EPA
and
the worldwide struggle
to save our planet
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ongress passed the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 by a unanimous vote.
This landmark legislation directs that "to the
fullest extent possible, all agencies of the
Federal Government shall recognize the worldwide
and long-range character of environmental
problems and, where consistent with the foreign
policy of the United States, lend appropriate
support to initiatives, resolutions and programs
designed to maximize international cooperation
in anticipating and preventing a decline in the
quality of mankind's world environment."
"H1^
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September 1974
Technology makes our lives
easier, healthier and more
abundant, but it also heavily
impacts the natural world. Our
survival depends upon the
biosphere, a closed system
in which organic and inorganic
matter are continuously recycled
to sustain life. Worldwide
environmental problems cannot
be solved by one nation: every-
body is downwind or down-
stream from everyone else.
The 1972 United Nations
Conference on the Human
Environment in Stockholm
marked the first coordinated
effort by the nations of the
world to alleviate their common
ecological problems. The
conference focused on develop-
ing uniform international
pollution control standards and
promulgated a list of priorities
to protect the environment. It
also served to underscore some
of the major differences between
the industrial nations and the
developing countries. The
economic demands of developing
nations often conflict with efforts
to protect the environment.
Conquering pollution on a
global scale will be an enorm-
ously complex task. It means
creating new concepts,
institutions, measures and
controls, and developing strong
motivations. The challenges
are greatso are the stakes.
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is in a unique
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position to stimulate this
worldwide movement of environ-
mental renovation and reform.
Through its Office of Inter-
national Activities (OIA), EPA
works with other countries on
the entire range of environ-
mental problems including air
and water pollution, noise,
toxic substances, solid waste
disposal, radiation, natural
resources and the impact of
environmental policies on world
trade. OIA collaborates in all
this with the Department of
State and other U.S. Govern-
ment agencies as is appropriate.
Currently OIA concentrates on:
data collection and analysis
technology transfer
investigations of certain
long-range environmental
problems
exchange of technical
information and personnel
to keep updated and to
prevent duplication of effort
cooperative research and
action programs to prevent
or minimize pollution.
OIA works through multilateral
organizations, bilateral programs,
Special Foreign Currency
programs and international
exchanges to carry out these
vital activities.
A major portion of our overseas
involvement is with multilateral
organizations. EPA works
primarily with the UN and its
specialized agencies, NATO's
Committee on Challenges of
Modern Society and the
Organization of Economic
Cooperation and Development.
OECD comprises the major
industrial nations of the free
world and focuses on the
economic and trade effects of
environmental policies.
MULTILATERAL
ORGANIZATIONS
Economic Commission
for Europe (ECE)
Intergovernmental Maritime
Consultative Organiza-
tion (IMCO)
International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA)
NATO's Committee on
Challenges of Modern
Society (CCMS)
Organization of Economic
Cooperation and Devel-
opment (OECD)
The Common Market
(EEC)
The UN Environment
Program (UNEP)
UN Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organiza-
tion (UNESCO)
World Health Organization
(WHO)
World Meteorological
Organization (WMO)
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Multilateral Activities
EPA's work with multilateral
organizations covers a broad
spectrum of action projects.
Some examples:
EPA operates the WHO Inter-
national Reference Center for
Air Pollution Control, analyzing
and publishing data from WHO
international laboratories. EPA
assists WHO in developing and
publishing air pollution criteria
and improving methods of
analysis and data reporting.
Supports the UN Law of the
Sea Conference.
EPA assists IMCO in:
preventing oil spills at sea
resolving the extent of
coastal and port state
jurisdiction to establish and
enforce environmental
standards
establishing resource and
pollution control jurisdic-
tion over the continental
shelf and deep seabeds
and
managing coastal migra-
tory and anadromous fish
species.
EPA supports OECD in promot-
ing the "polluter pays" principle,
which means that nations should
not subsidize pollution control
costs or use environmental
standards to erect non-tariff
barriers. That way environ-
mental policies will not exert
a harmful impact on world trade
patterns. With EPA assistance,
OECD also studies:
the economics of trans-
boundary pollution
problems
better methods of gather-
ing and disseminating data
studying pollutant levels
in order to develop
emission standards
consonant with available
technology.
EPA and NATO's CCMS com-
bine their efforts on toxic waste
disposal projects, water pollu-
tion programs and an air
pollution study designed to
encourage other countries to
adopt a common management
approach to air pollution
control. EPA specialists also
lead projects to develop low
pollution motor vehicles,
advanced wastewater treatment
and better river basin management.
EPA actively supports the UN
Environmental Program in its
efforts to establish a global
monitoring system, an
Information Referral Service, and
other projects of international
significance.
I
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Bilateral Programs
EPA's Office of International
Activities works directly with an
increasing number of nations
in spot investigations, long-term
research, joint control projects
and information or visitor
exchanges. Major programs
have been developed with our
hemispheric neighbors. The
historic Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement launched
both the United States and
Canada on a massive campaign
to restore this giant natural
resource. EPA is also helping
Canada to maintain the quality
of the Red, Rainy and St. Croix
Rivers and to ameliorate air
pollution in the Detroit-Windsor
metropolitan region. The two
countries are devising oil spill
contingency plans for coastal
and other boundary waters.
