refers to the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of surface and groundwater. These characteristics affect the ability of water to sustain human communities, as well as plant and animal life.
Ozone is a gas present throughout the earth’s atmosphere. protects life on earth by absorbing harmful rays from the sun as they pass through the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere). Because the ozone present at the earth’s surface is detrimental, ozone is often described as being “good up high and bad nearby.”
Acid deposition primarily results from the transformation of air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into secondary pollutants such as sulfuric acid, ammonium nitrate and nitric acid. Acidic particles and vapors can be deposited on the earth’s surface as acid precipitation (wet deposition) or via particles such as fly ash, sulfates, nitrates, and […]
Industrial pollution and waste encompass the full range of unwanted substances and losses generated by industrial activities, including emissions to air or surface waters and the substances sent to sewage treatment plants, deposited in landfills, released or applied to the land, treated, injected underground, controlled through storage, recycled or burned for energy recovery.
—the continuous saltwater bodies that cover more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface—shape its climate, provide a means of transport and are home to an important part of the planet’s biodiversity. —where land meets the sea—provide a wide range of valued goods and services, including fisheries, trade routes, recreation and tourism, oil and gas […]
are directly related to a variety of human and ecological needs: agricultural, industrial, domestic and environmental. Human development and the environment depend on adequate supplies of clean water.
(PBTs) are chemicals that do not degrade easily in the environment. PBTs typically accumulate in fatty tissues and are slowly metabolized, often increasing in concentration within the food chain. Certain PBTs have been linked to adverse health effects in both humans and animals.
refers to the purposes to which humans commit land cover such as forests and grasslands. Some land uses—particularly those that are less intensive or involve less alteration of natural systems—cause less disruption to ecosystem services such as water purification, recharging of groundwater, nutrient recycling, decomposition of wastes, regulation of the climate and maintenance of biodiversity.
is a colorless, highly irritating gas created by photochemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds produced largely by fuel combustion, gasoline vapors and chemical solvents.
This report summarizes the discussions that took place during the Fourth North American Symposium on Assessing the Environmental Effects of Trade: Services and the Environment that took place on 24 April 2008, and is informed by interviews that were conducted with 24 leading North American and international experts.
“Green electricity” is electricity that has been generated from renewable resources with minimal adverse environmental effects. Thus, it reduces the human health and environmental risks while continuing to provide all of the associated benefits.
This paper explores the potential for renewable energy to serve as a financial “hedge,” reducing exposure to fuel price risk. Renewable energy generation brings with it the price stability benefits of free-fuel generation from emerging technologies such as solar, wind, small hydro, and geothermal sources.
