EHPnet: Economic Commission for Europe's Environment and Human Settlements Division

Pollution does not respect international borders anywhere, but in Europe, with its heavy industrialization and small nations, this is particularly evident. By the 1970s, it had become apparent that air pollution from other nations was contributing to the acidification of lakes in Sweden and the deterioration of statues and monuments in countries such as Germany and Austria. A 1986 industrial accident along the-Rhine River in Switzerland killed thousands of fish in France and Germany, and further galvanized the European community to Erwirer tPolcy AJrPolution Wat Hurrk mSetnwnts fight transboundary pollution. Today, Europe is a global leader and innovator in international laws aimed at reducing the flow of pollution across borders, and many of those laws are developed and implemented under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). Despite its name, the commission counts not only European nations such as Russia, France, and Greece among its 55 members, but also the United States and Canada, as well as Israel and Armenia. Thus, the ECE formulates treaties that affect almost the entire Northern Hemisphere and that are often emulated in other parts of the world. Information about the ECE's work to protect the environment is available on its Environment and Human Settlements Division Web site, located at So far, this ECE division has drafted conventions to reduce the transboundary effects of air pollution, water pollution, and industrial accidents, as well as protocols that guide countries in assessing environmental problems and informing their neighbors about them. The division also provides guidance on housing, urban development, and land administration, and makes recommendations to member countries on human settlement policies and strategies. Information on division treaties, including their full texts and ratification status, can be found under the Environmental Policy link on the home page. The oldest of these agreements, the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, was one of the first international conventions to address environmental issues. Since then, it has been expanded through eight protocols , and it continues to be lauded as a pioneering accord. At the end of 1999, the Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication, and Ground-Level Ozone was added to the convention, marking the first time that all three of these problems were addressed together in an international agreement. The protocol is also unique in its extensive use of modeling to find the most cost-effective ways to protect ecosystems. The division provides an extensive Internet …