For two decades, scientists have been warning that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons (bromine-containing fluorocarbons) may deplete the stratospheric ozone shield that screens out some of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays and thus regulates the amounts which reach the Earth's surface. CFCs have been used as refrigerants, solvents, foam blowing agents, and outside the United States, as aerosol propellants; Halons are used primarily as fire-fighting agents. Increased radiation could result in an increase in skin cancers, suppression of the human immune system, and decreased productivity of terrestrial and aquatic organisms, including some commercially important crops. This book deals with implementation, policy issues and phase out of methyl bromide. In September 1987, 47 countries (including the United States) agreed to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which first required controls on the world's consumption of ozone depleting substances. Over 160 countries have signed on to the Protocol, whose phasedown schedule for developed countries was accelerated twice and completely phased out Halon production at the end of 1994 and CFC production at the end of 1995. The Protocol's coverage has also been extended to include hydrochlorofluorocarbons and other chlorine- and bromine-containing substances such as some solvents and methyl bromide, a widely used soil fumigant.

Some in Congress are concerned about the possible vulnerability of U.S. coastal areas to tsunamis, and about the adequacy of early warning for coastal areas of the western Atlantic Ocean. This stems from the December 26, 2004, tsunami that devastated many coastal areas around the northern Indian Ocean, where few tsunami early warning systems currently operate. The tsunami was caused by a strong underwater earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake and tsunami together are estimated to have claimed as many as 300,000 lives. Affected nations, assisted by others, are pursuing multilateral efforts through the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) to develop a regional tsunami detection and warning network that would guard coastal populations around the Indian Ocean. Those efforts would coincide with the United States' goal of upgrading and expanding its tsunami detection and early warning network. Some developed countries bounding the Indian Ocean region already have operating tsunami warnings systems. However, in other areas of these countries and in neighboring countries, an emergency management infrastructure to receive tsunami warnings is lacking. This leaves local officials incapable of rapidly alerting the public to evacuate or to take other safety precautions. Disaster management experts assert that an emergency ...

Congress is concerned about the possible vulnerability of U.S. coastal areas to tsunamis and the adequacy of early warning for coastal areas. This stems from a December 26, 2004, tsunami that devastated many coastal areas around the northern Indian Ocean, where few tsunami early warning systems had operated. Caused by a strong underwater earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, the tsunami claimed an estimated 220,000 lives. Nations affected by the 2004 tsunami, assisted by other counties, launched a multilateral effort to develop a network for regional tsunami detection and warning of coastal populations around the Indian Ocean, the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS). The UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) leads that international effort. To leverage costs of the IOTWS, IOC members have suggested using extant ocean observation and monitoring networks, data collection systems, marine buoys and tide gage networks, and global telecommunications systems. This may pose the technical challenge of standardizing communication protocols to ensure interoperability of international systems. Also, supporters of the IOTWS consider a fully deployed U.S. network an important component of a future global tsunami warning capability.