International Waves strike Netanya beach, Israel; many Mediterranean resorts are beset by tar and other pollutants
Attack set on pollution of Mediterranean 17 coastal nations cooperate on action plan for research, monitoring, and protection
* 3 * Paint the Mediterranean Sea black instead of sparkling blue? Things seem to have been going that way, especially in coastal waters. As industrial development—and pollution—booms in Mediterranean lands, fish supplies decline, and magnificent tourist resort beaches become dotted with blobs of asphalt or beset by sewage and industrial effluents. Indeed, some experts warn that the 970,000-square-mile cradle of Western civilization could become a "dead sea" by the year 2000. Now, "deeply concerned about the alarming state of the environment in the Mediterranean, due to deliberate or unintentional neglect," the coastal countries finally are beginning concerted action to protect their sea. In discussions the past two weeks in Malta, and at conferences earlier this year and still to come, a long-term, comprehensive international action plan is taking shape. The plan will coordinate efforts by at least 17 of the 18 Mediterranean nations—many usually divided by deep political, social, and economic differences that have prevented common programs until now. Participating are Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. Only isolated Albania is staying out, as yet. Adopted at a February intergovernmental meeting in Barcelona convened by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the action plan calls for three things: • Integrated and coordinated planning to incorporate environmental safeguards in future development and management of Mediterranean resources. • A legal basis for international cooperation to protect the Mediterranean 20
C&EN Sept. 22, 1975
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environment, including a framework convention and related protocols. • A coordinated program for research, monitoring, pollution assessment, information exchange, and protection measures. Environmental concerns should be an important consideration alongside socioeconomic interests in planning national development policies, the Barcelona participants stressed. Furthermore, some said, "protection of resources should not be viewed as an obstacle to socioeconomic development." The action plan proposes that detailed information be developed on waste treatment, protection of soils, recycling of fresh water, aquaculture, economics, and the environmental aspects of tourism and industrial development. UNEP will survey the needs of developing countries and available training possibilities in these areas. Part of the legal basis for protection of the Mediterranean may be laid at a second Barcelona conference next February, to be convened by UNEP and the UN Food & Agriculture Organization. Barcelona II will consider an overall framework convention for protection of the Mediterranean marine environment against pollution. It also will take up specific protocols on cooperation in combating pollution by oil and other harmful substances (especially massive oil spills), and on prevention of pollution by dumping from ships and aircraft. Additional protocols on pollution from land-based sources and protection of seabed activities will be acted on later. At Barcelona last February, Malta presented a detailed proposal to host a regional center for fighting massive Mediterranean oil spills, which many fear will increase with reopening of the
Suez Canal (C&EN, June 9, page 12). A meeting in Malta last week was to decide on setting up the center and on its location. A central part of the action plan will be a coordinated program for monitoring and research. Seven pilot projects have been selected, including: • Baseline studies and monitoring of oil and petroleum hydrocarbons [within the framework of a global monitoring project (C&EN, June 10, 1974, page 15)]. • Baseline studies and monitoring of heavy metals in marine organisms (particularly mercury, but also cadmium, selenium, and manganese). • Baseline studies and monitoring of DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls, and other chlorinated hydrocarbons in economically important fish and other marine organisms. • Effects of pollutants on marine organisms and populations (in particular, long-term effects of sublethal doses of such materials as mercury, cadmium, selenium, manganese, and chlorinated hydrocarbons). • Effects of pollutants on marine communities and ecosystems. • Coastal transport of pollutants. • Coastal water quality control. The pilot projects will be carried out primarily by existing national labs, with 60 or more research centers expected to participate. Special training efforts will be made to enable scientists and technicians from developing countries to participate. Four pilot projects will start operations this fall: heavy metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, effects of pollutants on marine organisms, and effects on marine communities. Control of coastal water quality will be discussed in November, and may begin by next March. And a meeting earlier this month in Malta planned monitoring of oil and of coastal transport of pollutants, to start probably in January. Some oil monitoring already has begun. For example, Dr. Abraham Golik of Israel Océanographie & Limnological Research Ltd. is monitoring baseline tar quantities on Israeli beaches to evaluate the future effects of the Suez Canal reopening on tar in the eastern Mediterranean. His preliminary data indicate a few kilograms of tar per running meter (Bermuda beaches average 190 grams per meter, by comparison). Other Israeli scientists have found the tar's source to be Persian Gulf oil. Richard J. Seltzer, C&EN Washington
