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Rising levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment have spurred governments around the world to engage in cooperative action on a global scale to control those chemicals that pose significant threats to human health and the environment. Political efforts to mitigate the risks posed by these chemicals are impeded by the technical complexity associated with POPs pollution, and are thus predicated on the scientific assessments of experts in fields such as chemistry and toxicology. Policymakers' reliance on scientific expertise for guidance on risk assessment and management has reduced their control over policy and has given scientists authority to determine socially acceptable levels of risk, thus blurring the boundaries between science and politics. Conversely, the implications of science-based decision-making have increased the interest and involvement of political actors in a phase of evaluation that is often seen as objective, fact-based, and free of political interest. This thesis analyzes the ways in which various actors with scientific expertise - representatives of governments, industry, and environmental/public health NGOs - working under the auspices of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants have used strategic issue framing tactics to promote predetermined policy agendas during the scientific review of chemicals proposed for regulation. This research breaks new ground by analyzing the ways elite decision-makers strategically frame issues in order to influence the policy preferences of other elites, and by evaluating the role of issue framing in the context of live policy negotiations. Key findings include the following: 1) the formation of epistemic communities of technical experts is precluded by political pressure on scientists to represent government/organizational interests, and 2) scientists strategically frame issues in ways that support the social, economic or political interests of the governments or organizations with which they are affiliated, thus contributing to the politicization of science-based decision-making.
Since the mid 1990s, legal action to eliminate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has started resulting in a global Convention on POPs, the Stockholm Convention, and a regional Protocol under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (UN-ECE LRTAP Convention). POPs are characterized by long half-lives, persistence in the environment, they undergo long-range transport, accumulate in the environment and in biota, and they are toxic. The combination of these characteristics makes them a threat at the global level. This book makes the reader familiar with the goals of these two conventions, lays out characteristics of these compounds, presents results from case studies and addresses inventories, levels in humans and the environment as well as technologies to destroy them.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) continue to be the subject of concern amongst the public, as well as the scientific and policy-making communities. These concerns are exemplified by the international efforts co-ordinated by the United Nations' Environment Programme and the +Economic Commission for Europe. Whilst the ultimate origin of this concern is the adverse effects of persistent organic pollutants in both humans and wildlife, there are other factors involved. In particular, whilst ambient concentrations of POPs in air and water present little direct hazard via inhalation and ingestion respectively, their propensity for transfer through the food chain means that species at the top of the ecological pyramid - including humans - can be exposed to concentrations of concern via their diet. Furthermore, their ability to undergo long-range atmospheric transport means that they represent a truly cross-boundary problem for mankind. Persistent Organic Pollutants focuses on the sources, atmospheric behaviour, terrestrial and aquatic food chain transfer, and human exposure and fate aspects of this important class of chemicals. Other topical issues are addressed, namely: temporal trends in contamination; their transport to polar regions; and the significance of the former Warsaw Pact nations of Central and Eastern Europe as both a global reservoir and source of POPs. Whilst the main focus is on PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PAH; other organochlorine POPs such as DDT, lindane, and dieldrin are covered. Persistent Organic Pollutants also provides up-to-date, detailed, and authoritative coverage required by academics, environmental consultants, and policy-makers. Sufficient introductory material is also included to be of relevance to final year undergraduates, Masters and PhD students in Environmental Science/Chemistry.
While plastics are extremely useful materials for modern society, plastics production and waste generation continue to increase with worsening environmental impacts despite international, national and local policy responses, as well as industry commitments. The first of two reports, this Outlook intends to inform and support policy efforts to combat plastic leakage.
This paper looks at the role and importance of economic instruments in the context of three specific biodiversity related Multilateral Environmental Agreements. These are the Convention on international Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention). The paper also discusses ways to improve and enhance the use of economic instruments as a means of conserving and sustaining biological diversity. (UNEP).
The harm to Pakistanis’ health, economy, and environment from urban air pollution is among the highest in South Asia, exceeding several high-profile causes of mortality and morbidity in Pakistan. This report details a broad spectrum of research on Pakistan’s air quality management challenges and presents concrete steps to achieve improvements.
This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the economic consequences of outdoor air pollution in the coming decades, focusing on the impacts on mortality, morbidity, and changes in crop yields as caused by high concentrations of pollutants.
