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Green Olympiad Study Material

Conventions & Treaties – Rio Earth Summit 1992

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Free Chapter II

• The United Nations Conference on Environment and

Development (UNCED) took place in 1992 in Rio de Janerio,

Brazil.

Government officials from 178 countries and between 20,000 and

30,000 individuals from governments, NGOs and media participated

to discuss solutions for global problems such as poverty, war or the

growing gap between industrialised countries.

→ It emphasised that economic and social progress depends

critically on the preservation of the natural resource base with

effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.

The UN summit focused on three broad concepts:




1. An “Earth Charter” covering a number of principles aiming at

development and the protection of the environment.

2. Secondly, “Agenda 21” was intended to be a global action plan

for sustainable development

3. Thirdly, developing countries demanded a substantial increase

in new funding from developed countries to contribute to

sustainable development in the South.

Outcomes of the Rio Earth Summit

Generally, Rio 1992 gave a good impulse to the further development

of international environmental law. Six conventions came out of Rio

1992 some of which have been converted into the next and more

decisive phase, namely protocols, from which point they would

become ratified in their respective countries.

1. The Rio Declaration –




• A set of 27 principles designed to commit government to ensure

environmental protection and responsible development and

intended to be an Environmental Bill of Rights.

• It established the “Precautionary principle” and the principle

of “common but differentiated responsibilities”.

2. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC), including the Kyoto Protocol from 1997

• An international agreement aimed at the stabilization of

atmospheric concentrations of global greenhouse gases to

prevent dangerous climate change as a result of anthropogenic

greenhouse gas emissions.




3. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity,

including the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety

• An international agreement to conserve biological species,

genetic resources, habitats and ecosystems; to ensure the

sustainable use of biological materials; and to provide for the

fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from genetic

resources.

4. The Rio Forestry Principles –

• Fifteen non-binding principles for the protection and sustainable

use of global forest resources proposed. These principles have

often been regarded as a foundation for a process to negotiate

and agree an International Forestry Convention.

5. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification –

• To combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in

countries experiencing serious drought and/ or desertification.




• The convention was actually not a direct result of UNCED but

added after the conference. To date this convention has been

ineffective for lack of a financing mechanism.

6. Agenda 21 –

• Undoubtedly it was the most important and complete document

that came out of the Earth Summit.

• It has become the blueprint for sustainability and forms the basis

for sustainable development strategies.

• Its recommendations range from new ways to educate, to care

for natural resources and to participate in shaping a sustainable

economy.

• The overall objective of Agenda 21 was very ambitious for it

was nothing less than designing a safe and just world with

people in the South and North alike would live an equitable life




within Earth’s capacities.

→ The institutional result of the UNCED was the Commission on

Sustainable Development (CSD).

→ Agenda 21 called for the creation of the CSD to ensure effective

follow-up of UNCED and further the process of constituting

sustainable development.

→ CSD was also meant to be the international body to monitor the

implementation of Agenda 21.

In addition, many countries set up sustainable development

commissions and to develop national strategies for sustainable

development.

Also in the wake of the Rio Earth summit processes were:




1. The Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) which

was signed by Germany and the USA on May 23, 2001;

• The POPs convention takes the lead on the ban of at least 8 of

these dangerous organic substances including the insecticide

DDT. The implementation of this ban in southern countries is

faltering due to lack of financial means.

2. The Convention on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks

3. The Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for

Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.

ANNEX I, ANNEX II COUNTRIES AND DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES

Parties to UNFCCC are classified as:




Annex I countries - industrialized countries and economies in

transition

� Annex I countries which have ratified the Protocol have

committed to reduce their emission levels of greenhouse gasses

to targets that are mainly set below their 1990 levels.

Annex II countries - developed countries which pay for costs of

developing countries

� Annex II countries are a sub-group of the Annex I countries.

They comprise the OECD members, excluding those that were

economies in transition in 1992.

Developing countries

� Developing countries are not required to reduce emission levels

unless developed countries supply enough funding and

technology.




Setting no immediate restrictions under UNFCCC serves three

purposes:

1. It avoids restrictions on their development, because emissions

are strongly linked to industrial capacity.

2. They can sell emissions credits to nations whose operators have

difficulty meeting their emissions targets.

3. They get money and technologies for low-carbon investments

from Annex II countries.

Developing countries may volunteer to become Annex I countries

when they are sufficiently developed.

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