For country-specific acronyms the country is indicated in brackets if it is not indicated in the name.
| ACAP |
Arctic Council Action Plan to Eliminate Pollution of the Arctic |
| AMAP |
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme |
| ARD |
Acid rock drainage |
| BAT |
Best available techniques |
| CCME |
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment |
| CEC |
Commission for Environmental Cooperation |
| CEPA |
Canadian Environmental Protection Act |
| CIA |
Central Intelligence Agency (USA) |
| CLRTAP |
Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution |
| COD |
Chemical oxygen demand |
| CORINAIR |
Co-ordinated Information on the Environment in the European Community - AIR (EU) |
| CWS |
Canada-Wide Standard |
| DLA |
Defense Logistics Agency (USA) |
| EC |
European Community |
| EG |
Emission Guideline (USA) |
| ELV |
End-of-life vehicles |
| EMEP |
Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-Range Transmission of Air pollutants in Europe |
| ESP |
Electrostatic precipitator |
| EU |
European Union |
| FDA |
Food and Drug Administration (USA) |
| FFDCA |
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (USA) |
| FGD |
Flue gas desulphurization |
| GDP |
Gross Domestic Product |
| GOST |
Russian state standards |
| HAP |
Hazardous air pollutant |
| HELCOM |
The Helsinki Commission. HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area" |
| Hg |
Chemical symbol for mercury |
| IEA |
International Energy Agency |
| IPPC |
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (EU) |
| JSC |
Joint Stock Company |
| MAC |
Maximum allowed concentration (Russian Federation) |
| MACH |
Maximum achievable control technology (USA) |
| MSW |
Municipal solid waste |
| MWC |
Municipal waste combustor |
| MWWTP |
Municipal waste water treatment plant |
| NAAEC |
North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation |
| NEFCO |
Nordic Environment Finance Corporation |
| NESHAP |
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (USA) |
| NOK |
Norwegian krone |
| NPRI |
National Pollutant Release Inventory (Canada) |
| NSPS |
New Source Performance Standards (USA) |
| OECD |
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| OSHA |
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USA) |
| OSPAR |
The Oslo-Paris Convention: The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic |
| PARCOM |
Paris Commission. PARCOM has overseen the implementation of the 1974 Paris Convention (now merged with OSCOM under the OSPAR Commission) |
| PM |
Particle matter |
| RCRA |
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (USA) |
| RDF |
Refuse derived fuel |
| REF |
Recycled refuse fuel |
| SRC |
Selective catalytic reduction |
| TRC |
Thermostat Recycling Corporation (USA) |
| TRI |
Toxics Release Inventory (USA) |
| UNECE |
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe |
| UNEP |
United Nations Environmental Programme |
| US, USA |
United States of America |
| USEPA |
United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| USEPA-ORD |
USEPA's Office for Research and Development |
| USSR |
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
| UWR |
Universal waste rule (USA) |