Algeria:
soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming
practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum
refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the
pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in
particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and
fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water
American Samoa:
limited natural fresh water resources; the water
division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past
few years to improve water catchments and pipelines
Andorra:
deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes
to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste
disposal
Angola:
overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable
to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical
rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical
timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of
biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and
siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water
Anguilla:
supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing
demand largely because of poor distribution system
Antarctica:
in 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the antarctic
ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million square
kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased ultraviolet
light coming through the hole damages the DNA of icefish, an
antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion earlier was shown
to harm one-celled antarctic marine plants
Antigua and Barbuda:
water management - a major concern because of
limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the
clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to
run off quickly
Arctic Ocean:
endangered marine species include walruses and whales;
fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from
disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack
Argentina:
environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an
industrializing economy such as soil degradation, desertification,
air pollution, and water pollution
note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse
gas targets