This first report by the Office covered the transport of pollutants in the atmosphere and their consequences for the environment. On the particular problem of damage to certain forests that was quickly attributed entirely to acid rain, the rapporteur pointed out that this phenomenon suffered from a number of scientific uncertainties and could well have other explanations. He concluded that research in this field should be pursued but that energetic measures should be taken, without awaiting the research results, to reduce pollutant emissions as quickly as possible. Scientific results published in a number of countries have since confirmed that the cautious attitude of the rapporteur was completely justified, and that acid rain had often served as a pretext to impose measures that were primarily economic in nature.