United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972)
- Held in 1972 at Stockholm, Sweden, it played a role in the emergence of international environmental law.
- The conference led to the adoption of the Stockholm Declaration and the Action Plan for the Human Environment.
- The Stockholm Declaration is also known as The Declaration on the Human Environment.
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
- UNEP is a UN agency that coordinates environmental activities, assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies, and has overall responsibility for environmental issues within the UN system
- Steps taken
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988 (with the World Meteorological Organization).
- Implementing agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Montreal Protocol.
- Member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) to help achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Hosts the secretariats of various environmental agreements/research bodies, including CBD, CMS, and CITES.
- Involved in successful agreements like the Montreal Protocol (1987) and the Minamata Convention (2012).
- Faith for Earth Initiative (FEI): Launched: In 2017 by UNEP, to strategically engage with faithbased organizations to collectively achieve the SDGs, creating a global “Coalition for Creation” for policy dialogue on environmental issues.
UNCED/Earth Summit, Rio De Janeiro (1992)
- Conference played a crucial role in raising public awareness about the integration of environment and development.
- Agreements
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- Outcome
- Agenda 21: Non-binding action plan for global sustainable development.
- Forest Principles: Non-legally binding document on the Conservation and Sustainable Development of all types of forests
- World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10, 2002)
- Held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Addressed issues such as toxic components in production, alternative energy sources, public transportation, pollution-related health problems, and water usage.
- Affirmed the UN commitment to Agenda 21 alongside the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
- Rio+20 (2012) or Earth Summit 2012
- A 20-year follow-up to the Earth Summit 1992 and a 10-year follow-up to the Earth Summit 2002.
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born at Rio+20, later included in the Agenda 2030.
- Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)
- Launched in 2013 as a response to the Rio+20 Declaration, “The Future We Want.”
- Aims to assist countries in achieving SDG 8, promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth with full and productive employment.
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- Established: On the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
- Areas of Work: Provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, REDD+, climate change, land degradation, ozone layer protection, etc.
- Financial Mechanism for Conventions: CBD, UNFCCC, UNCCD, Stockholm Convention, and Minamata Convention ( on mercury pollution)
- Partnerships and Implementing Agencies: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank (WB), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Asian Development Bank (ADB),International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Conservation International (CI), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty established in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit (UNCED).
- Negotiated in New York City, signed in 1992, and as of February 2023, it has 198 parties.
- Objectives
- The primary role of UNFCCC is to provide a framework for negotiating specific international treaties, known as “protocols.”
- UNFCCC itself sets no binding limits but aims to stabilize greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere at a level preventing dangerous consequences.
Measures to Regulate Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS)
- Vienna Convention For the Protection of the Ozone Layer: Agreed in 1985, it established global monitoring and reporting on ozone depletion.
- Montreal Protocol on Ozone-Depleting Substances: The Montreal Protocol under the Vienna Convention was agreed in 1987. It facilitates global cooperation in reversing the rapid decline in atmospheric concentrations of stratospheric ozone (good ozone).
- Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol 2016 – Aims to phase out the manufacture and use of potent greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 80-85% from their respective baselines, till 2045. It is a legally binding agreement between the signatory parties with non-compliance measures. It came into effect from 1st January 2019. The phase down of HFCs is expected to arrest the global average temperature rise up to 0.5 °C by 2100