Communicating Environmental Science to Political Decision Makers:
Summer Semester Workshop Midterm Briefings Held July 13, 2005
Students in the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy must learn
to bridge the worlds of science and policy. The midterm workshop
briefings are the final products of semester long work on a proposed
but not yet enacted international, state, federal or local
environmental law with an emphasis on management issues. These
projects are focusing on the science basis of the management problem
and students are required to communicate the environmental science
aspects of the management problem to political decision makers who
are not scientists. The following is a brief description of the five
student projects presented during this summer’s midterm workshop
briefings:
H.R. 274: Solid Waste Interstate Transportation
Act of 2005-Faculty Advisor: Steve Cohen
Bill H.R. 274, introduced to the House of
Representatives by Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, aims to impose
limitations on out-of-State transfers of municipal solid waste.
Currently waste is transported by truck, train and barge, and is
primarily disposed of by incineration and land filling. This method
of waste management is problematic due to the gaseous emissions and
groundwater contamination. During the presentation, the students
presented New York City, a large garbage exporter, as a case study
to assess the scientific and environmental impacts of this
legislation.
Safe Water: Currency for Peace Act of 2005-Faculty Advisor: Steve
Cohen
Each day, water-related diseases kill an estimated 14,000 people a
day, most of whom are children. The problem of water contamination
is growing and some analysts believe that by 2025, two-thirds of the
global population may not have safe drinking water. The Safe Water:
Currency for Peace Act aims, among other things, to authorize a five
year funding pilot program to assist countries that have a high rate
of water-borne diseases. In the presentation, the workshop team
analyzed the science of contaminated water supplies in the
developing world, and examined the proposed legislation.
The Kyoto Protocol: Reforestation and Afforestation programs,
Carbon Trading and the Clean Development Mechanism-Faculty Advisor:
Robert Cook
The Kyoto Protocol, having been ratified by the targeted number of
signatory countries, has started to be implemented. The Protocol
outlines various mechanisms to facilitate achieving the emission
reduction goals, one of which is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
Currently, a working group is developing specific methodologies for
reforestation and afforestation projects in the context of the CDM.
During their presentation, the team explored the scientific problems
associated with greenhouse gases and global climate change and
discussed some of the proposals developed by the CDM Afforestation-Reforestation
Working Group.
S. 362: Marine Debris Research Prevention & Reduction Act-Faculty
Advisor: Robert Cook
Marine debris, in the form of trash, litter and fishing gear is one
of the most pervasive and yet solvable pollution problems plaguing
the world’s oceans and waterways. Research shows that marine debris
poses a serious risk to marine wildlife such as whales and sea birds
as well as sensitive habitats including coral reefs. Legislation S.
362, Marine Debris Research Prevention & Reduction, has been
introduced to reduce and prevent the occurrence and adverse impacts
of marine debris on the marine environment. In the presentation, the
team assessed the environmental impacts caused by marine waste and
discussed the proposed legislation to address it.
S730: The Mercury Emission Act of 2005-Faculty Advisor: Andrea
Schmitz
The Mercury Emission Act of 2005 directs the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations
establishing emission limitations for mercury emissions by
coal-fired electricity generating facilities, and increases funding
for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. During their
presentation, the team presented the anthropogenic sources of
mercury and discussed the associated environmental and health risks.
