Global Policy Issues

1
Global Policy Issues

• Gandhi Poverty is the greatest threat to the
  environment
• Natural boundaries rarely match political
  boundaries
• Many issues cross state and country boundaries

2
Global Policy Issues

• Generator of problems may be politically distinct
  from those affected
• Local benefits may result in distant impacts
• Increase CO2 in Montana increase sea levels in
  Pacific Islands
• Decrease wetlands dead zone in Gulf of Mexico,
  loss of migratory bird habitat
• Increase power plant emissions increase in acid
  rain

3
Global Policy Issues

• Global Issues
• Air Pollution
• Water Pollution
• Wildlife (Endangered Species, Migratory Birds)
• Biodiversity
• Ocean Pollution and Fisheries
• Trade in pesticides and toxic wastes

4
Global Policy Issues

• Global Issues
• Climate Change
• Deforestation
• Habitat Fragmentation
• Ozone Depletion

5
Global Policy Issues

• Types of issues that transcend national
  boundaries
• 1 directional 1 nation creates environmental
  risks in other nations (acid rain, river
  pollution)
• Regional gt 2 nations both receive and transport
  pollution (Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea)
• Global Several nations combine to cause health
  and ecological effects that are broadly
  distributed (ozone depletion, climate change)

6
Global Policy Issues

• These environmental issues affect societies at
  all stages of development
• Advanced industrial (USA, Britain, Western
  Europe, Japan)
• Industrialized for some time
• Air/water pollution
• Hazardous waste
• Manageable problems, but difficult

7
Global Policy Issues

• These environmental issues affect societies at
  all stages of development
• Recent industrial
• Eastern Europe and other nations of former USSR
• Serious ecological damage (Upper Silesia ,
  Poland Aral Sea)
• Costs of neglect gt costs of environmental
  protection
• Restoration and protection will be difficult,
  expensive, and require help

8
Global Policy Issues

• These environmental issues affect societies at
  all stages of development
• Intensive Industrial Development
• Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico
• Pollution of all kinds
• Economic goals over environment
• Can deal with problems, financial resources

9
Global Policy Issues

• These environmental issues affect societies at
  all stages of development
• Developing Countries
• Asia, Africa
• Problems with sustainability
• Resource base for production of food and
  sustaining life is declining
• Outlook bleak

10
Global Policy Issues

• Issues related to global issues
• Collective action how to bring everyone together
• Equity those benefiting share cost
• Enforcement
• Management Authority

11
Global Policy Issues

• United Nations Environment Programme
• Formed in 1972
• Focus for organizing international efforts for
  the environment
• Facilitator, catalyst, and clearing house for
  research and information
• Global Environmental Monitoring System partnered
  with International Council of Scientific Unions
• Promotes International Agreements

12
Global Policy Issues

• Examples of International Agreements
• Convention on the International Trade in
  Endangered Species (CITIES)
• Convention on Prevention of Marine Pollution
• Ramsar Convention
• Conferences on the Laws of the Sea
• Vienna Conventions and Montreal Protocol on
  Stratospheric Ozone

13
Global Policy Issues

• 1992 United Nations Conference of Environment and
  Development
• Rio de Janeiro
• Earth Summit
• Largest international government meeting ever
• Principal of sustainable development
• development that meets the needs of the present
  without compromising the ability of future
  generations to meet their own needs

14
Global Policy Issues

• Tied together development and environmental
  protection
• Greatest Global Challenge
• By agreeing to sustainable development is that of
  reorienting economies so they develop (providing
  greater value and standards or living) while not
  physically growing (in terms of resource
  consumption and pollution)

15
Global Policy Issues

• 5 documents from the Conference
• Climate treaty, which stated voluntary targets
  for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• Biodiversity treaty to protect plants, animals,
  and habitat threatened by extinction from
  deforestation or pollution
• Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
  state global intentions to achieve an
  environmental sustainable world economy

16
Global Policy Issues

• 5 documents from the Conference
• Declaration of support for forests
• Agenda 21 an inventory of problems combined with
  an action plan for the next century.

17
Global Policy Issues

• This Conference was a follow up to a 1972
  Conference in Stockholm
• Stockholm Declaration of the United Nations
  Conference on the Human Environment
• People have a fundamental right to freedom,
  equality, and adequate conditions of life, in an
  environment of a quality that permits life of
  dignity and well being
• solemn responsibility to protect and improve
  the environment for present and future
  generations

18
Global Policy Issues

• Ozone
• 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the
  Ozone Layer
• 20 countries
• Called to protect the ozone layer and establish
  an international mechanism for research,
  monitoring, and exchange of information
• 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that
  Deplete the Ozone Layer
• Froze production and consumption levels of CFCs
  (Chlorofluorcarbons)
• Very detailed, still have meetings

19
Global Policy Issues

• Climate Change
• 1896 Scientific theory that CO2 emissions lead
  to global warming was proposed
• 1988 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• United Nations Program
• World Meteorological Organization
• gt2000 scientists to collect data
• 1990 Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on
  Climate
• Begin discussions of a global treaty

