78.2 Acid Rain
Whereas, Slowly increasing atmospheric deposition over several decades of pollutants, the most abundant of which is SO4,
when associated with Hf, together forming sulphuric acid, has been well documented to have caused irreversible ecological damage in waters with low buffering capacity in Precambrian Shield areas of Canada, Scandinavia and the U.S.A.; and,
Whereas, The majority of SO2 products deposited in Canada appear to originate in the U.S.A. and the present energy crisis
is causing a shift away from petroleum as the fossil fuel used for energy generation, to coal, and coal may contain a higher sulphur content than oil, and energy production continues to increase to meet demand; therefore be it,
RESOLVED, That The National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to:
- Investigate potential human health hazards of acid rain.
- a) Continue research programs to determine the current state of representative components of the natural environments;
b) Continuously monitor environmental effects of acid rain;
c) Study the occurrence and effects of long-range transport of SO2 and its products within and into Canada, including their origin, their geographical extent and their overall effects on natural aquatic and terrestrial systems, the quantities of SO2 which are assimilable by geographic regions, without undue harm and likelihood and speed of recovery of systems from over-exposure to acid rain. - Pursue through diplomatic channels and through international bilateral agreement a control and abatement policy, which would require the U.S.A. and Canada to reduce SO2 emissions at the source, which have been shown through research to cause Trans border problems.