Invasive species are a relentless problem—there will always be more species that can arrive on our shores and whose impact on our economy and environment is difficult to predict. However, there are some dangerous species whose establishment we know would disrupt natural ecosystems and cause tremendous damage to resource-dependent economies like agriculture, forestry, and fishing. The ten species described below are ones we definitely do not want and are prime examples of why we must increase efforts to prevent new introductions. We must take immediate precautions now to insure that in 10 years we can report the good news that these looming arrivals, and many others like them, have been kept at bay.

Snapshot of invaders entering the United States since 1993.

Therefore we—the undersigned scientists, resource managers, agricultural officials, and other experts—call upon the U.S. Congress and the President to immediately take action to drastically slow the introduction and spread of invasive species and to counteract the severe environmental, economic, and other harm these species cause. These actions would provide invaluable and long-lasting benefits to the Nation.

A diagram describing of how pharmaceuticals and personal care products enter and affect the environment

This is the fourth of four factsheets dispelling myths about the environmental and health impact of incineration. The following fact sheet is intended assist municipal decision makers better comprehend the costs, terms and risks associated with incineration for municipal solid waste.

This is the third of four factsheets dispelling myths about the environmental and health impact of incineration. The following fact sheet is intended assist municipal decision makers better comprehend the issues related to municipal solid waste incineration facilities like the energy output; its relation to waste; the relationship to the sale of energy; and selling energy from waste in Ontario.

This is the second of four factsheets dispelling myths about the environmental and health impact of incineration. This fact sheet provides decision makers and the public with information about direct and indirect pollution releases from waste combustion technologies, including modern mass-burn incinerators as well as gasification and pyrolysis systems.

This is the first of four factsheets dispelling myths about the environmental and health impact of incineration. This factsheet explores the impact of incineration on global warming and climate change.

This report is to provide the United States delegates to the POPs treaty negotiations with an overview of relevant legal and policy issues that emerge from the Great Lakes experience and agreements, where work on POPs elimination has been underway for over two decades. Of particular concern in the current round of negotiations are a broad set of exemptions advanced by the US delegation which would be severe loopholes to the proposed treaty. This report evaluates relevant lessons learned in the Great Lakes and consistency issues between what has been done in the Great Lakes and the pending global POPs treaty. The report demonstrates that: 1) The "virtual elimination"; and "zero discharge" goals adopted in the Great Lakes region are necessary and practical policies to include in any POPs treaty. 2) The POPs treaty should include the precautionary principle. 3) The US-proposed exemptions are inconsistent with the policies adopted and lessons learned in the Great Lakes region.

The United States government has proposed that a number of general exemptions be included in the international treaty on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This document explains how these exemptions will undermine the treaty.