the media, NGOs and, not least, an increasingly critical public. Contact Info: Aalborg Kongres & Kultur Center, P.O.Box 149, DK9100 Aalborg, Phone: 45 9935 5555; Fax: 45 9935 5580; Email: euro@akkc.dk;
