The Irish Institute at Boston College is proud to have hosted the 2002 Environmental Policymaker's Program from April 6-20, 2002.
Environmental problems do not observe man-made borders. The program focused on the common problems facing the natural environment across all of Ireland/Northern Ireland, and the political and economic costs and benefits of tackling them. Environmental policy is increasingly multi-state in its construction and implementation. The program highlighted how nations in the Americas and the American states cooperate on environmental issues. Enviornmental protectionists in Ireland and Northern Ireland face many of the same challenges that the EPA and DEP regulators face in the United States. We believe that the relationships that developed on this program can create a think-tank style approach to problems that know no borders and can have long-term benefits for all the participants and their hosts.