Turkmenistan
contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural
chemicals, pesticides; salination, water logging of soil due to poor
irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large
share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to
that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification
Turks and Caicos Islands
limited natural fresh water resources,
private cisterns collect rainwater
Tuvalu
since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not
potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with
storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one
desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion
because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive
clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral
reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is
concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and
their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's
underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to
Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels
should make evacuation necessary
Uganda
draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake
Victoria; widespread poaching
Ukraine
inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water
pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast
from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
United Arab Emirates
lack of natural freshwater resources
compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution
from oil spills
United Kingdom
continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met
Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and
intends to meet the legally binding target and move toward a
domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the
government reduced the amount of industrial and commercial waste
disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and recycled or
composted at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015
United States
air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US
and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide
from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of
pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in
much of the western part of the country require careful management;
desertification
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Baker, Howland, and
Jarvis Islands, and Johnston Atoll: no natural fresh water resources
Kingman Reef: none
Midway Islands and Palmyra Atoll: NA
Uruguay
water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry;
inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal