Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS or Bonn Convention)
(1979):
Aims to regulate and conserve migratory species, including avian, marine, and terrestrial organisms
that cross national boundaries, protecting them throughout their migratory paths.
Copenhagen Protocol (2009):
Addresses climate change by stressing the urgent need for emission-reducing
technology. The protocol encourages countries to conduct research and development for new technologies
while also preserving forests and evaluating sustainability. This is to serve as a follow-up to the Kyoto Pro-
tocol, which expires in 2012.
International Atomic Energy Agency Convention on Nuclear Safety (1994):
Provides safety standards for
land-based nuclear power plants in regard to the design, construction, and operation. It also makes financial
and human resources available for assessment and verification of safety, quality assurance, and emergency pre-
paredness.
International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response, and Cooperation (1995):
Requires
participants to create procedures for handling oil pollution incidents. This includes reporting the incident, hav-
ing equipment ready to handle a spill, running practice drills for handling an accident, and responding to help
others in the event of a spill.
International Whaling Commission (IWC) (1946):
Established by the International Convention for the
Regulation of Whaling with the goal of setting annual quotas for whaling to prevent overharvesting. It did not
work, so in 1970 the United States ceased all commercial whaling and banned all imports of whale products. In
1986, the IWC imposed a ban on all commercial whaling.
Kyoto Protocol (1997):
A protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, focus-
ing on combating global warming through the stabilization of the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the at-
mosphere. Thirty-nine industrialized countries and the European Union are committed to the reduction of four
greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and sulfur hexafluoride) along with two groups of
gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons). They agreed to a reduction of their greenhouse gas emis-
sions by 5.2 percent from 1990 levels. The United States has not signed the Kyoto Protocol.
Montreal Protocol (1987):
A protocol detailing the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
and aims at limiting the production of substances harmful to the stratospheric ozone layer by reducing and
phasing out the production of ozone-destroying compounds. The treaty has been modified seven times and still
highlights the importance of completely phasing out CFCs. Since the protocol came into effect, the atmospher-
ic concentrations of CFCs and related hydrocarbons have either leveled off or decreased. The Montreal Pro-
tocol is one of the most successful international environmental agreements in history.
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Treaty (1950):
Aims to protect and conserve fisheries of the northwest Atlantic
Ocean in order to maintain a maximum sustained catch from those fisheries.
Polar Bear Treaty (1973):
An agreement between Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States
to protect polar bears through conservation efforts, including limiting the hunting, killing, and capturing of
bears. It also protects the ecosystems of polar bears.
Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) (1991):
Mandates sustainable use of both land and
sea Arctic marine environments.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) (1971):
Works to preserve wet-
lands and use their resources sustainably. Under this convention, wetlands include swamps, marshes, lakes,
rivers, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas, tidal flats, near-shore marine areas, mangroves, coral
