International treaties, conventions, etc.

• Sustainable Development Goal 12
  The UN SDG 12 aims to increase net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle, while increasing quality of life. It requires a systemic approach and cooperation among actors operating in the supply chain, from producer to final consumer. It involves engaging consumers through awareness-raising and education on sustainable consumption and lifestyles, providing consumers with adequate information through standards and labels and engaging in sustainable public procurement, among others.
   
• Sustainable Development Goal 14
  The UN SDG 14 sets a target to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.
   
• Minamata Convention on Mercury
  Adopted in 2013, the Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury by placing a ban on new mercury mines, phasing out existing mines, reducing mercury use in a number of products and processes, controlling emissions to air and releases to land and water, and regulating the informal sector of artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
   
• Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint
  The Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint is a voluntary partnership formed by UN Environment programme and the World Health Organization to prevent exposure to lead, while promoting the phase-out of paints containing lead. The Lead Paint Alliance is guided by an advisory group chaired by the United States of America through the Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) with government representatives from Colombia, Republic of Moldova, Kenya, Thailand, IPEN International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN), Health and Environmental Alliance (HEAL), International Paint and Print Ink Council (IPPIC), AkzoNobel (a paint company), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Executive Actions

• Executive Order 12088—Federal Compliance with Pollution Control Standards
  EO 12088, issued by President Carter in 1978, assigns Executive agencies as responsible for ensuring that all necessary actions are taken for the prevention, control, and abatement of environmental pollution with respect to the design, construction, management, operation, and maintenance of Federal facilities and activities, in cooperation with the EPA administrator.

Implementation Guidelines, Tools, and Other Resources

• USAID Solid Waste Management Sector Guidance
  The Solid Waste Management Guidelines are intended to be a starting point for developers and managers of solid waste projects to highlight key issues, questions to consider, and technical options for solid waste management.
   
• U.S. Environmental Solutions Toolkit
  The U.S. Environmental Solutions Toolkit marries EPA regulatory expertise to a list of U.S. companies which provide an environmental solution. The target audience is both foreign regulators (to tap into EPA expertise) and foreign buyers (to have access to U.S. environmental technology companies). 
   
• World Bank Group Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines
  Sector-specific World Bank Group Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines (“EHS Guidelines”) are technical reference documents with general and industry-specific examples of Good International Industry Practice (GIIP). Relevant sectors for this section include: airlines, airports, crude oil and petroleum product terminals, gas distribution systems, health care facilities, ports, harbors and terminals, railways, retail petroleum networks, shipping, telecommunications, toll roads, tourism and hospitality, waste management facilities, water and sanitation, mining, liquefied natural gas facilities, onshore and offshore oil and gas development, electric power transmission and distribution, geothermal power generation, thermal power, and wind energy.
   
• Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, “Air-Quality Life Index”
  How much longer would you live if your country reduced air pollution to comply with your own national standard or the World Health Organization (WHO) standard?
   
• Model Law and Guidance for Regulating Lead Paint
  UN Environment, in cooperation with World Health Organization, United States Environment Protection Agency and other partners, has developed a model law and guidance in order to assist countries in establishing and implementing regulation on lead paint.

RELATED STUDIES AND ANALYSES

• World Bank, The Cost of Air Pollution (2017)
  Air pollution is recognized today as a major health risk. Exposure to air pollution, both ambient and household, increases a person’s risk of contracting a disease such as lung cancer, stroke, heart disease, and chronic bronchitis. Air pollution is not just a health risk but also a drag on development. By causing illness and premature death, air pollution reduces the quality of life. By causing a loss of productive labor, it also reduces incomes in developing countries.

  https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation

Related Issue Areas

• Energy and Infrastructure
• Health
• Land Use
• Sustainability
• Urban Resilience
• Water