A commitment
to address the environmental
and development problems of
THE WIDER CARIBBEAN
, . e know...that increased trade
and economic development is needed to
reduce poverty and improve the quality
of life for all the ivorld's people.
However, if we fail to make wise
economic and environmental choices,
those needed increases in economic
activity are likely to result in new
burdens on earth's ability to sustain
life. Our challenge is both to provide
greater opportunities for an expanding
population and to protect the
environment on which we depend."
President George Bush
- Am/rtgy and economy are
inseparable. Lip service has been given
to this proposition; but it is clear that
it is still not wideli/ understood."
Sir Shridath S. Ramphal, Chairman
of the West Indian Commission
T
JL he issue
EPA
902
1997.1
c.l
JL he issue is not whether we will
survive as a species but under what
condition we will be living in the
future. By the end of this decade, we
either will have rallied and turned back
the threatening trends, or
environmental deterioration and
economic decline will be feeding on
each other."
Lester R. Brown, President, WorldWatch
Institute
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Matching Environmental
coastline of the six states
J. bordering on the Gulf of
Mexico is the largest single
shoreline linked to marine
waters of the Wider
Caribbeana 1,741 mile
coastline.
The marine environment of
the southern United States and
Mexico is linked by
circulating ocean currents to the
marine environment of the
other Caribbean countries and
the countries of South America.
The ocean circulation of the
Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of
Mexico are integrated systems
which produce common marine
and coastal pollution and
related environmental
problems.
International concerted
efforts are needed to address
shared environmental problems
and associated economic and
sustainable development
problems of the region.
NORTH AMERICA
The Wider Caribbean countries
need to work in concert to solve
shared marine and coastal pollution
problems:
Increasing urbanization and tourist
development which produce pressure
on ecosystems
Disposal of untreated or
inadequately treated sewage with
attendant public health concerns
Increased use and runoff of
pesticides and chemicals
Contaminated ground water and
coastal pollution resulting from
improper solid waste disposal
Overfishing and non-enforcemen:
of regulations to protect immature
fish stocks
Deforestation, soil erosion,
declining agricultural productivity
and silting of estuaries
Destruction of tidal wetlands
Oil spills associated with the
production, refining and
transportation of petroleum products
Disposal of garbage and other
waste at sea
Lack of port facilities to handle
ship wastes
Annual persistent currents
Seasonally intermittent currents
Input into Gulf Stream
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Solutions to Development Problems
Role of the United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
The Department of State has asked
the Environmental Protection Agency
to assume the technical lead for the
United States to assist in developing
a protocol for land-based sources of
marine pollution under the Cartagena
Convention. The agency is working
closely with the Department of State,
other federal agencies and the United
Nations Environmental Programme
(UNEP) on this matter.
In addition, EPA is pursuing
several new and innovative
approaches to promote cooperation
among the governments, industry,
academia and non-governmental
organizations of the Wider
Caribbean.
Based on EPA's regulatory authority
and environmental mission in the
Gulf of Mexico states of the United
States, Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands, the agency is
furthering cooperative efforts with
concerned parties in the region to
facilitate the establishment of a
Caribbean Environment and
Development Institute. The Institute
will be a non-profit, institution
involving academia,
non-governmental environmental
organizations and the private sector.
Financial mechanisms will be
established to support public-private
environmental partnerships.
The Consortium for the Wider
Caribbean is also established as a
partnership of institutions and
agencies from Wider Caribbean
countries dedicated to a common
venture of finding solutions to
regional problems.
Goals
of the Institute
Assist in the development of an
environmental network among
countries, organizations and facilities
in the region for the purpose of
sharing expertise, technology and
information
Develop partnerships between
business, government, academic and
non-governmental environmental
organizations and encourage
practices of sustainable development,
pollution prevention and waste
minimization
Coordinate with existing programs
emphasizing environmental capacity
building, education, training,
technical cooperation and
demonstration projects related to
sustainable development
Facilitate projects and programs for
the Wider Caribbean drawing on
existing facilities, institutions and
capabilities in the region
Proposed Projects and Programs of
the Institute include development of
Public-private partnerships through
voluntary actions and joint
environmental research projects;
Education, training and technical
cooperative programs similar to EPA
workshops for tropical water quality
standards, treatment of solid waste
and control of land-based sources of
pollution;
Local and regional information
management and research capacity to
support improved environmental
decision-making through the sharing
of information, technology and
expertise; a concerted effort among
U.S. federal agencies to develop a
joint program for environmental
research, monitoring and mapping
the ecosystems of the region;
Outreach programs to
organizations throughout the Wider
Caribbean region, so as to develop a
flexible consortium to define and
facilitate solutions to common
problems; land-based sources of
pollution have already been
identified through the Cartagena
Convention as a priority regional
environmental issue.
The Institute will complement existing public and
private initiatives within the United States with other
nations of the Wider Caribbean, including President
Bush's Caribbean Basin Initiative, the Enterprise for
the Americas Initiative, the Gulf of Mexico Program
and the proposed Interhemispheric Research Center
for Global Change, and other binational and
multinational efforts in the hemisphere, including
the proposed North America Free Trade Agreement
and the first stage of an Integrated Environmental
Plan for the Mexican-U.S. Border Area (1992-1994).
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For information, contact
Wider Caribbean Program
Caribbean Field Office
1412. Fernandez Juncas Avenue
Sanlrurce, Puerto Rico 00909
Tel. 809-729-6922
Fax. 1-809-729-7746
oEPA
"ft": Printed on Recycled Par. '
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
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