The United States' Role in International Environmental Policies through Treaties
The United States plays a vital role in international environmental foreign policy through conventions and treaties. Creating international environmental policies is complicated. However, they are necessary. The environment can't be fixed with one policy or by one country. Therefore, the United States must actively participate in the creation of international environmental policies. Creating international environmental policies is important, but ratifying and putting them into place is even more important because it's a commitment to action to improve the global environment. The United States must be willing to stick to new policies and sacrifice a little. Time and time again, the United States is willing to tell other countries what they should do, but not willing to do the same thing. This is especially true when it comes to international environmental policies. The United States must stop trying to make "loopholes" in the policies, and adhere to the same rules and regulations as other countries.
When creating an international environmental policy, many factors come into play. The political and economic situations around the world affect how international environmental policy is made. Politicians will make decisions on policies, including environmental ones, based on what the popular thing to do is instead of what is best for the environment. If it is an election year, politicians will especially make decisions based on public opinion instead of making decisions that would reflect what is best for the environment. Another factor when making environmental policies is environmental disasters. They may require immediate polici...
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...ronmentally sound technology to foreign countries. The United States needs to educate people, domestically and internationally, about the dangers the environment is currently facing. We need to act multilaterally with regional powers. There are treaties we have signed but not ratified or put into force. The United States needs to follow through with the treaties that have been signed but not ratified. Currently, some treaties that are still "on the table", and should be signed and put into force are; the Basal Convention on Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes, the Kyoto Protocol, Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention to Combat Desertification. These are some of the treaties that the United States needs to sign so that we can then say that we are definitely working towards improving the global environment through international treaties.
The reliance on other countries for fossil fuels that produce energy have put the United States of America at risk of being pulled into unstable regions around the world jeopardizing international relationships and putting its own citizens in harm’s way. America needs to balance both the pursuit of alternative energy solutions and reduce energy usage. Our military runs on fossil fuels produced by other nations who do not have similar interests or values as the United States, ultimately adding unwanted risk that becomes difficult to manage. There are advantages to alternative energy solutions that could allow for America to become an independent energy nation that would eliminate the need to support and stabilize various regions around the world. The U.S. Military needs to reduce its overall energy usage by taking advantage of breakthrough technologies that could be integrated onto current systems.
The Kyoto Protocol is a binding international agreement, which began in Kyoto, Japan in 1997. As of June 2013, there were a total of 192 parties participating in the Kyoto Protocol, Canada was no longer one of them. Canada was one of the first to sign the agreement, in 1998; more than 4 years later, Canada formally approved the Kyoto Accord, in 2002 ("CBC.ca - Timeline: Canada and Kyoto"). This meant Canada would have to decrease its emissions, by 6% in comparison to 1990 levels (461 Mt), by the year 2012. Despite some efforts, Canada failed to meet these requirements and in fact increased total emissions by roughly 24% by the year 2008. Canada formally withdrew from the Kyoto Accord in 2011, avoiding penalties and future detriments ("CBC News in Depth: Kyoto"). The withdrawal of Canada from the Kyoto Protocol was a good decision, the decrease in emissions was an unattainable goal, considering the cost, time, unfairness, dependency and technological advancement.
Such agreement provides both a theoretical and policy framework that promotes international environmental law. I believe that there were more pragmatic approaches to solve this problem from a culture and legal perspective. However, the establishment of an international environmental dispute tribunal created a new norm to legally resolve transboundary environmental problems. For example, Hess writes “In 1935, the countries signed and ratified a convention that referred the Trail Smelter dispute to an arbitral tribunal.9 in its interim decision in 1938, the tribunal concluded that the emissions from the Trail Smelter had harmed crops and trees in Washington and awarded the United States US$78,000 in compensation. In its final decision in 1941, the tribunal held that the Trail Smelter should avoid air emissions that harm Washington, that a detailed pollution control regime should be implemented at the smelter, and that Canada would be responsible for paying damages for harm in the United States from future smelter emissions”(Hess, 2005). It is important to note that international environmental law plays a leading role in environmental management worldwide, thus instituting and executing proper
It is the responsibility of the developed world to change. They have the resources and technology to significantly curb emissions and dampen the effects of climate change. As the world’s second largest emitter of Co2, and as the world’s largest economy, the US must become a leader in the battle against climate change. However, historical incidents of environmental degradation indicate that will power is simply not enough. Unless environmental problems are seen and felt, the US population has been slow and reluctant to act. Unfortunately this lack of will power is still present. As a citizen of the United States, I see no hope for change without the help and intervention of government. Without economic incentive, individuals and firms will not change. I believe that the US government must intervene and implement emission reduction policies, and work toward limiting emissions to the earth’s natural sink function.
