News Briefs Companies that adopt strict global environmental standards abroad are rewarded with better stock market performance, says a report from the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS). INFORMS' researchers examined 89 manufacturing and mining companies headquartered in the United States but with operations abroad. Companies choosing strict global environmental standards had values approximately US$10 billion higher than those adopting less stringent local standards. Do Corporate Global Environmental Standards Create or Destroy Market Value? is available by calling 1-800-4INFORMS More stringent standards are needed to protect Canada's children from the toxic chemicals in their air, water, and food, finds a report from the Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH), a nonprofit advocacy group. A 25% increase in childhood cancer over the past 25 years is due in part to exposure to environmental pollutants, says the report. Heavy metals, solvents, and pesticides are thought to underlie many developmental disabilities. Because children receive greater exposure to such pollutants than adults Canada must target chemicals for reduction through enforceable legislation says The Health of Canada's Children' A CICH ProHip f^rd FHition) which can be ordered
Further delay in the regulation of mercury emissions from power plants cannot be justified on the basis of concerns over technology availability, according to a report by Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, an interstate agency including eight states and two EPA regions. Environmental Regulaiion and Technology Innovation: Controliing Mercury Emissions From Coal-Fired Boilers arthat a number of options for controlling TTI f^r*r^i i T"\i
should be available in the near to medium
term. Pilot-scale tests have proven the potential of these technologies to remove significant amounts of mercury. To order a copy, go to www.nescaum. org/pdf/pubsiist.pdf and look for publication number SS-25.
The number of people living in countries facing severe water shortages will increase more than four-fold over the next 25 years, according to a report by nonprofit Population Action International. Although People in the Balance: Population and Natural Resources at the Turn of the Millennuum stresses that h u m a n population growth is slowing, it nonetheless projects that by 2025, between 2.4 billion and 3.2 billion people will face severe or chronic water shortages The report also considers the h u m a n impacts oil
land forests fisheries CO. and biological diversity For a CODV go to htto7/populationaction org/ balance/index htm More than 80% of the mercury found in domestic wastewater may come from particles loosened from dental amalgam fillings, according to a report by the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA). Another 15% is thought to come from common household and toiletry items such as soaps, laundry detergent, toothpaste, deodorant, and food coloring. Treatment plants remove 97% of the mercury discharged into domestic sewer systems but targeting the rem.ai rider mciv cost more than it is worth AMSA says Evaluation of Domestic S0htVC6S of r\^l6KCUW C3X1
be downloaded from wwwamsacleanwater org/pubs/mercury/ mercurv htm Erosion will consume one quarter of all homes within 500 feet of America's oceans and Great Lakes shorelines over the next 60 years, according to a study by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. The report provides the first comprehensive assessment of coastal erosion and its economic impact, estimated at a half billion dollars per year. Erosion rates, which currently average between 3 and 6 ft per year, are projected to increase and claim even more property if sea levels rise and coastal development continues to boom A coov of Evaluation of Erosion Hazards can be founrl at wwwfpma crnv/ nw700/prosirtn pdf
Respect for ecological diversity implies respect for human diversity is the message of a book by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The book offers an overview of the environmental issues facing the planet—from global freshwater scarcity to forest loss, climate change, and biodiversity loss and weaves in lessons that different faiths provide for environmental protection. Its publication follows the recent launch of UNEP's "Spiritual and Cultural Values of Biodiversity" p T"o fy t*3 m
Copies of Earth and Faith' A Book of Reflection for Action can be ordered online www earthprint com Improving the fuel economy of new vehicles would reduce the annual fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of cars and light trucks between 6 and 37% over a 15- to 18-year period, according to a U.S. General Accounting Office report. The report's conclusions, which are based on three different studies, are tempered by the recognition that the improvements could take a toll on vehicle safety. For a copy of Automobile Fuel Econom:: Potential Effects of Increasing the Corporate AverFuel Economy SSandards go to www gao gov/new items/ rc00194 pdf
NOVEMBER 1, 2000 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY/ NEWS • 4 5 9 A
