Iceland review - 2002, Page 68

66 ICELAND REVIEW
I N T E R V I E W : M I N I S T E R F O R T H E E N V I R O N M E N T
Putting the Ocean First
The Atlantic Ocean surrounding Iceland is one
of the least polluted waters in the world. Anna Margrét
Björnsson spoke to the Minister for the Environment,
Siv Fridleifsdóttir, on how the Icelandic nation intends to
keep it that way.
“Defending the ocean against pollution has
been on top of our agenda in recent years,”
explains Iceland’s Minister for the
Environment, Siv Fridleifsdóttir.
“Internationally, Iceland has actively
stressed the good environmental position
we retain on this front – a position we aim
to guard.” Scientific research has shown
that the Icelandic territorial waters are virtu-
ally unpolluted and that Icelandic fish prod-
ucts are healthy and nutritious. Distances to
the industrial areas of large nations are
important. The Icelandic population is small
and industrial activities in the country have
left little traces in the ocean. But, as
Fridleifsdóttir explains, no nation is safe
from environmental pollution. “The North
Atlantic Ocean is the cleanest ocean in the
world. And we aim to keep it that way.”
Defence against POPs.
According to Fridleifsdóttir, the main dan-
gers to Icelandic waters are the so-called
‘POPs’ (persistent organic pollutants),
radioactivity, and pollution from heavy met-
als. There is, however, a great deal of work
being done to prevent these pollutants from
reaching Icelandic waters. “Iceland has
been at the forefront of international activi-
ty to keep the ocean clean. In 2001, we
signed a global convention in Stockholm on
the ban of discarding POPs into the envi-
ronment. The signing of this convention
was historic for Iceland, as the Icelandic
government suggested such an agreement at
the Rio conference of ‘92, and has contin-
ued work to create an international stance
on the subject. The government then hosted
an international meeting on marine pollu-
tion and POPs in March ‘95 in Reykjavík.”
POPs came into use in WWII, and they
are divided into three groups: insecticides
such as DDT, industrial chemicals such as
PCB and HCB, and industrial by-products
such as dioxin. These chemicals can have a
serious effect on animals, especially those
living in colder climates, as they collect the
toxins in their fat layers. These chemicals
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