History of Environmental Regulations: From Stockholm to Kyoto
Historical Development of Environmental Regulations
The Need for Change
The quality of life is a common objective of governments and populations. In the late twentieth century, it became recognized that one of the biggest barriers to maintaining or improving quality of life is the deterioration of vital systems on which the existence of the human species depends. The greenhouse effect, the hole in the ozone layer, desertification, depletion of resources, poverty, unfair distribution of wealth, and inequality in relationships between people are just some of the serious problems that threaten a decent life for many.
The Industrial Revolution and its Impact
The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of the exploitation of nonrenewable natural resources like coal, oil, and gas, applied to the generation of electricity. It also meant increasing pollution of rivers, air, and the landscape. Now, technological society faces the challenge of finding new ways of using energy, reconceptualizing progress, and balancing the quantitative with the qualitative.
Global Ecological Problems
Among the global ecological problems, we highlight the following:
- Climate change
- Destruction of the ozone layer
- Water scarcity and quality degradation
- Loss of arable land and desertification
- Destruction of forests and other ecosystems
- Loss of biodiversity and genetic resources
- Acid rain
- Pollution of the oceans
- Accumulation of huge amounts of waste, especially toxic and radioactive
Identifying the Main Problems
After consultation with UN scientists from over 50 countries, the main problems of humankind were identified as:
- Climate change (51%)
- Water shortage (29%)
- Deforestation and desertification (28%)
- Contamination of water (27%)
- Biodiversity loss (23%)
- Landfill wastes (20%)
- Air pollution (20%)
These problems result from a mosaic of pollution, overuse, neglect, and destruction, determined by production and consumption patterns and lifestyle habits, especially those of Western society. Solving environmental problems, or better yet, preventing them, implies changing our individual and collective actions to achieve sustainability.
The Rise of Environmental Education
Environmental education is a current of thought and action, international in scope, that gained momentum in the 1970s when the destruction of natural habitats and degradation of environmental quality began to be regarded as social problems. Its official recognition is commonly attributed to the United Nations Conference on Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972).
Key Milestones in Environmental Regulations
Stockholm, June 1972 – United Nations Conference on Environment
Mindful of the need for common principles to guide environmental preservation and improvement, the conference proclaimed that man is both creature and molder of his environment.
Montreal Protocol, September 1987
The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, saw approximately 180 nations pledge to reduce the production of CFC gases, halons, and methyl bromide, considered the main cause of ozone layer depletion.
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, March 22, 1989
Recognizing the threat to human health and the environment posed by hazardous wastes and their transboundary movement, the Basel Convention aimed to control their movement and disposal.
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, June 1992
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro sought to establish a new global partnership for sustainable development.
Principle 1
Human beings are at the center of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.
Agenda 21
Agenda 21, a program of socio-political action, aimed to harmonize development and environment. It called for a continuous and constructive dialogue among states to ensure a more efficient and fair global economy, prioritizing sustainable development.
Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Written in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol called on developed and developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the main contributors to global warming and rising sea levels. It specifically addressed emissions of six greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).