Invasive Species, Agriculture and Trade
Invasions by plants, animals, and pathogens into non-native environments pose one of the most significant, but least addressed, international threats to biodiversity, both within natural ecosystems and agricultural settings. For agriculture, one recent study estimates that 40% of all insect damage to crops in the U.S. is attributable to non-indigenous species (Pimentel et al. 2000). […]
Aquifers and Agrochemicals in a Border Region
The implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement has markedly revitalized the framework of relations between Mexico and the United States. Among the major topics in the complex bilateral agenda are issues related to trade between the two countries, and also the impact of market liberalization on the present and future state of environmental sustainability.
Local Environmental Protection and Trade
Environmental concerns have been voiced with the expansion of trade under the NAFTA. A number of approaches have been suggested to ensure that the environment is protected under the agreement. These suggests, for the most part, fall into two broad categories: (1) command and control or (2) industry lead voluntary business initiatives. Each of these broad categories has its own set of advantages and disadvantages to provide the necessary incentives for producers to incorporate the environment into their production decisions.
Green Procurement
Many organizations worldwide are making an effort to purchase products and services that are less harmful to local and global environments. Both public and private sector organizations in North America are implementing purchasing practices that include environmental (and social) considerations-green procurement. These activities are part of a broader movement toward more sustainable forms of production […]
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 […]
Air Quality at Congested Border Crossings
The work described in this report builds upon existing North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) supported activities related to air quality impacts associated with transport along trade corridors. The goal of the proposed work was to evaluate the current availability of data to assess community exposures related to emissions at congested border crossings. The […]
North American Workshop on Risk Assessment and Children’s Environmental Health
Within the context of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) initiative on Children’s Health and the Environment in North America, approaches to risk assessment, as a basis for regulatory decision-making, is a topic of interest among the three countries. In particular, there is an interest in exchanging experiences and advancing methods and approaches for incorporating […]
Education and Training on Children’s Health and the Environment for Healthcare Professionals
This paper is developed for the CEC’s Expert Advisory Board on Children’s Health and the Environment in North America. It provides background on health professional education in children’s health and the environment, and summarizes related ongoing activities in North America, analyzes gaps and provides several options for Expert Advisory Board consideration. Information presented in this […]
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 […]
Confidential Business Information
This issue paper discusses the process for determining and handling confidential business information under the three PRTR programs in North America.
Reporting Thresholds
This issue paper discusses reporting thresholds used by each national PRTR. Reporting thresholds are applied to determine whether a facility has to report for a particular chemical. There are thresholds relating to the number of employees at the facility and thresholds relating to the amount of the chemical.
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 […]