Submissions on Enforcement Matters: What Have We Learned?
This report assesses the performance and impact of the Submissions on Enforcement Matters (SEM) process from 1994 through 2021. The SEM process allows persons and nongovernmental organizations to file submissions with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation asserting that Canada, the United States of America, or Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws and […]
Long-term Impact Assessment of the North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) Grant Program
In 2010, the CEC Council decided to establish a new grant program, the North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA), to promote model environmental initiatives that use innovation and flexibility to help build long-term partnerships that would improve environmental conditions at the community, Indigenous, local, and regional levels. This grant program also had the […]
Youth Innovation Challenge 2017-2022
Since 2017, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has hosted an annual Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC) that invites youth from Canada, Mexico and the United States to submit their innovative ideas and solutions for improving both the environment and the economy in North America. The prize includes seed funding for their enterprise and offers networking opportunities. Since 2020, a one-year mentorship program has also been included as part of the prize. Overall, the competition serves as an opportunity to support and highlight innovative solutions.
Big Bend-Río Bravo Collaboration for Transboundary Landscape Conservation
From 2011 to 2015, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) conducted the project Big Bend-Río Bravo Collaboration for Transboundary Landscape Conservation. Its objective was “conserving the unique biological diversity in the Big Bend-Río Bravo region of Mexico and the United States, using sound scientific data on challenges to ecosystem resilience to address the region’s growing […]
Long-term Impact Assessment of the CEC’s Work to Support AirNow-International
AirNow-International (AirNow-I) is a system that allows government agencies and organizations to collect, process, exchange, and communicate air quality observations and forecasts in real-time. With the goal of improving decision-making related to public health, AirNow-I also contributes to increased public engagement on air quality issues. Between 2010 and 2015, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) […]
Long-term Impact Assessment of CEC’s Work on Forest Carbon (2013–2017)
The forests of North America play an important role in the global greenhouse gas balance by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing it as “forest carbon” in forest ecosystems. Between 2013 and 2017, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) invested C$770,000 in two 2-year projects focused on generating scientific information to improve our understanding […]
CEC Grasslands Projects Environmental Benefits Assessment (2011–2015)
The North American grasslands are the only shared, contiguous terrestrial ecoregion extending across the three countries. Between July 2011 and June 2015, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) invested C$990,000 in two 2-year projects focusing on grasslands conservation. The CEC conducted an assessment process to evaluate the impacts of this investment at two and four […]
Long-term Impact Assessment of the Sound Management of Hazardous Waste Work (1996–2014)
CEC’s work on hazardous waste management spanned 18 years and included the following initiatives: Training and consolidating information-sharing among customs agencies regarding the illegal trade in environmentally regulated hazardous waste materials; Creating a series of comprehensive documents detailing the laws, regulations, trade patterns and enforcement experiences applicable to particular sectors; Developing technical guidelines and compiling […]
Long-term Impact Assessment of the North American Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Initiative (1995–2015)
The North American Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (NAPRTR) Initiative originates from a commitment of Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) to enhance the quality and comparability of PRTR data across the region, through improvements in methodologies for data gathering and management, electronic communications, and analyses, […]
Long-term Impact Assessment of the North American Environmental Atlas and the North American Land Change Monitoring System (1996–2016)
Because our environment does not end at the border, the CEC has developed over the last 22 years a unique framework that harmonizes geographic information in a seamless manner across North America’s political boundaries. Its North American Environmental Atlas aims at better monitoring environmental trends and land-cover changes in the region.
Long-term Impact Assessment of the CEC Monarch Butterfly Conservation Work (1996–2016)
Since 1996, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation has been actively involved in the conservation of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a symbol of trinational environmental cooperation between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Although interrupted for a few years, CEC efforts to conserve the species intensified after population declines were recorded at overwintering sites in […]