The two countries considered in this section, Canada and the United States, rank among the wealthiest in the world, not only in per capita income but also in richness of natural resources. With its high standard of living, North America is the leading producer and consumer of goods and services-and of waste-on the planet. Both nations are concerned about global, regional, and national implications of today s resource use patterns, with the increasingly obvious negative feedback on the quality of life.
In both countries, major Government policy statements are made to bring environmental issues to public attention (Marchi, 1996; Christopher, 1996). Some of the priority environmental concerns in the region have also been expressed by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), set up in 1994 under the environmental side agreement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which includes Mexico. The CEC concentrates on five areas: environmental conservation; protecting human health and the environment; environment, trade, and economy; enforcement co-operation and environmental law; and information and public outreach (CEC, 1996).
This section draws on official reports and statements of the Canadian and U.S. Governments as well as reports from Government agencies and the private, non-governmental sector, including public opinion surveys.
Together, Canada and the U.S. cover nearly 18.8 million square kilometres, some 14 per cent of the world s land area. The two countries contribute 49 per cent and 51 per cent to this total area respectively. With one of the longest common borders in the world, transboundary, multimedia environmental issues are also important. Environmental deterioration in the Great Lakes Basin and trans-boundary air pollution are two such areas of concern.
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