Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS)

Resource Pointer #217

August 18, 1999

For copies of the following resources, please contact the appropriate publishers or organizations directly.

*Blue Gold: The Global Water Crisis and the Commodification of the World’s Water Supply, 1999* Maude Barlow. Examines fresh water availability problems resulting from pollution and overexploitation of water resources. Argues against commodification and marketing of fresh water. Discusses trade agreements that encourage privatization of water resources and addresses questions including: Who owns water? What rights do transnational corporations have to buy water systems? What laws do we need to protect water? 46 pp. US$12 nonmembers, US$8 members. Contact International Forum on Globalization, 1555 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, CA 94109; phone (415) 771-3394; fax (415) 771-1102; email ifg@ifg.org; website http://www.ifg.org

*Troubled Waters? A Review of the Performance of the Governments of Canada and Ontario under the 1994 Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, 1999* Mark Winfield and Greg Jenish. Reviews progress made by Canadian and Ontario governments on commitments made in 1994 to protect and restore water quality in the Great Lakes. Covers progress on three objectives: restoring degraded areas; preventing and controlling pollution; and protecting human and ecosystem health. Includes subsections on pesticides, priority toxic substances, hazardous waste and more. 147 pp. Can$30. Contact Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy, 517 College St., Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M6G 4A2; (416) 923-3529; (416) 923-5949; email cielap@web.net; website http://www.cielap.org/archives.html

*Water Quality: Federal Role in Addressing–and Contributing to–Nonpoint Source Pollution, 1999* General Accounting Office (GAO). Reports on federal programs that address nonpoint source pollution; recommends improvements on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods of assessing nonpoint source pollution abatement costs; and describes nonpoint source pollution produced by federal facilities, lands, activities and projects. Discusses a variety of pollution sources including timber harvesting, grazing, urban development and agriculture. 109 pp. First copy free, additional copies US$2. Contact U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 37050, Washington, DC 20013; phone (202) 512-6000; fax (202) 512-6061; website http://www.gao.gov

*Vital Signs 1999: The Environmental Trends that Are Shaping Our Future, 1999* Lester R. Brown et al. Provides text, charts, tables and graphs documenting global environmental trends. Includes chapters on food, agricultural resources, economics, demographics and more. Contains special feature sections on transgenic crops, pesticide-resistant species, harmful algae blooms and dropping sperm counts. Serves as companion to Worldwatch’s annual State of the World. 197 pp. US$13. Accompanying Worldwatch Database on disk available for US$89. Contact Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036; phone (202) 452-1999; fax (202) 296-7365; email wwpub@worldwatch.org; website http://www.worldwatch.org

*Clean Water Action Plan: The First Year, 1999* U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others. Presents progress made in first year of Clean Water Action Plan, released February 1998. Discusses watersheds, citizens’ right to know, runoff, wetlands, and public health. Includes list of “watershed success stories.” 20 pp. Free. Contact Douglas Wilson, USDA-NRCS, Conservation Communications Staff, Room 0054-South Building, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013-2890; fax (202) 720-6009; website http://www.epa.gov/Arkansas/6wq/at/kysec3.pdf

We encourage those interested in having resources listed in the PANUPS Resource Pointer to send review copies of publications, videos or other resources to our office.