Environmental Acts and Treaties - Ellie Graf

Delaney Clause of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (US)

Sep 6, 1958

This act requires the FDA to ban additives to food that are proven to cause cancer in humans and animals. It uses testing to determine cancer causing additives and ensures no risks to allow these into our food.

Clean Air Act (US)

Dec 17, 1963

This act was created to regulate all sources of air emissions to protect public health and the environment. This authorized federal and state regulations to limit emissions from both industrial and mobile sources.

Clean Water Act (US)

Oct 18, 1972

This act aims to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution in the country's water. This establishes the basic structures to regulate the discharge of pollution into US waters and the quality standards for surface waters.

Endangered Species Act (US)

Dec 27, 1973

This law protects and conserves endangered & threatened species, as well as their habitats. This makes it illegal to for humans to import, export, harass, hunt, kill, or capture a species that is on the ESA list.

Safe Drinking Water Act (US)

Dec 16, 1974

This act ensures the safety of public drinking water. This allows the EPA to set drinking water quality standards and strictly monitors the state and local suppliers of water to enforce those standards.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (INT)

Jul 1, 1975

Signed by 184 countries in 1973, this agreement ensured that trade of wild fauna and flora does not threaten the species survival. This was an attempt to regulate species safety across borders and now protects over 40,000 species of animals and plants that are used in trade.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (US)

Oct 21, 1976

This law gives the EPA the power to control hazardous waste from cradle-to-grave. It helps to conserve energy/natural resources, reduces the amount of waste generated through source reduction and recycling, and manages waste in environmentally safe ways.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, Liability Act (US)

Dec 11, 1980

Also known as the Superfund Act, this act gives the EPA the power to regulate hazardous substances at contaminated waste sites. It created aa federal "superfund" to clean up these waste sites which includes accidents, spills, and other events releasing pollutants/waste into the environment.

Montreal Protocol (INT)

Jan 1, 1989

This treaty regulates the production and consumption of man-made chemicals that damage the ozone layer. It agreed to phase out the use of ozone depleting substances, a big one being CFCs.

Kyoto Protocol (INT)

Dec 11, 1997

This protocol aimed to limit the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that contribute to global warming. For over 40 countries, the goal was to reduce the emissions of 6 main greenhouse gases and ensure reduction targets.