IGO’s Have Been Formed To Manage The Environment Flashcards
What issues would never be fully solved if only one country worked on them?
Climate change
Pollution
Hydro issues
Why are IGOs best suited to tacking transboundary issues?
Many members are powerful economic states
IGO’s promote countries to work together
What was happening to the ozone layer?
It was depleting
What was the main reason for Ozone depletion?
CFCs as they react with UV and create choline free radicals that bond to monatomic oxygen stopping O3 production
What meant that ozone thickness began to increase?
Due to the global wide action agreed in Montreal protocol (1987)
What does CITES stand for?
Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species
What is the aim of CITES?
To protect plants and animals by regulating trade
What do CITES trade controls aim to do?
Make it harder to buy and sell certain species as if its difficult to sell or profit from the trade of species people will no longer collect them
When was CITES drafted and signed?
1975
How many members are there in CITES?
183
How many species are protected by CITES?
35,000
How many transactions are registered though CITES?
1 million (this maybe individuals or hundreds or thousands of individuals)
What is needed for change to occur with the CITES listing?
2/3 majority vote
With is CITES biggest problem?
It deals with trade and not habitat losses which is one of the biggest causes of species loss
What can members of CITES do to affect the outcomes of votes?
countries with vested interests often send large delegations and high ranking politicians to persuade other countries to side with them in crucial votes
What can CITES do if a country violates the rules?
Respond with sanctions preventing a country from trading in CITES listed species (this is rare though)
What can a CITES country to do avoid sanction?
They can leave as membership is voluntary
What are some success stories of CITEs allowing wild populations to recover?
South American Vicuña (camel family)
Nile crocodile
What area of the environment does UNCLOS cover?
The way in which IGO’s manage the ocean environment
Under UNCLOS what can a state do with the ocean 12 miles from its coastline?
Right to anything (territorial area)
What does UNCLOS allow within 200 nautical miles off from the coastline?
Fishing rights
Rights to mineral resource
(Exclusive economic zone)
What are the UNCLOS rules for how the ocean 350 miles from the coastline can be managed?
Exclusive rights to mineral resources after process to establish the outer border of continental shelf
When was UNCLOS signed?
1982
What does UNCLOS cover/ want to protect?
Concerns all fishing, resources and pollution and the activities that take place in/ on the seas
What explicit conditions does UNCLOS have?
Protection of marine environments
What are states obliged to do under UNCLOS?
Must ensure the protection and preservation of the marine environment in each territorial zone of the sea
What concerns are there about UNCLOS?
There is no treaty to protect the high seas and no one is responsible for waste there (64% of ocean and 90% of volume)
What has the Antarctic treaty called Antarctica?
A land which is a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science
How many key points are there in the Antarctic treaty?
10
What are the 10 key points of the Antarctic treaty?
No nuclear weapons
No military training
National law applied to citizens
Territorial claims on hold
Free exchange of scientific plans and data
Freedom of scientific investigation
Applies to land not the sea
Treaty nations must make sure rules are maintained
Rules can be changed but must be unanimous
No mineral extraction
What had the Antarctic treaty been described as?
One of the most successful international agreements and remains in force indefinitely
What is the one thing that the Antarctic treaty can’t prevent?
Climate change
