Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade  Overview  Economic Growth and Agricultural Development  Environment  Human Capacity Development  Program Development and Strategic Planning  Women in Development Summary Tables Abbreviations & Acronyms Last updated: Wednesday, 29-May-2002 18:53:11 EDT

THE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE: Sustainable economic growth that alleviates poverty and human suffering requires good management of natural assets and minimization of pollution. The loss of forests, freshwater and biodiversity, inadequate and inefficient use of energy, and the explosive growth in the world’s urban centers undermine long-term economic growth and threaten ecological systems. They also endanger human health, and increase developing countries vulnerability to natural disasters and conflict. Energy is the fuel for economic development, yet one-third of the world’s population has no access to reliable and sustainable energy sources. The world’s natural resource base is rapidly degrading with over 130,000 km² of tropical forests lost each year, and the extinction of species is 1,000 times what would occur naturally. Nearly half of the world's population now lives in cities, and up to 50% of

Every year, five to six million people die in developing countries from water-borne diseases and air pollution; the lively-hoods of over one billion people are severely affected due to land degradation. (Source - World Bank Environment Background Paper for the World Development Report 2000/2001, Attacking Poverty, 2000.)

developing country urban populations lack safe drinking water, shelter, sanitation or waste disposal. Furthermore, increases in global greenhouse gas emissions, approximately fifty percent of which are produced in developing countries, threaten to disturb the delicate ecological balance, disproportionately effecting the world's poor who are the least able to adapt to these changes. Long-term economic growth depends upon sustainably managing a country’s natural resources base, using energy to increase human productivity, helping cities to provide services and markets, and having predictable seasonal and long-term climatic conditions.

THE USAID PROGRAM: USAID invests in five key environmental areas:

• biological diversity;
• natural resources management;
• urbanization;
• sustainable energy production and use; and
• global climate change.

In FY 2003, the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade has requested $28.3 million for environment. About 60% of USAID field missions have environmental activities in their programs.

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In FY 2003, funding for environment programs will reinforce Agency priorities by:

• providing direct technical support to mission environmental programs;
• testing and replicating innovative approaches for environmental protection;
• providing technical leadership for Agency programs and training for Agency staff; and
• providing international leadership and outreach on environmental issues.

ONGOING PROGRAMS FOR WHICH NO FY 2002 OR FY 2003 FUNDING IS REQUESTED: All current environmental strategic objective programs will receive FY 2002 or FY 2003 funds.

OTHER PROGRAM ELEMENTS: In the Africa region, the biggest environmental problem is combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought. This office provides assistance in implementing the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification to which the U.S. is a party. The Asia and Near East regions have significant urbanization problems and are expected to have approximately 17 mega cities (cities with more than 10 million people. As a result of the planned prominence of water issues at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in August of 2002, all regions and countries will focus more on water issues. The role of environment in conflict overlaps activities of this office and the Agency's democracy and conflict programs.

OTHER DONORS: The WSSD’s major topics include energy, water, sustainable agriculture, forests, and tourism, including ecotourism. These are all areas where both bilateral and multilateral donors (including United Nations agencies, the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, regional development banks in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe as well as with the European Union, the Organization of American States) are mustering resources and efforts.

Program Data Sheets

• 934-001  Improved Protection and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Principally Forests, Biodiversity, Coastal and Freshwater Ecosystems, and Agricultural Lands
  • IR 1.1  Effective Biodiversity Conservation and Management
  • IR 1.2  Improved Management of Natural Forest and Tree Systems
  • IR 1.3  Environmental Education and Communication Strategies, Methods, and Tools Systematically Applied in USAID-Assisted Countries
  • IR 1.4  Increased Conservation and Sustainable Use of Coastal and Freshwater Resources
• 934-002  Improved Management of Urbanization in Target Areas
• 934-003  Increased Environmentally Sustainable Energy Production and Use
• IR 3.1  Increased Energy Efficiency
• IR 3.2  Increased Use of Renewable Energy Resources
• IR 3.3  Clean Energy Production and Use
• 934-004  Reduced Threat to Sustainable Development from Global Climate Change