International Environmental Laws and Policies

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Recommended: Air Pollution

The health of the biosphere has been declining as human populations grow exponentially. There are problems that we face now that couldn’t have been planned for in the past. The global climate is changing and resources are dwindling with astounding speed. To head off the problem or even just slow the degradation, states have set laws and regulations on potentially harmful practices. In doing so, they protect the environment, everything, and everyone in it.
“According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), human activities release some 147 million metric tons of air pollutants (not counting carbon dioxide or windblown soil) into the atmosphere each year in the United States alone. Worldwide emissions are around 2 billion metric tons per year.” (Cunningham and Cunningham). Many large cities exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) standards, especially in China. In fact, 16 of the 20 cities with the most smog are in China (Cunningham and Cunningham).
Air pollution became a major problem in states that went through an industrial revolution. China is currently in a state of industrial revolution that allows pollution to accumulate. In December 1952, a great smog settled on London. Heaters and industrial machines pumped out smoke; normally winds would carry this pollution away. At this particular time, however, the weather conditions were stagnant and the air wasn’t circulating. It became dangerous to go outside due to low visibility and there was a chance the soot would build up in a person’s lungs and he or she would asphyxiate. The death count did eventually lead to politicians developing restrictions and regulations on air pollution (Cunningham and Cunningham).
Currently, the United States enjoys some of the cleanest tap ...

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...ingham. Environmental Science, A Global Concern. 12th ed. McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math, 2012. print.
"International Environmental Agreements and Associations." Azerbaijan Country Review. (2013): 228-237. Print.
Lin, Chung-Ming, and Chen-Kuo Lee. "Relations between Free Trade and Economic Protections: A Game Theory Analysis." International Journal of Management. 29.2 (2012): 591-603. Print.
Nkuiya, Bruno. "Trade Structure, Transboundary Pollution and Multilateral Trade Liberalization: The Effects on Environmental Taxes and Welfare." Environmental Resources and Economics. 55.3 (2013): 337-355. Print.
Payne, Richard J. Global Issues. 4th Ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 207-220. Print.
Zhang, Chao, M. Bruce Beck, and Jining Chen. "Gauging the impact of global trade on China's local environmental burden." Journal of Cleaner Production. 54. (2013): 270-281. Print.

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