We recognize that while poverty results in certain kinds of environmental stress, a major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable pattern of consumption and production which is a matter of grave concerns, aggravating poverty and imbalances. We intend to maximize the potential for mutually supportive policies regarding economic integration and environmental protection. Strengthening environmental management systems in our countries starting with improved knowledge, appropriate tools and incentives and better partnerships, is of the utmost importance. We intend to work, in particular, to ensure that the process of economic integration supports our ability to adopt and maintain environmental policy measures to achieve high levels of environmental protection. We will work in partnership to accelerate the development and application of environmental knowledge, such as national indicators to help monitor progress, by promoting, for example, further sharing of best practices and information exchanges between existing institutions and organizations and facilitating the development of environmental science networks across the hemisphere, taking into account, for example, the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Public participation is a key element of the decision-making process in environmental policies.
We aim to maximize opportunities to increase knowledge, public education and participation, transparency and accountability on environmental issues, including by enhancing access to information about environmental conditions and technologies at the community level, in keeping with national legislation. We will promote an innovative business climate through an appropriate mix of environmental policy initiatives and tools, based on a sound regulatory framework, including market instruments and voluntary initiatives. In this context, we recognize the importance of building national capacity to develop and strengthen environmental laws and institutions and for environmental law implementation, compliance and enforcement, and will work together to combat unlawful international environmental activities. We continue to advance the development of pollution prevention strategies, in partnership with industry, environmental groups, indigenous and local communities, with the goal of increasing investment to encourage pollution prevention. Aware of the accumulating costs of environmental degradation, we urge international organizations including multilateral financial institutions to consider ways and means of identifying and addressing this issue.