EPA has collaborated with
Mexico in monitoring air pollu-
tion, training water quality
experts, exchanging technical
information, staging hemispheric
ecology seminars and conducting
joint meetings to assess pollution
along our common boundary.
EPA is working hard to fulfill
a pledge for a less salty
Colorado River.
The U.S.-Soviet Environmental
Agreement is a major undertak-
ing for EPA. The program was
initiated with exploratory visits
and work is now underway in the
fields of air, water, marine and
agricultural pollution.
Japan and EPA exchange ideas
and information in a multitude
of areas: advanced wastewater
treatment technology, solid
waste management, photo-
chemical smog and air quality
standards among others.
Projects with other countries
include: longitudinal investiga-
tions of health effects of mercury
exposure at the Almaden
mercury mine in Spain;
eutrophication studies of the
Sea of Galilee; and exchange
of data on stack gas scrubbing
technology with Romania. A
U.S./ West German Environ-
mental Agreement has just
been completed and both
countries are now in the process
of identifying areas of coopera-
tion.
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In a joint project with Canada,
EPA is studying the water
quality of the Great Lakes.
In Spain, working with mercury
mine officials, an EPA team is
investigating health effects of
mercury exposure.
A layer of polluted air over
the Kremlin is an example of
the similar pollution problems
shared by the Soviet Union and
the United States.
«.'*"»«
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International Technology
Programs
An active exchange of envi-
ronmental technology is being
conducted to provide EPA and
American industry a better
understanding of pollution
control and energy-related
technological developments
abroad; an example is the study
to "Assess the Impact of Multi-
national Corporations on Inter-
national Pollution Control Activi-
ties." This study is intended to
analyze any barriers and incen-
tives to global innovation in en-
vironmental technology.
EPA conducts with five
countries cooperative programs
ranging from basic research on
a given pollutant to interdisci-
plinary experiments in regional
planning throughout an entire
watershed. These programs arc
financed with foreign currencies
owned by the United States
which must be spent in the host
country. They merge scientific
and resource capabilities of the
U.S. and the foreign country.
Examples:
A study of marine pollu-
tion in the Adriatic and
Baltic Seas which parallels
U.S. programs in Puget
Sound, the Great Lakes
and Chesapeake Bay.
A U.S.-Polish expedition
to measure pollution levels
in the Himalayas by glacier
core analysis. Perennial
glaciers add new layers of
ice every year; by looking
at the laminations, glaci-
ologists can tell what
poisons were absorbed
when and in what
quantities.
A study of shallow Lake
Tunis, fouled by garbage
from Tunis and Carthage
for 2,000 years, which may
be applicable to the renewal
of certain American lakes
of this type.
An assessment of the en-
vironmental damage caused
by the Aswan Dam.
Others include research into
the significance of lead and
mercury in the environment,
the toxic effects of sulphur and
nitrogen oxides, control of
industrial effluent and ways to
use or dispose of industrial and
municipal sewage sludge.
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ttSIt
Top left: Traffic-free zones
successfully being used in
European cities are of interest
to EPA.
Left: Oil spills in the Adriatic
sea are being studied in a joint
U.S.-Yugoslavia project.
Above: The Yugoslav-U.S.
project uses this hydro-
biological research ship.
Shallow Lake Tunis, polluted
for some 2,000 years, provides
baseline data for EPA
researchers which may be
applicable in renewing
American Lakes.
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Visitor and Information Exchange
The Visitor and Information
Exchange Program briefs foreign
government officials, scientists,
journalists, industrialists,
community leaders and student
groups. Comprehensive
environmental tours have been
arranged for Austrian, German
and Taiwanese delegations.
These three countries made
intensive studies of EPA before
recommending national
environmental programs to
their governments.
As plans for national programs
develop, EPA is called on to
provide "source documents."
Arrangements have been made
with 24 countries and 8
international organizations
to receive EPA reports on
microfiche; in exchange, EPA
receives about 1200 reports a
year from abroad. EPA has
printed a bibliography of world
environmental laws, soon to be
followed by bibliographies on
environmental management and
the economic impact of pollu-
tion control. EPA has actively
assisted the UNEP information
referral service in studying
systems and hardware for a
compatible, worldwide informa-
tion referral service and
clearinghouse.
steps toward coordinated
international action to save the
earth. We must move faster to
clean up our own environment
and help other nations do the
same. Already international
organizations are developing
action programs and 13
countries now have agencies
specializing in pollution analysis
and control.
EPA bears a heavy responsi-
bility to advance this
effort. We have the resources
and the expertise. Other
countries look to us for advice,
moral support and technical
assistance. We will have an
enormous impact in shaping the
quality of our planetary environs
for years to come. But we have
just begun.
The activities cited in this
pamphlet do not ordinarily ?
create headlines but they do (--
constitute the necessary first
Kijvtiv
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The reader is free to quote or reproduce any part
of this publication without further permission.
US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY- WASHINGTON, DC
20460
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