Official Transcripts
People Feel Passionately About the Environment in the United States
An Op-ed by Colleen P. Graffy
Joint Symposium on Environmental Best Practices in Istanbul, September 14, 2007
Colleen P. Graffy
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy,
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs,
United States Department of State
Something amazing happened on Wednesday and Thursday of this week that might not have caught everyone's attention. Twelve countries- Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine -came together to explore how they can restore and protect the Black Sea and to discuss how environmental protection could boost economic development and broader cooperation in this critical region that 350 million people call home. The meeting, held in Istanbul and organized by the Organization for Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and the United States, brought together government, business, and civil society leaders for the first symposium of its kind for BSEC.
The importance of this gathering should not be underestimated. Environmental damage knows no borders and cooperation with neighboring countries is vital to environmental protection. The United States has observer status to BSEC, but as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson pointed out, "The U.S. is only an observer, but not a disinterested one." In my opening remarks I tried to explain why. People feel passionately about the environment in the United States. We want to share that passion, because we know the difference that it can make in people's lives. In my own hometown of Santa Barbara, California, there is nothing that will bring people together quicker than a perceived threat to the environment. I gave examples where man-made environmental degradation in the U.S. had turned lakes, rivers and oceans from areas of enjoyment, tourism and commerce into polluted problem areas.
In each of the examples, the problems were resolved by community-spirited individuals, talented professionals and dedicated members of the government who cared enough about the environment to help overcome differences, lack of knowledge, and fiscal challenges in order to work together to make a difference.
This conference has allowed government officials as well as private sector and NGO representatives from the BSEC member states along with U.S. representatives from the Department of State and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to join with representatives from the European Union, the UN Development Programme and the Black Sea Commission to share best practices. It is clear to all that governments play a vital role in enacting and implementing sound environmental legislation. But it is also clear that environmental protection is not just a government function. Businesses and corporations share the responsibility and their involvement is essential, as is that of community based and non-governmental organizations. Education and teaching young people and our communities about the environment was also identified as a key to changing behavior and making a difference in the Black Sea region.
What we have learned in the United States over the past 30-plus years is that protecting the environment isn't just good for families and good for tourism, it is also good for the economy, it is good for jobs, and it makes good sense. The same is true for the BSEC region. But it cannot be done without bringing communities, regions, countries and different sectors of society together. The countries of the greater Black Sea region share riverine and littoral ecosystems that can only be protected through cooperative, complementary efforts.
I hope that this will be the first of many symposiums in which we can all work collaboratively, not only in the field of environmental protection but also on other topics of mutual interest as well.
The complete text of Ms. Graffy's remarks and more information can be found at www.aircistanbul.org/eproducts/bsec/bsec.html