(This is an archived page, from the Patterns of Power Edition 3 book. Current versions are at book contents).
Nobody doubts the need to prevent pollution and contain the spread of disease. Issues will continue to arise, as new strains of disease emerge. Most countries have the necessary regulations in place to deal with local problems, and there has been considerable political progress in dealing with international issues:
· The World Bank has supported the Black Sea Danube Basin Partnership in co-ordinating efforts to manage pollution from the 17 countries which discharge water into the Black Sea.
· Problems with the export of 'acid rain' led to The Updated Handbook for the 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and its Protocols, published in 2015. It described “the implementation of eight protocols, which set national emission targets and identify specific measures for cutting emissions across a wide range of sectors”. More work is necessary on international air pollution, though, as shown for example in a Gizmodo article: All of That Pollution in Asia Turns Into Smog in the U.S.
· The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been able to coordinate responses to the spread of diseases, such as the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic.
Political processes have been able to address all these problems. International legal arbitration services are available, if necessary (5.3.6.2).