Sustainable Development and the Environment in International Relations
ITEM 15 – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT
In the last three or four decades, the environment has gradually become a part of the international relations agenda. The progressive degradation of ecological systems and a certain level of catastrophism have fostered a mood conducive to environmental protection policies in northern countries.
Throughout the twentieth century, environmental threats took shape: global temperature has risen between 0.4 and 0.8 ºC. The climate is changing much faster than its own natural cycles because of the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases, especially CO2. There is exploitation of some commercially valuable species and habitat destruction. Forests have also suffered a significant decline. Agenda 21 (an expression coined in the “Earth Summit” – Rio, 1992), is the Development Action Plan that states should take to transform the current development model based on the exploitation of natural resources as if they were unlimited and unequal access to benefits. It promotes a new development model that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations. Under this plan, the major concerns of the environmental agenda from the mid-1990s onward are related to the protection of the atmosphere, including climate change, ozone, and acid rain. Environmental issues are on the agenda of interstate relations, in the activities of international organizations, and among the priorities of many transnational actors. Stockholm, Johannesburg, and Rio were made possible by two types of changes: in the international political environment and North-South relations and discourses on development.
UN-Conference on the Human Environment (CNUMAH) Stockholm 1972
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, The trend of environmental to leave the technical area to enter politics. Instrumental in the introduction of environmental issues on the international agenda. Program was created United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and adopted a statement on 26 principles and an action plan with 109 recommendations, although no legal connection alguna.Legitimó environmental issues as a matter of international concern and allowed that the environment is a place in many nacionales.Indicó agendas for the next 30 years, the major features of environmental negotiations in the international arena. The South raised seems to have won battles, the industrialized countries to transfer responsibility for environmental degradation and the battle to link environmental protection with development.
– Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Rio 1992
He made clear that environmental negotiations and have nothing to do with just the environment. Issues concerning development and poverty, consumption patterns and human settlements are considered together with environmental issues, leading to the era of the “sustainable development”. It was demonstrated that the environment and development are intimately related .Changing focus between Stockholm and Rio. The 20 years separating these two meetings is passed unless the attention of regional issues more global, less developed states over the entire planet. Appears as the concept of sustainable development. River appears on the explosive growth of NGO participation in the constitutional issues ambientales.En if UNEP was the result of Stockholm, Rio gave birth to the birth of the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD). In terms of achievements, got open for signature by states of a convention on climate change and gold on the protection of biodiversity. Both documents, in need of development with other protocols. It significantly boosted the environment to high positions on the international agenda, but failed to meet specific expectations of not meeting specific commitments.
– World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Johannesburg. 2002.
In order to review successes and failures since UNCED. Was inserted in a more conflictivo.Se defined as “the peak of action.” It was structured in 5 basic areas that reflect the change suffered by the international environmental agenda from Stockholm to Johannesburg: water and sanitation, energy, health and environment, agriculture, biodiversity and management of ecosistemas.Tuvo results: 2 Documents: a brief political statement of interest and a “Plan of Implementation.” Furthermore, welcomed the signing and announcement of more than 220 partnerships between states, universities and foundations sum concretos.En projects during the 30 years between 1972 and 2002 the environment has been inserted into the international agenda, and although the experiences of international cooperation have worked unevenly, by reasonable consideration successes, there are other agreements that do not yet have the capacity to curb environmental degradation as in the case of the international regime on climate change and the agreement biodiversidad.En some cases the solution is simple, such as a simple technological substitution and other more profound. On June 4, 1992 was opened for signature by States on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), whose ultimate objective is to stabilize concentrations of greenhouse gases at a level that prevents dangerous anthropogenic interference the climate system. Divide the states into two groups: the northern countries, in which lies a greater degree of commitment and the South, who receive aid to cope with the effects. During the COP-3 (1997) adopted the Kyoto Protocol, which commits the northern states to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012 . While the EU must reduce by 8% (distributed unequally among its members). U.S. agreed to reduce by 7%, to its entry into force, it was necessary for its ratification by 55 states to join the 55% of emissions. They must ratify the U.S., EU and Russia. If the EU has always been favorable to Kyoto, the U.S. announced that they and Russia would ratify the Protocol took up 204.Este born weak and struggling. The fact that the U.S., the main state emitter of greenhouse gases has been opposed to an ambitious approach to climate change has greatly hindered and has made the problem is still being resolved.