Recent Developments in environment based conventions, agreement and

treaties for tackling environmental issues

Navaneeth SS (1529)

Stockholm 1972:-

● Conference : United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

● It was first declaration of international protection of the environment

● Held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5–16 in 1972.The meeting agreed upon a

Declaration containing 26 principles concerning the environment and development;

● One of the seminal issue that emerged from the conference is the recognition for

poverty alleviation for protecting the environment.The conference let to increased

interest and research collaboration which paved the way for further understanding of
global warming, which has led to such agreements as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris
Agreement, and has given a foundation of modern environmentalism.
● The United Nations Environment Programme has been established by the United

Nations General Assembly in pursuance of the Stockholm Conference

NAIROBI DECLARATION:-

● Declaration adopted in 1982 ( 10th anniversary of Stockholm)

● The Declaration envisaged the creation of a special commission to frame long term

environment strategies for achieving sustainable developments up to the year 2000

and beyond.
● The Declaration was endorsed by the governing Council of United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1987.

VIENNA CONVENTION:-

● Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

● It is multilateral environmental agreement

● Opened for signature in 1985,Entered into force in 1988,Ratifiers : 197 (Universal)

● It acts as a framework for the international efforts to protect the ozone layer.

However, it does not include legally binding reduction goals for the use of CFCs, the
main chemical agents causing ozone depletion. These are laid out in the
accompanying Montreal Protocol.

MONTREAL PROTOCOL:-

● The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the

Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treaty
designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous
substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.Since the Montreal Protocol came
into effect, the atmospheric concentrations of the most important chlorofluorocarbons
and related chlorinated hydrocarbons have either levelled off or decreased. Due to
this, the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly recovering. Climate projections indicate
that the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels between 2050 and 2070.
● Montreal Protocol Includes:

● Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Phase-out Management Plan,Hydro-chlorofluorocarbons

(HCFCs) Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP)

● Perhaps the single most successful international agreement till date. The two ozone
treaties have been ratified by 197 parties, which includes 196 states and the European
Union, making them the first universally ratified treaties in United Nations history.

● Ramsar Convention
 ● The Ramsar (city in Iran where it was ratified in 1971) Convention is an international
treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the
fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and
recreational value.

● Definition of wetland is “areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not
exceed six meters”. It includes more than 2000 wetlands worldwide. Wetlands are one of
the most threatened of all ecosystems in India.

ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution

● It is an environmental agreement signed in 2002 between all ASEAN nations to reduce
haze pollution in Southeast Asia.
● As of June 2007, eight countries Viz.Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam , Myanmar
, Vietnam , Thailand , Lao PDR , Cambodia have ratified the agreement.
Aarhus Convention:
● Aarhus Convention was signed on June 25, 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus.
● As of July 2009, it had been signed by 40 (primarily European and Central Asian)
countries and the European Community and ratified by 41 countries.
Bali Communiqué
● On 30 November 2007, the business leaders of 150 global companies published a
communiqué at Bali Indonesia to world leaders calling for a comprehensive, legally
binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change.
● It is a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change
emission reduction targets to be guided primarily by science those countries that have
already industrialised to make the greatest effort world leaders to seize the window of
opportunity and agree on a work plan of negotiations to ensure an agreement can come
into force after 2012 (when the existing Kyoto Protocol expires)
Basel Convention:
 ● The Basel Convention is Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements
of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.
● Its an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste
between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed
to less developed countries (LDCs) (except radioactive waste)
● The Convention was opened for signature on 22 March 1989, and entered into force on 5
May 1992.
Bonn Convention:
● Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.To conserve
terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range was the objective
of this convention.It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), concerned with the conservation of
wildlife and habitats on a global scale.
● The Convention was signed in 1979 in Bonn (hence the name) and entered into force in
1983.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
● Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) or Biodiversity Convention, is an
international legally binding treaty that was adopted in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.
● The Convention was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5
June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993.
ENMOD
● The Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD) is an international treaty
prohibiting the military or other hostile use of environmental modification techniques.
● It opened for signature on 18 May 1977 in Geneva and entered into force on October 5,
1978.
Kyoto Protocol
● The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC),It is an international environmental treaty with the goal of
 achieving “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
● The Kyoto Protocol establishes legally binding commitment for the reduction of four
greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride), and two
groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons).It was initially adopted for
use on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and entered into force on 16 February 2005.As
of February 2009 183 parties (nations) have ratified the protocol.

World Commission on Environment and Development:

Brundtland Commission:

WCED was established by the UN General Assembly and chaired by the Norwegian Prime
Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The commission was established outside the control of the
governments and the UN system.

The commission had three main mandates:

(1) To critically examine the environment and development issues with a view to deal with them
through realistic proposals of action.

(2) To suggest ways in which international cooperation could be fostered to deal with these
issues. To promote understanding and involvement of individuals, non-government
organizations, institutes, governments etc. with regard to environmental issues.

UN Conference on Environment and Development ‘Earth Summit’ 1992:

In 1992, UNCED, popularly known as the Earth Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The
primary aim of the Earth Summit (a result of the Brundtland commission) was to support socio-
economic development and prevent the continued deterioration of the environment through
cooperation between the developing and the developed countries.

The earth summit went beyond the previous UN conferences in emphasizing:

a. The need for international development initiatives to account for environmental impacts.

b. It recognized the need for governments and business to pay greater attention to eco- efficiency
in terms of patterns of production.

c. The search for alternative sources of energy, the reduction of sources of pollution and the use
of scarce water resources.

UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD):

It was established by the General Assembly in December, 1992, under the umbrella of Economic
and Social Council (ECOSOC), to follow up on adoption of Rio Declaration and Agenda 21. The
CSD has its own small secretariat and an assembly of representatives.

It was given two main tasks:

i. To monitor and highlight national initiatives in pursuit of Agenda 21 and to follow-up on

questions of financing Agenda 21 (concern of the South)

ii. The transfer of technology which would enable the South to adopt more sustainable
development including the mechanisms by which NGOs could become more involved.

Malmo Declaration, 2000:

On 1 June 2000, the first meeting of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum adopted an
action-oriented Malmo Declaration that helped in setting up the environmental agenda for the
21st century.

The Declaration made important references too many topical environmental issues. For example,
it recognized the importance of environmental compliance, enforcement, and liability.
The preamble of the Declaration reaffirms the Southern assertion of common but differentiated
responsibilities of member states. It emphasizes the need for strengthened international co-
operation, while noting that commitments are meaningless if countries do not make sincere
efforts to meet them.

WSSD Johannesburg Declaration

World Summit on Sustainable Development summit took place 10 years (2002) after the first
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, so it was informally nicknamed “Rio+10”.

It ended in a major disappointment as no new commitments were made to tackle any crisis and
the lack of progress demonstrated the unenthusiastic response of the governments, even as the
environment continued to deteriorate. It ended with weak and non-binding agreements to
promote sustainable development.