This volume presents six new papers on environmental and energy economics and policy in the United States. Rebecca Davis, J. Scott Holladay, and Charles Sims analyze recent trends in and forecasts of coal-fired power plant retirements with and without new climate policy. Severin Borenstein and James Bushnell examine the efficiency of pricing for electricity, natural gas, and gasoline. James Archsmith, Erich Muehlegger, and David Rapson provide a prospective analysis of future pathways for electric vehicle adoption. Kenneth Gillingham considers the consequences of such pathways for the design of fuel vehicle economy standards. Frank Wolak investigates the long-term resource adequacy in wholesale electricity markets with significant intermittent renewables. Finally, Barbara Annicchiarico, Stefano Carattini, Carolyn Fischer, and Garth Heutel review the state of research on the interactions between business cycles and environmental policy.
Day after day after day, everyday, human lifestyles damage the environment and despoil life which manifest themselves, in due course of time, as polluted air and water, global warming, drought, floods, or famine. All over the world, increasingly powerful technologies are making it possible for people to extract more and more from ecosystems to feed not only themselves but also numerous industries that generate various kinds of toxins and wastes. The book, which has a glossary, discusses some of the environmental and demographic messes of today from a multidimensional perspective of economics, sociology, science and technology and, wherever feasible, suggests suitable strategies for addressing the issues. It should prove informative to scientists, ecologists, biologists, economists, sociologists, engineers, politicians, policy makers, as well as consumers and providers of energy. Contents Chapter 1: General Introduction, Definition and history, Geography as a bridge between environment and society, Holocene and anthropocene, The earth system (Gaia), Complexity of ecological systems, Top environmental issues; Unknown environmental problems, Environmental discontinuities and synergisms, Environmental anti-science, The economy environment relations, Economic reforms and air pollution, Environment and income inequalities, Environmental maladaptation and political centralization, The ETC century, Global energy prospects, The socio-economic environment, The concept of consilience; Chapter 2: Population Problems, Introduction, The earth s carrying capacity, Population policy: consensus and challenges, Population, Resources and globalization, Population, Human development and sustainability, Affluence and environment, Urban population trends, World urbanization prospects, Poverty, Urbanization and poverty, Hunger, Social and economic dimensions of environmental change, Environmental technology, Role of social policy in development, Problems of population and food, Linkage between global environment change and food systems; Chapter 3: Energy Use and Economic Development, Introduction, Mainstream economics, The biophysical systems, Perspective of environment and society, Economic growth, Integrating economics and ecology, The global environmental crisis, Ecological economics, Nature valuation, Energy supply development, Energy demand management, Sectoral strategies, Energy market and the environmet, Renewable energy, Nuclear power and sustainable development, Energy-environment integration, Environmental value systems, Technology and the environment, Best available techniques for large combustion plants, Noval gas technologies, Alternatives to petrol and diesel, Diesel substitute; Chapter 4: Economics, Trade and Globalization, Introduction, Invisible government, The new economy, Impacts of WTO rules, World trade and consumer rights, Trade in plant genetic resources, Environment and business, Structural adjustment, Farmers and the environment, Loans for agribusiness, Impact of world trade on health, Green environment, agriculture and globalization, A decade after the Rio Earth Summit, Global public goods and health, Globalization and Poverty, Sustainability and Global change, Promoting socially responsible business in developing countries, Ecology of overshooting human economy, Textiles and the environment; Chapter 5: Politics and Society, Introduction, Sustainable development, The risk society, The kyoto protocol and landuse and landuse change and forestry, Between sovereignty and globalization, Democratic governance, Ecological modernization, Ecosystem goods and services, Environmental values, An environmental matrix, Participatory environmental processes, Environmental performance indicators, An ecosystems approach to developing indicators; Chapter 6: Environmental Degradation, Introduction, Industrialization, Urbanization and pollution, Urbanization and globalization, Balancing globalization and urbanization, The environmental and spatial transformation of world cities, Urban slums, Landuse conflicts, Chronic disturbance, Fires in the earth system, Desertification, The poverty-environmental degradation nexus, Poverty and environmental degradation, Driving factors and mechanisms of environmental degradation; Chapter 7: Human Influences and Environmental Impacts, Introduction, The impact of energy systems on atmospheric carbon dioxide, Fossil fuels, Prospects for future emissions, Generating operations, Acid emission control, Pollution control of transport systems, Hydroelectric projects, Geothermal energy systems, Nuclear energy systems, Human-environment interactions, Hill s dilemma, People and nature, The fragile planet, Interactions among atmosphere, ocean, land and humans, Past land cover change due to human activities; Chapter 8: General and Hazardous Wastes and their Substances, Introduction, Toxic substances, Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), Organochlorines, Phenolic compounds and their degradation, Sewage treatment, The principles of solid waste management, MSW disposal, Hazardous waste cleanup, Management of hazardous waste, Waste management in third world countries, Treatment of sludge, Harmful effects of land application of sludge, Treatment of wastewater, Composting, Bioremediation, Household waste management, Wastes as resource, From biowaste to biogas.