Most, if not all, affects their day to day lives (EPA). In addressing this problem, the plans and programs of the government will play a very important role. Considering that the United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world, the US President should address and work on solutions regarding these environmental issues. In an interview with Barack Obama in 2008, he mentioned that, “The U.S. is the world’s largest economy and the largest single source of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, so it is our responsibility to take the first step”
America is threatened by the destruction of their own environment. United States is known for their innovation towards alternative energy like solar power, wind power and nuclear power. However , these alternative energies are not completely beneficial towards the United States.
In an effort to create a sustainable global environment a significant area of focus needs to be on the interrelationships that contribute to this goal. As with the relationships associated with globalization our actions are interconnected with one another, one nations decisions in a particular geographical area can often times impact those in another geographical areas. The same cause and effect theory applies to environmental interrelationships. An area that this can be most prevalent...
The EU consists of 28 countries which collaborate in economic, political, cultural and environmental field. Despite the fact that the top news about the EU actions is connected mostly about economic and politics, environment and climate changes are also important topics to the EU. Because of the size of the EU, the EU leaders have broad acres to look after and to control climate changes there. The EU policy on climate changes is very structured, because of its targets, collaborations with other world’s countries and with researchers who are specialists in field of climate changes.
Overall, the implementation of NEPA has made it possible for everyone to be informed and participate in the discoveries and changes of the environment we've been blessed with. This has led to multinational concerns and efforts for improving our environment. In September 1992, Canada, Mexico, and the US instituted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). It promotes joint environmental development and education throughout North America. Alliances such as this restore some faith that our environment matters to us. Not only what it provides us with but also the bounties it provides for animals and birds, trees and open land, fish and plants. They have no tangible voice with two exceptions -- the voice of a mankind that cares and the voice of extinction.
In The Development of Environmental Regimes: Chemicals, Wastes, and Climate Change, the authors provide a simple framework to analyze the development of global environmental regimes (GER) which ultimately addresses why states sometimes agree to cooperate on global environmental issues despite divergent interests. The chapter is divided into five subsections but begins with an introduction to explain the five processes involved in the development of GERs. The authors address questions such as who forms GERs and how are they formulated. Next, they apply the processes involved in the development of GERs to four case studies that are linked to global environmental issues: ozone depletion, hazardous waste, toxic chemicals, and climate change, respectively. The authors conclude that states and non-state actors can come together to address global environmental issues but not without obstacles.
...are killing millions right now. Investing the same for providing safe drinking water and sanitation and controlling water and air pollution will save countless lives. Putting pressure on our governments to act promptly to save our environment is our duty as responsible citizens of this planet. We need to focus on solving short term problems that can save millions instead of depending on our governments to save our planet. All we can do is solve the small problems and hope that the big ones are not as serious as we fear they are.
United States being a federal system, large number of decisions is not only made by the Federal, but also by state and local governments. Government uses various tools like Law, services, money, taxes, other economic instruments and suasion to influence policies. These tools are unique to the Government and may not be available to private parties. Peters suggest that a huge amount of money flows through the government and it gets redistributed to different people in forms of goods and services (Peters, 2013). Since governments have the resource and rights to influence social agendas, Government has to be involved in policy making. Since public policies are results of collaborations between various groups and backgrounds, the environmental factors contribute as an uncontrollable attribute to policy making. These environmental factors that affect policy making
Activities of environmental movements have created awareness of various environmental issues. Many of the earth’s resources are especially vulnerable because they are influenced by human impacts across many nations. Environmental protection has become an increasingly important focus of activities to the international community through the United Nations over the last quarter Century. As a result, many attempts have been made by countries to develop agreements that are signed by multiple governments to prevent damage or manage the impacts of human activity on natural resources. This has included agreements that impact factors such as climate, oceans, rivers and air pollutions. For example, The United Nations passed some policies that every nation should have a certain percentage of forests in it and many others but implementation has been slow. Governments have also cautioned and educated people on the dangers of deforestation but still the society does not want to listen. International bodies like the United Nations or the European Union should take action and make sure that the policies they put forth to conserve the environment are being
So protecting the environment should be a priority for every person. But in this topic main theme is who should do more protect government, global business or individual. Some people believe that government is more important in taking care of environment, because it’s have power to protect and others believe that, individual people do protect. For protecting the environment Government should be informed to the people what is dangerous for environment. They can inspire people for some global business that’s decreasing risk of environment. A research said who do more protect or care of environment. There found seventy five percent people’s said who cares? A polling report says that in America seventy percent plus people said that government should do more protect Environment.
This shows that environmental awareness has a great effect on developing environmental attitudes which cultivate environmentally friendly behaviours among people proving advantage of widespread environmental awareness is its contributions to public support for government action in environmental policy and management. The main tool for creating environmental awareness at macro level is by far, the media. The mass media that can be used for the study of environmental consciousness are newspaper, radio and television programs which are widely and frequently used. Recently, different countries have started to strive for environmental development, protection and sustainable use of environmental resources by establishing environmental agencies, but actions are still not compatible with the magnitude of the environmental challenges. Environmental awareness needs a political answer. This is an emergency and emergency situations need emergency actions (UNEP