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Published in Winter 2000-2001
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Peace on Earth
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Janine Ferretti
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A lot of people across North America are involved, in one way or another, in CEC’s work. And that’s good, because it is going to take everything we’ve got to make a difference. Whether you are involved in our working groups, submitting citizens’ submissions, or participating in any of a hundred different ways, you are part of a community of thousands of people who share the goal of establishing an environmentally sustainable relationship with the planet on which we live.
In other words, peace on Earth.
From even a cursory view of the highlights of our experiences this past year, I believe we are making progress.
The year began with what we initially billed as a ‘shade coffee’ workshop in Oaxaca. Before the meeting was over, however, it had turned into a ‘sustainable coffee’ workshop as the shade, organic and fairly traded coffee communities agreed to work together, with CEC’s assistance, to achieve some form of convergent labeling scheme that could help harness the power of the market to preserve biodiversity in Mexico while it sustained the livelihoods of indigenous people who live there.
Then came our symposium on the environmental factors affecting the health of children. The continent’s leading experts gathered in Toronto to sketch out the issues to be factored into a continent-wide strategy on the subject, which CEC is now in the process of developing.
Differences between the three member countries over the Article 14/15 Submissions on Enforcement Matters mechanism raised concerns about the transparency of discussions on its implementation—even touching on the credibility of the mechanism itself. Tensions eased considerably in June when Council assigned JPAC the job of designing a public process for dealing with such issues in the future.
Meanwhile, research was concluded on a submission alleging failure by Canada to enforce effectively legislation that would protect fish habitat in British Columbia from harm done by hydroelectric power generating activities in that province. In June, Council approved publication of our findings in a factual record.
In October, we published a study tracking the movement of dioxins from some of the more heavily populated and industrialized parts of North America northward across the continent to the Arctic. The fact that the Arctic is virtually free of local dioxin sources provided us with a good opportunity to test a model developed by NOAA and adapted by Barry Commoner and his team for tracking the long-range air transport of harmful substances.
Also in October, we convened a symposium in Washington, DC, on a subject that is about as close to defining our raison d’être as one can get, namely assessing the environmental consequences of free trade. The fourteen original research papers that were presented revealed a variety of linkages between trade and environment, ranging from benign to harmful. But perhaps of even greater moment than the empirical evidence was the experience of a productive two-day discussion on this most challenging of subjects, involving civil society, government officials and other trade experts. In a world where the public is seeking opportunities to participate meaningfully in the debate on international trade and economic globalization, CEC can play a unique and crucial role as a forum where this important dialogue can take place.
It is increasingly apparent that real progress in the environmental field, as with every other area of public policy, relies on international cooperation. The willingness to cooperate in a climate that is otherwise increasingly competitive cannot be taken for granted. It takes a somewhat transcendent view, recognizing that, especially in the environmental realm, the interests of all North Americans are intertwined.
In identifying the interests of the North American public, JPAC plays a crucial role. Regina Barba, in her service as JPAC’s chair through 2000, has brought a great depth of understanding of the public’s needs and aspirations for environmental progress, and made a tremendous contribution to our work.
Nor could what we have been able to achieve this year have happened with anything less than a strong will on the part of our Council to transcend differences between the Parties in an effort to respond to our shared interest in a healthy environment. I would like to congratulate Carol Browner, Julia Carabias and David Anderson for their dedication to finding agreement on these often very tough issues, and thank them for the great and indispensable contribution this has made to the progress CEC has been able to achieve.
Which brings us, finally, to another major development this year, the national elections in all three of CEC’s member countries. As we go to press we are aware of the appointment of Victor Lichtinger as Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources in President Vicente Fox’s new government in Mexico. Victor was CEC’s first Executive Director and my former colleague. I can attest to his strong commitment to the multilateral approach to making progress on the environmental agenda, which bodes well for Mexico and indeed all of North America. We await word on the appointments of his counterparts in Canada and the United States.
In the meantime, I would simply wish to say that we at CEC feel very privileged for the opportunity to be among the many called on to serve in the great cause of the environment. To all of our colleagues throughout the North American community with whom we pursue this common goal, we wish the very best of the season.
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