Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Efforts have been made to prepare a feasibility study for climate warming
control which would furnish the answers needed by country division makers, but
it has not yet been possible to do this because of a multitude of complexities.
Even if a proper comprehensive global correction program could be formulated,
it's very unlikely China and India (2 of the 3 major “culprits”) would be willing to
participate. What is clear is that the most appropriate approach at this time is (a)
to reduce energy wastage, and (b) to development energy sources as alternatives
to burning of fossil fuels.
FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Problem of DCs
The world's ICs with their power/financial resources have had the role of formu-
lating the program of the ICs for assisting the DCs on how to protect (as well as
use) environmental resources as needed for sustainable development in the DCs.
The global assistance program started with the UN/Stockholm/1972 Conference,
with great expectations at the time that the new NEnPAs being established by the
DCs, with assistance from the ICs (via the IAAs including MDBs, UN agencies,
bilaterals, others), would be able to simulate the progress made in the United
States with establishment of U.S. EPA. Unfortunately for the DCs, this target
has not been achieved, because (1) it is the ICs themselves who are the primary
problem by getting the DCs to export their raw resource materials (export of tim-
ber for making pulp and paper in the DCs is a classic example) to meet rapidly
increasing IC demand for these materials, (2) the DC capabilities for developing
skills/procedures for environmental management had been quite limited, and very
dependent on IAA assistance to help the DCs develop the needed expertise, and
(3) the interest of the ICs has been focused on how to make money by utilizing
the DC resources, with quite limited interest in helping the DCs to develop their
own capabilities, hence the assistance programs of the IAA have not been very
effective.
However, the past several years have witnessed growing discontent by people
of both ICs and DCs in the way the IC-assistance system has failed to bring
about the needed results in the DCs including both protection of human resources,
that is meeting the needs of the several billion DC peoples living with incomes
at one dollar per day per person or less, and reducing the high ongoing rates
of degradation of natural resources in the DCs, including forests, eco-swamps,
nearshore marine areas, and so on.
Changes in Environmental Policy in the ICs
A promising sign in recent years is numerous media items showing a dis-
tinct change in IC policy makers in both the public and private sectors, and
also in individual persons, resulting in many improvement in environmental
performance —for example, in design of big buildings and in conduct of business
operations
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. However, little of this has taken place in the DCs.
