APPENDIX 2
International Conferences & Outcomes
The Earth Summit
The "Earth Summit" - The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) - was held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 and brought together the representatives of 180 countries, including 108 heads of Government. They came together to discuss the many environmental and development problems facing the world. The Earth Summit was the 1989 UN response to the report of the Brundtland Commission, "Our Common Future".
The achievements and outcomes from the Earth Summit can be seen in the guiding principles embodied in New Zealand legislation.
2.1 Achievements and Outcomes
Some of the major achievements of the Earth Summit were:
- Recognition that the increasingly serious environmental and development problems facing the world require global solutions
- Recognition that solutions to these problems require cooperation between nations and between all sectors of society
- Recognition that the well-being of humanity depends on the well being of nature
Of the many outcomes from the Earth Summit there are five key agreements which were adopted by consensus, the last two being legally binding:
- The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
- Agenda 21
- Forest Principles
- A Framework Convention on Climate Change
- A Convention on Protection of Biological Diversity
2.2 The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
"Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature"
The Rio Declaration sets out 27 guiding principles on sustainable development based upon this statement. The key principles being:
- Intergenerational equity - that there should be equity between the rights and needs of the current generation and those of generations yet to come. In essence we are the current stewards on behalf of our children and their children.
- Reduction of poverty
- Participation - that all sectors of society should be able to take part in decision-making, including access to information
- National Sovereignty - that each country has the sovereign right to use its own resources in ways that do not cause environmental damage beyond its borders
- Precautionary approach - that lack of full scientific certainty should not be a reason for delaying action to prevent damage to the environment
- Polluter pays - that polluters should bear the cost of pollution
- Responsibilities - that the world community has a common responsibility for protecting the global environment. However, countries that pollute more should do more for environmental protection than those who pollute less
2.3 Agenda 21
Agenda 21 sets the common framework of action for all countries to achieve sustainable development. It is recognised that this framework will evolve over time in the light of changing needs and circumstances.
Although Agenda 21 is legally binding, the commitment of over 180 nations gives it a high moral standing in international and national circles. The importance of Agenda 21 is recognised by the 47th UN General Assembly establishing the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) in December 1992, to monitor its implementation.
The CSD consists of representatives from 53 elected States and the UN specialised agencies, and it enables the participation of non-governmental organisations, indigenous people, business and industry, and the scientific community.
Agenda 21 consists of 4 interlinked sections which focus upon the main environmental and developmental concerns facing all nations. It suggests ways of tackling these problems and ensuring that all sectors of society are able to take part.
Some of the key themes running through Agenda 21 include:
- Reforming policies -
provides a cleara framework for bringing together environment and economics. It call for environmental considerations to be built into policy-making from the start rather than being added as an afterthought.
- Reducing poverty -
identifies poverty as a global problem requiring global solutions, with action at the local level. It stresses that people, not resources or production, should be the centre of our concerns.
- Controlling wasteful consumption and production -
it pinpoints the wasteful consumption and production associated with industrialisation and wealth aquisition as the most serious current causes of global degradation
- Focusing on population
- world population is expected to be 8 billion by 2020, which places ever increasing stress of life support systems. There is urgent need for programmes to ensure natureís capacity to sustain life is not exceeded.
- Encouraging participation
- sustainable development requires well informed people, from across society, participating in decision making.
- Building capacity - s
ustainable development depends upon the development of human, institutional and other resources.
- Improving technologies - s
ustainability requires the greater use of sound technologies that use resources efficiently and generate low levels of waste, or no waste.
- Expanding scientific capabilities
- environmentally safe scientific research will use resources effectively and include strengthening the scientific capabilities of the developing world.
- Integrating trade and environment -
Agenda 21 recommends that trade and the environment should be mutually supportive. Trade can otherwise lead to over consumption, while environmental issues can impede trade if used as unjustifiable technical barriers.
Convention on Climate Change
This Convention seeks to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions in the earthís atmosphere. The key principles are:
- Preparation of national inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and sinks
- Production of national programmes to mitigate climate change and develop adaptation strategies
- International co-operation in the development, implementation and transfer of technologies related to the removal, reduction or control of greenhouse gas emissions
- Conservation and enhancement of sinks and reservoirs for greenhouse gases
- Inclusion of the climate change issues in social, economic and environmental policies and actions
- Research on climate change, and the implementation of appropriate corrective action
- Coastal zone and water management planning
- National policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions
Biodiversity Convention
The objective of this convention is to achieve the sustainable management and conservation of the worldís biological diversity, whilst ensuring the benefits from these genetic resources are fairly distributed. Key points are:
- Biological diversity includes all genetic material, species and ecosystems
- Global coverage
- In situ
conservation with complementary ex situ conservation measures
- Measures to identify and monitor the components of diversity; establishment and management of protected areas; sustainable management of biological resources everywhere; restoration of already degraded areas; control of alien species; involvement of local communities; protection of threatened species
- Provision of access to genetic resources while maintaining sovereign rights of states over their resources
- Provision of access to conservation technologies in order to manage biological diversity.
Forest Principles
These principles cover the management, conservation and sustainable development of all forests. Key principles are:
- All types of forests are included in the definition
- The sustainable management of forestry resources while allowing for the sovereign rights of nations to develop such resources
- Encouragement to reforest and conserve existing forests.
- The international community should support developing countries to establish forest conservation policies
- Trading in forest products should avoid unilateral restrictions or trade bans.
- The promotion of planted forests as environmentally sound renewable industrial raw material and energy sources