20
Global Policy Issues

• Climate Change
• 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Signed at Earth Summit
• Established a general framework for a treaty
• 1995 IPCC reported that a discernible human
  influence on global climate was apparent
• Catalyst for negotiation of Kyoto Protocol
• Scientific consensus that climate change was a
  long-term problem and actually occurring

21
Global Policy Issues

• Climate Change
• 1997 Kyoto Protocol to The Climate Change
  Convention
• Established binding reduction targets of
  greenhouse gasses for USA and other developed
  countries
• Core was targets and timetables for quantified
  emission limitations and reduction objectives
• European countries decrease 8 below 1990 levels
• USA decrease 7 below 1990 levels
• How to achieve targets and timetables left up to
  individual nations

22
Global Policy Issues

• Climate Change
• President GW Bush repudiated the Protocol
• Science was too uncertain National Academy of
  Sciences supported the conclusions
• Absence of developing country commitments was a
  fatal flaw
• Called on voluntary measure
• Split with European Union and most of the rest of
  the world

23
Global Policy Issues

• Climate Change
• 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development
• Russia, Canada, and China announced intention to
  ratify the Protocol
• Only USA and Australia refused to ratify

24
Global Policy Issues

• Hazardous Waste
• 400 million tons of hazardous waste are generated
  annually world-wide
• Until recently, common practice was to ship to
  developing countries
• 1989 Basel Convention on the Control of
  Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and
  Their Disposal
• NGOs behind this effort

25
Global Policy Issues

• Basel Conventional
• Global notification and consent system for
  transboundary shipments of wastes among Parties
• USA not a part, but has separate agreements with
  other countries signed it, but not ratified

26
Global Policy Issues

• USA exports chemicals banned in USA
• Developing countries get exports
• 1991 51 member States of the Organization for
  African Unity adopted Bamako Convention on the
  Ban of Import into Africa and the Control of
  Transboundary Movement and Management of
  Hazardous Wastes within Africa
• Prohibits importation of hazardous waste from
  outside Africa

27
Global Policy Issues

• Trade
• Center of global environmental debate
• Fuels economic growth
• Poverty alleviation and development
• Increase income improved environmental
  conditions
• Theory Free trade promotes more efficient use of
  worlds scarce resources
• Encourages nations to concentrate on production
  of goods and services (specialization)

28
Global Policy Issues

• Theory Free trade promotes more efficient use of
  worlds scarce resources
• International trade allow for maximization of
  production
• Politically common interests reduced armed
  conflict
• Downside
• Free trade increases environmental degradation
• Increased income doesnt increase environmental
  protection, but rather greater consumption, solid
  waste, toxic substances, and greenhouse gasses

29
Global Policy Issues

• Downside
• Traditional measures of wealth exclude natural
  capital
• Benefits of free trade only applies to a few
• Lower environmental standards to be competitive

30
Global Policy Issues

• Trade
• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
• 1948
• Tariff reduction
• Congress did not ratify
• World Trade Organization
• 1994
• Amended GATT
• Reduction of trade barriers among member states
• Reduce discrimination on basis of national origin

31
Global Policy Issues

• Trade
• Most Favored Nation Status
• Keeps countries from playing favorites among GATT
  member states
• Ensure equal treatment
• Promote rapid reduction of trade barriers
• No mention of environment in GATT

32
Global Policy Issues

• Trade
• 1992 North American Free Trade Agreement
• USA, Canada, and Mexico
• First major trade agreement to address the
  environmental effects of free trade added at
  last minute by GHW Bush administration
• Reduce tariffs and trade barriers
• Incorporated provision for protection of domestic
  health and environment

33
Global Policy Issues

• Trade
• 1993 North American Agreement on Environmental
  Cooperation (part of NAFTA)
• Promote environmental cooperation
• Increase citizen participation in environmental
  protection
• Ensure that each party effectively enforces
  environmental laws
• Biggest benefit allow Mexico to enforce
  environmental laws

34
Global Policy Issues

• Trade
• 1993 North American Agreement on Environmental
  Cooperation (part of NAFTA)
• Article 114.2 lowering environmental protection
  standards is not an acceptable means of
  encouraging investments and development
• Article 104 multilateral environmental
  agreements prevail in disagreements (CITIES)
  party of goods and services retain burden of
  proof for safety

35
Global Policy Issues

• Trade
• 1993 North American Agreement on Environmental
  Cooperation (part of NAFTA)
• Environmental Side Agreement
• Enhance environmental protection by cooperative
  efforts
• Created a centralized form forum for
  environmental cooperation among parties
• North American Commission for Environmental
  Cooperation
• Responds to environmental needs
• Trilateral

36
Global Policy Issues

• Chemicals
• International Pesticide sales gt18 billion/year
• Fastest growing market is developing countries
• USA shipped 114,600 tons of banned pesticides
  during 1992-1994
• DDT banned in USA and Canada, but still used in
  Mexico still find accumulations in USA and
  Canada
• Developing countries create high incidence of
  pesticide misuse lack of national controls

37
Global Policy Issues

• Chemicals
• Circle of Poison
• Rotterdam Convention 1998
• By June 2001, 73 countries including USA signed
• Convention for the Application of Prior Informed
  Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals
  and Pesticides in International Trade
• Bans export of certain chemicals, those banned or
  severely restricted in exporting country, unless
  importing countries gives prior consent