1993-95 PRIORITIES AND PROGRESS UNDER THE GREAT LAKES
WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT
Chapter Two:Great Lakes Science Advisory Board
2.8 Identification and Assessment of Emerging Issues
2.8.3 Global Survey of Priorities Beyond the Great Lakes
Region
Table 8.
Science Advisory Board's Workgroup on Emerging Issues: Summary
of International Responses
AGENCY
1. United Nations
PRIORITIES
- Framework convention on climate change
- Convention on biological diversity
- Agenda 21
- Rio declaration
- Forest principles
- Proposed International Environmental Agency, and
International Court of the Environment
PROCESS
- Governments to report on greenhouse gas emissions; reduction
targets
- Plan development for protection of biological resources
- Guide on environment and economy linkages in decisionmaking
at national and local levels
- International ethic on environment and development
- Attempt to negotiate a convention on forestry
- Promote international system for governance of global
environmental issues
ACTION
- Evaluation of progress at regular meetings
- Canada: preparation of a biodiversity strategy by November
1994
- Local strategies on sustainable development
- Canada 1994: national progress reports
- 27 principles
- Reconciliation of exploitation and protection of resources
based on financial agreements between developed and developing
countries
- Institutional mechanism to implement Agenda 21
AGENCY
2. Institute of Freshwater Ecology. National
Environment
Research Council, U.K.
PRIORITIES
- Fisheries management
- Physico-chemical process
- Ecosystem processes
- Ecosystem models
PROCESS
- Government research program
- Provide sector contracts
ACTION
- Published result of scientific studies
AGENCY
3. Greek Ecologists Association
PRIORITIES
PROCESS
- Published reports of members
ACTION
- Dissemination of knowledge
AGENCY
4. WRC Group
PRIORITIES
- Private consultant to water utilities on quality and
development issues
PROCESS
- Commissioned studies related to pollution control and
monitoring
ACTION
AGENCY
5. Water and Environment Research Institute,
Finland
PRIORITIES
- Climate change; biogeochemical cycle
- Nonpoint: agriculture and forestry
PROCESS
- Scientific assessment, expert meetings
ACTION
AGENCY
6. Scientific Committee on Problem of the Environment;
International Council of Scientific Unions
PRIORITIES
- Sustainability
- Biogeochemical cycles (phosphorus, groundwater, nitrogen)
- Global change (uv-B, land-use)
- Ecosystems and biodiversity
- Health and ecotoxicology (methods for assessment, risk,
mercury cycling)
PROCESS
- Scientific assessment, expert meetings
ACTION
AGENCY
7. International Geosphere-Biosphere Program;
International Council of Scientific Unions
PRIORITIES
- Biospheric aspects of the hydrologic cycle
- Global change and terrestrial ecosystems
- Joint global ocean flux study
- Land-ocean interactions in the coastal zone
- Land-use/cover change
- Post global change
- Global analysis, interpretation and modelling
- Data and information system
- System for analysis, research and training
PROCESS
- Scientific assessment, academic research
- Six key questions:
-How is the chemistry of the global atmosphere regulated, and
what is the role of biological processes in producing and
consuming trace gases?
-How will global changes affect terrestrial ecosystems?
-How does vegetation interact with physical processes of the
hydrological cycle?
-How will changes in landuse, sea level and climate alter coastal
ecosystems, and what are the wider consequences?
-How do ocean biogeochemical processes influence and respond to
climate change?
-What significant climatic and environmental changes occurred in
the past, and what were their causes?
ACTION
- International program to support global scale assessment
activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Global Change
- Scientific underpinning of international policymaking in
collaboration with Human Dimensions of Global Environmental
Change, and World Climate Research Program
AGENCY
8. Economic Commission for Europe, Environment and
Human Settlements Division, Air Pollution Section
PRIORITIES
- Regulatory action under the Convention on Long-Range
Transboundary Air Pollution on emissions and fluxes of
NOxVOCs and heavy metals
- Monitoring and modelling of air pollutants
- Emission verification and monitoring of Parties' commitments
- Accommodation of new member governments in Economic
Commission for
Europe (ECE) (now 54 countries)
PROCESS
ACTION
- Report, annual meetings of the executive body
AGENCY
9. World Health Organization, Global Environmental
Monitoring System
PRIORITIES
- Drinking water quality
- Recreational water quality
- Eutrophication
- Microbiological pollution
- Urban water management
- See Table 9
PROCESS
- Expert meetings to design and develop global water quality
monitoring
ACTION
- Progress reports on the implementation of the Mar del Plata
Action Plan and Strategy
- Global assessments in support of United Nations (U.N.)
agency programs.United Nations Environment Program (UNEP),
World Health Organization(WHO), United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
AGENCY
10. International Union for the Conservation of
Nature
PRIORITIES
- Threatened species
- Protected areas
- Geology
- Sustainable development
- Environmental law
- Environmental education and training
PROCESS
- Membership organization involving scientists and experts from
government agencies, Non Government Oranization (NGOs),
and research
institutions from 120 countries
- Field projects to demonstrate the wise use of natural
resources
ACTION
- Advisory
- Collaborates with Ramsar Convention Bureau on the Convention
on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as waterfowl
habitat (the Ramsar Convention); 23 contracting Parties in 1980
to over 70 in 1993
AGENCY
11. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency/Swedish
Council for Planning and Coordination of Research
PRIORITIES
PROCESS
ACTION
AGENCY
12. Royal Society of Canada, Canadian Global Change
Program
PRIORITIES
PROCESS
ACTION
- Canadian contribution to International Geosphere-Biosphere
Program (IGBP)and Human Dimensions of Global Environmental
Change (HDGECP)
AGENCY
13. Report of Canada to the United Nations on
Sustainable Development
PRIORITIES
- Implementation of Agenda 21
PROCESS
- Information sharing on United Nations/World Commission on
Environment and Development (UNCED)
commitments by reporting to the U.N. Commission on Sustainable
Development
ACTION
- National reports 1993-1997 to prepare for a U.N. review of
progress in reaching the goals of the Earth Summit
AGENCY
14. U.K. Global Environmental Research
Office
PRIORITIES
- Population change and socio-economic dimensions
- Methodological approaches
- uv-B
- Agricultural impact
- Biodiversity
- Redistribution of pests, pathogens and diseases
- Soils as sources and sinks
- Improvement in coastal engineering
- Cities and sustainability
- Energy alternatives
PROCESS
ACTION