Draft Options for a CEC Role in the Sustainable Use and Conservation of Freshwater in North America
At the 2001 CEC Council session, the environmental ministers of Canada, Mexico and the United States agreed to undertake an initiative to analyze issues related to “local water pricing and watershed management, and promote accessible, affordable technologies for improving water management.” In response to the Council’s initiative, the Secretariat initiated, as part of its 2002 […]
Free Trade and the Environment
This booklet summarizes some key observations of work thus far by the CEC Secretariat and the public. It highlights, in particular, findings presented in late 2000 at the first North American Symposium on Understanding the Linkages between Trade and Environment in Washington, DC, as well as places this important work in the broader context of […]
In Search of a Sustainable Palm Market in North America
The goal of the CEC’s work on the Chamaedorea palm, a wild species endemic to Mexico and selected by the CEC’s Governing Council as a pilot species, is to study the possibility of using the market to protect the species. The basic question is, under what conditions, if any, would trading of a wild species […]
Review of Progress on the North American Bird Conservation Initiative
Birds are the most visible component of the biological diversity of North America. More than a thousand species of birds are found in Canada, Mexico and the United States, and many of them use habitats in several countries during their annual migratory cycle.
The NABIN Portal
This document is the formal description of the NABIN portal system (a gateway to information and knowledge about biodiversity through North America). It acts as the detailed plan from which the portal will be implemented, and it is organized in such a way that it supports reasoning about the structural properties of the system.
Groundwater
This document has been developed by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to spur discussion and focus debate on groundwater in the North American context. The CEC has previously examined the legal and policy framework that underlies transboundary freshwater management in North America and has identified a number of emerging freshwater issues. In June 2001, […]
Changing Biodiversity, Changing Markets
This document is the formal description of the NABIN portal system (a gateway to information and knowledge about biodiversity through North America). It acts as the detailed plan from which the portal will be implemented, and it is organized in such a way that it supports reasoning about the structural properties of the system.
Understanding and Anticipating Environmental Change in North America
Is the environment we have now better than it was in the past, or have things gotten worse? Are we better off than our parents? Why have things changed? Do we really know? Can we know? What will the future look like? Will present trends continue? What will be the quality of air, water, sea, land and the biosphere as a whole for our children and grandchildren? Will the biodiversity of this continent be richer or poorer? Will our climate be the same or will it change?
The North American Mosaic
The North American Mosaic has four overarching features. First, it is, to the extent feasible, based on comparable information on the status and trends of major indicators of thestate of the environment in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The Potential Market for Sustainable Coffee in North America
One of the great assets of North America is the richness of its biodiversity. Because of their familiarity to us and the many recognized services that they perform in our environment, birds are emblematic of this rich diversity. North America is home to nearly 20 percent of the world’s bird species. More than 1,100 species […]
Strategic Directions for the Conservation of Biodiversity Regional Approach
In 1997, the Council of the CEC initiated a review of the North American Agreement for Environmental Cooperation and the effectiveness of the Commission in its implementation of the agreement. As a result of this review, the Council decided that a strategic approach and a more narrow focus were needed. Subsequently, a project to define […]
Sustainable Coffee Survey of the North American Specialty Coffee Industry
As the coffee industry experiences some of the lowest green bean prices of the past hundred years (in real terms), high-quality and niche coffees are among the few receiving a more substantial emuneration. Organic, Shade, and Fair Trade coffees—collectively known as sustainable coffees—fill a market niche that is often rewarded with a premium price and […]