Environmental Int Summits Flashcards
Stockholm 1972- the UN conference on the Human Environment
26 key principles incl;
Natural services must be safeguarded
Non-renewable resources must be shared and safeguarded
Science and technology must be used to protect the environment
Each nation must establish its own standards
Plenty of scientific research highlighting neg impact of humans on the environment and the incr pol agitation for ecological causes…. Scientific evidence + pol still acting in isolation from each other
Still a sense Nat states shld dev their own policies, rather than int standards
Key objective = states began talking indep to protect the environment
Montreal Protocol (1989)
Aimed to protect the ozone layer.
Key measures include the banning of CFCs and other chemicals, whose emissions harmed the ozone layer and exposed the earth to the risk of sig temp rises
Testament to the success of Montreal protocol that later climate change negs have mostly focused on red co2 emissions, as Montreal made suc non-co2 emissions
If not for Montreal non co2 emissions wld be more serious and harmful than co2 emissions, in terms of contributing to global warming
Scientists est Mont had 5-6x the impact of Kyoto
197 states have now ratified… first ex of en glob gov where a certain no of states were required to sign and ratify the treaty b4 it would come into force… enc coll action mirrored in Kyoto + Paris
First example of a precautionary measure
Rec the need for states to take diff types of action, some states needing to do more than others.
Suc states felt they were sharing the burden equally + implemented so easily bc less fin burden
Rio Earth Summit (1992)
Met for 2 weeks, 172 govs in attendance, including 112 heads of states= legitimacy, negs more impactful
Also a ppls summit 17,000 ppl attended
Key aim to agree framework for future action , cont work of the Stockholm declaration
Major suc was agreeing to the UNFCCC
Econ progress is only ensured if it is linked w/ the protection of the environment. Econ prog wld be harmed if environment not prot
Int com should aim to dev further int agreements to prot the glob environment and ensure responsible dev
Ppl entitled to a healthy and productive life… intro of link between HR and the environment
Development today shld not threaten those in the future
UNFCCC = major suc…. Spec act= little achieved led to int com agreeing there was a prob…. Agreement did not exist b4 summit
Kyoto (1997)
Legally binding emissions targets were now required to hold states accountable for their actions.
Marked a change as in environmental global governance identified specific action for states
First attempt to hold states accountable via legally binding targets
Industrialised states committed to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by around 5% over the next decade
Time- limited, w/ an expiry date in 2012… meant further climate change conf wld be required to take the deal further and to review Kyoto’s suc
While state deliberate, emissions incr by as much as 40-50% between 1990 and 2009
USA rejects Kyoto , does not ratify bc agreement was not comprehensive w/ Brazil, China, India and South Africa entirely exempt
Copenhagen cop 15 summit (2009)
Agreed Kyoto protocol had failed, most sig or polluting states had either withdrawn or were exempt
Key challenge= need for collective action and a comprehensive agreement
Key target was to get the largest contributors (USA) to agree on collective action.
Also addressed question of those contributions expected of developing states, for developed states to agree a deal
Agreed to conserve at least 30% of the world’s land, inland waters, coastal areas, and oceans
Agreed to develop a financial mechanism for sharing the benefits from drug discoveries, vaccines and food products that come from digital forms of biodiversity, known as digital sequence information
Requires govs to ensure that large and transnational companies disclose “their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity”… if implement could affect business practices w/ an incr stress on sustainanble sourcing.
Paris summit Cop 21 (2015)
Committed to keep states to cut emissions
Legally binding
An agreement to keep global temperature increase well below 2c and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5c
To peak greenhouse gas emissions ASAP and achieve a balance between sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the 2nd half of the century
Review progress ever 5 years
USA set out plans to cut carbon emissions by 28% by 2025… Trump pulled USA out
EU prom to cut carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. China 60-65% and India by 35%
Too much trust is placed on states taking action, w/out any means of pushing or holding them accountable if they do not keep their promises
COP 24 2018
The agreement to establish a sig part of the rule book, the technical framework for implementing the Paris agreement
Creation of the Paris agreement compliance committee
Approval of three important declarations on just transition, electromobility and forests.
COP 26- Glasgow 2021
Recognising the emergency
Countries reaffirmed the Paris agreement goal of limiting the increase in the global average temp to well below 2c above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5c
Accelerating action + delivering on climate finance
Developed countries voiced regret on failing to deliver US$100 billion a year for developing countries… expressed confidence wld meet by 2023
Setting up sup for adaption to help reduce climate change
Completing the Paris rule book
Focusing on loss and damage
Moving away from fossil fuels
137 countries committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2039… pledge is backed by $12bn in public and $7.2 by in priv funding
103 countries including 15 major emitters signed up to the Global Methane pledge, aims to limit methane emissions by 30% by 2030
Over 30 countries, 6 major vehicle manufacturers and other actors… determination for car and van sales to be zero-emissions by 2040
Cop 28- Dubai 2023
Transition away from fossil fuels
Biden and Xi Jimping did not go
Loss and damage fun could start handing out money- $792 million committed
Climate finance over $85 billion committed
