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United States Department of State
International Environmental Accomplishments

EFFORTS TO PROTECT THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

The Clinton Administration has led several international negotiations that seek to protect the health and safety of Americans from global environmental problems, and to manage sustainably vital natural resources for the benefit of future generations.

• Protecting the Earth's Atmosphere:

  Ozone Depletion: Damage to the ozone layer leads to increased rates of skin cancer and to cataracts. In 1995, we led an effort to complete the phase out of the last remaining major chemical that depletes the earth's ozone layer.

  Climate Change: Changing weather patterns caused by increased emissions of greenhouse gases threaten agricultural production, endanger coastal communities, promote the spread of infectious disease, and are an emerging concern for financial institutions and insurance companies. The U.S. implemented a Climate Action Plan to control greenhouse gas emissions before the year 2000, and worked with others helped to establish a process to limit these emissions after the year 2000. Through the U.S. Initiative for Joint Implementation, we have encouraged private sector involvement in international efforts to reduce climate change.

• Protecting Oceans:

  Marine Pollution: The U.S. hosted a major United Nations conference on marine pollution in 1995, with an agreement on an action plan to protect oceans. We have advanced efforts to deal with the use of dangerous toxic chemicals like DDT and PCBs. These chemicals persist for long periods and, transported by the atmosphere and oceans, poison vast regions of the planet.

  Fisheries: The U.S. has successfully concluded major agreements to deal with the world's crisis of overfishing, a major concern to the U.S. fishing industry.

• Protecting Species and their Habitats:

  Biodiversity: President Clinton recognized the importance of the Biodiversity Convention and signed the Treaty soon after entering the White House. If ratified by the Senate, our participation as full parties to the Treaty would help us to promote fair trade in biotechnology products, to encourage the sustainable use and conservation of the world's natural resources, and to have continued access to rare genetic material. This treaty critically advances U.S. agriculture, biotechnology and pharmaceutical research, and our children's' interest in a world as rich as the one left to us. The Administration will push for Senate ratification.

  Wildlife Protection: The U.S. has worked hard to conserve endangered species and to promote "ecotourism" as a sustainable industry for developing countries. In particular, we initiated an effort to improve the worldwide management of coral reefs, and have taken a strong stand against illegal trade in rhino and tiger products, including the use of trade sanctions against violating nations. Closer to home, we recently amended the U.S.-Canada Migratory Bird Treaty to help us to manage wisely North America's waterfowl resources into the twenty-first century.

We have begun several cooperative efforts to fuse environmental concerns into our diplomacy.

• Bringing Peace to Troubled Regions: Working with the parties to the Middle East Peace Process on water resources, and with newly independent states in the Caucasus on energy resources, we have turned obstacles to peace into opportunities for cooperation.

• Close to Home: We have pursued strong environmental cooperation with our neighbors in Canada and Mexico, implementing important environmental side agreements to the NAFTA accord. We have worked directly with Canada to clean up the Great Lakes, and with Mexico to clean up the Rio Grande and San Diego River valleys.

• Pivotal Alliances: We have established important partnerships worldwide: US-Japan Common Agenda (1993); New Transatlantic Agenda with EU (1995); Gore-Chernomyrdin with Russia (1993); Sustainable Development Forum with China (1996); Americas: Summit of the Americas (1994); CONCAUSA (1994); US-Brazil Common Agenda (1995); US-India Common Agenda (1995); Gore-Mbeki Commission with South Africa (1994); Gore-Mubarak Commission with Egypt (1994).

Since taking office, the Clinton Administration has consistently fought for increased funding for population and environmental issues. U.S. funding for the international environmental programs -- especially through USAID -- backs up our leadership and spurs contributions by others.

• Protecting the Global Environment. We have provided nearly $400 million over the past three years for bilateral and multilateral programs that protect the global environment and address population concerns. This included allocations for restructuring and supporting the Global Environment Facility which addresses climate change and biodiversity issues; contributions to the Montreal Protocol Fund to protect the ozone layer; and support for the UN Population Fund and the UN International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt, in September, 1994.

• Providing Critical Bilateral Assistance. We have contributed nearly $2 billion from FY'94-'96 for bilateral assistance projects through USAID, designed to deal with population growth and environmental protection that directly serves American interests. U.S. assistance has helped address Communism's legacy of pollution in Russia and other newly independent states, assist Haiti in restoring the natural resource base critical for its political stability, preserve forests from Congo to Mexico vital to the earth's atmosphere, and combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases worldwide.

• Under Secretary for Global Affairs. To ensure that American interests are systematically and effectively represented on emerging transnational issues, Secretary Christopher created a new position of Under Secretary for Global Affairs, held by Timothy Wirth. This office has revitalized U.S leadership, not only in confronting international environment and population issues, but also in addressing threats from international crime and narcotics trafficking, and in effectively promoting our broad interests in democracy, human rights and the protection of international refugees.

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