NEWS RELEASE: New report warns U.S., Canada face tough environmental choices
For more information, journalists can contact:
Paul Mackie, senior media officer, +1(202) 729-7684, pmackie@wri.org
|
|||
Related publications:
|
|||
|
WASHINGTON, DC, August 13, 2002 -- A new report released today indicates that the United States’ and Canada’s success in improving local environments where its people can live with clean water and air and enjoy green spaces has come at the expense of global natural resources and climate. For example, each Canadian and American consumes nine times more gasoline than any other person in the world. With only about 5 percent of the world’s population, both countries accounted for 25.8 percent of global emissions of heat-causing carbon dioxide. The report, North America’s environment: A thirty-year state of the environment and policy retrospective, is published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI), the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation. “While Canada and the U.S. has had notable success in resolving a lot of environmental problems, progress has slowed largely due to increasing consumption by its growing population,” said Brennan Van Dyke, Regional Director of UNEP’s Regional Office for North America. The report cites the two countries’ success in stabilizing desertification and the reduction by as much as 71 percent of toxic chemicals discharged into the Great Lakes, the world’s largest freshwater system. Between 11 and 13 percent of the two countries’ land area are now set aside as parks and other protected areas. Wetland losses have slowed considerably, with over 70 percent of Canada's wetland resources covered by federal and provincial wetland policies. Sulphur dioxide emissions in the U.S. have declined by 31 percent from 1981-2000. Both countries reduced non-essential chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) consumption to nearly zero by 1996, thereby protecting the world’s ozone layer. However, the report stressed that Canada and the U.S. still face serious challenges before North America is on a sustainable development path. Soil and wetland losses still outpace the gains and although withdrawal rates have declined, the region’s aquifers are still being depleted. The report urges Canada and the U.S. to accept more responsibility for the environmental changes they are causing. Among others, both countries need substantial and concrete changes toward use of automobiles that rely on more fuel-efficient technologies, and toward urban development strategies that curb urban sprawl. “Given the successes of Canada and the United States in the last 30 years, it is a surprise that Pres. Bush himself is not attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development,” said Paul Faeth, executive vice president of the World Resources Institute. “Protecting the global environment cannot be done by the United States alone, but should always be in concert with the rest of the world community.” The report is being released nearly two weeks before the start of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Aug. 26 to Sept. 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the biggest gathering on environment and development issues and will be attended by more than 100 heads of state. Pres. George Bush has not said he will attend the summit. |
|||
|
|
|||
For more information, contact:
|
