Laws
This international treaty, signed by nearly 200 countries, aims to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as sets limits for air quality standards.
What is the Clean Air Act (CAA)?
This international organization is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, including environmental health, within the United Nations system.
What is the World Health Organization (WHO)?
This principle emphasizes that those who cause environmental harm or pollution should be held financially and legally responsible for the damage they cause.
What is the principle of polluter pays?
This is the first step in the environmental policy cycle, where issues or problems are identified and defined. This may be considered the most crucial part of the policy cyle.
What is policy definition?
This step in environmental risk management involves identifying and assessing potential hazards and their likelihood of occurrence.
What is risk assessment?
This U.S. law, enacted in 1972, regulates the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters and protects water quality.
What is the Clean Water Act (CWA)?
This U.S. government agency is responsible for enforcing laws related to air and water quality, hazardous waste, and environmental protection.
What is the EPA?
This principle suggests that decision-makers should consider the long-term consequences of policies and actions on the environment and future generations.
What is the principle of sustainability?
This step involves the formal approval of environmental policies by legislative bodies or regulatory agencies.
What is the adoption phase?
This is a process that reviews anthropogenic activities relative to environmental consequences.
What is an Environmental Impact Assessment?
This U.S. law, often referred to as the "Superfund" law, addresses the cleanup of hazardous waste sites and holds responsible parties liable for cleanup costs.
What is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)?
This U.S. federal agency specializes in assessing and addressing human health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.
What is the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)?
This principle calls for the equitable distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, ensuring that marginalized communities are not disproportionately affected.
What is the principle of environmental justice?
Once policies are adopted, they enter this phase, where agencies implement and enforce the new regulations.
What is the implementation phase?
This is the step where decisions are made about how to address or mitigate identified risks.
What is risk management?
This U.S. law, enacted in 1976, regulates the management of hazardous waste from cradle to grave, including generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal.
What is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
This European Union agency, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, provides support for the protection and improvement of the environment in Europe.
What is the European Environment Agency (EEA)?
This principle suggests that environmental policies should seek to prevent or mitigate environmental harm before it occurs, rather than addressing it after the fact.
What is the precautionary principle?
This phase involves assessing the effectiveness of environmental policies and making necessary adjustments or revisions.
What is the policy evaluation phase?
They maintain a worldwide list of endangered species.
What is the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)?
This U.S. law, enacted in 1970, establishes requirements for the safe handling, transportation, and disposal of hazardous chemicals in the workplace
What is OSHA
This U.S. government institute conducts research on the impact of environmental factors on human health and seeks to understand and prevent environmentally induced diseases.
What is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)?
This principle asserts that environmental policies should be based on the best available scientific evidence and data.
What is the principle of science-based decision-making?
They provide sources of valuable data in order to create environmental health policies.
What are epidemiological studies
This approach to risk management emphasizes the incorporation of environmental, social, and economic factors into decision-making processes.
What is sustainable risk management?