They are important to reduce and elimate the sources of these pollutants.
The Stockholm Convention was enacted to attempt to control the persistant airborne pollutants which are highly dangerous and long lasting by restricting and ultimately eliminating their production, use, trade, release and storage. These pollutants get into the food chain by entering the Canadian environment through the atmosphere. Their was orginally 12 chemicals on the list of persistant airborne pollutants. The stockholm convention has since added 9 more chemicals to the list.These pollutants have major effects on health by causing serious diseases including cancer and cause a worsening of heart and lung disease.
This agreement helps to protect people from these chemicals and to protect our food from being contaminated by these chemicals which can cause long term health effects. The Ozone Annex agreement between Canada and the United States was signed by both countries to address the issue of air pollutants that travel between the two countries and causes acid rain.The pollutants this agreement addresses is Sulfer dioxide and Nitrogen Oxide. The two main chemicals that cause high levels of ground ozone (smog) and acid rain. The Ozone Annex has both countries commited to reducing Nitrogen oxide,sulfer dioxide and volatie organic compounds, as well as a commitment to work together on scientific research on acid rain and its precursers. This agreement assists in keeping our communities and environment safer for our vegetation and health of the people who live here, by being aware of the effects of these missions and attempting to reduce them.
The Kyoto Protocol was created to reduce green house gases in 1997, where more than 160 countries met and agreed to reduce these gases. The agreement set out the options available for countries to achieve the targets that were set out before 2012. the countries involved in the Kyoto Protocol have had yearly conferences to set out framework as to how the countries involved can meet there Kyoto targets.The problem that has occured is Canada agreed to reduce these gases as set out in the Kyoto Protocol but had not put in place the proper resources to do so.
Since this agreement was set out to have the countries involved meet their targets by 2012 or pay large penalties for not meeting them. This has put Canada into a position that they have not met the targets and since have decided to withdrawl from the Kyoto Protocol to avoid the large amount of penalties .This agreement is important to try to control the green house gases to protect climate change which affects our eco system, temperature change, water sources etc. International agreements are necessary to help regulate and reduce such chemicals and gases. These agreements allow countries to work together in a combined effort to control the long term effects on the planet, eco systems, global warming. In doing so contributes to healthier, longer life spans, with less medical complications and long term effects on the future generations.
