LCDMI memorise GEP Flashcards
UN treaties (treaty that established COP) - what did it do
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992 -Treaty which established during the Rio conference - provided the framework for domestic and international law.
Further establishing regular negotiations between UN members through ‘Conferences of the Parties’ (COP (annually) regarding laws to do with GEP
Paris Agreement (UN paragraph)
The Paris agreement was established at COP21 which aims to keep global rising temperature below 1.5 degrees by 2030
UNEP working with MEE
The UN global environmental programme is working with the peoples republic of china through the “kunming global biodiversity convention’ to restore “30% of degraded ecosystems and conserve 30% of land and sea by 2030” - biggest international manufacturer
Cooperation UN explained by David Attenbrough
SS blah blah .. only “unparallel levels of cooperation” and recognition of the “moral responsibility that nations have’ can properly instigate real change (David attenbrough 2021 UN pres conference”
US and UK and Ban Ki Moon (UN para)
The unwillingness of countries to change is manifested through the US and UK “Financing fossil fuels through subsides” and “backtracking on the spirit of the climate deal” - suggesting UN is ineffective (Guardian 2016)
2023 SMH ICCP
a - states how ‘We have everything we need to fix we climate change, we need to do it now’ - The latest report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ICCP) entails how the earth is likely to “Surpass the Paris Agreements of keeping the global rising temperature under 1.5 in the next decade”
Lack of enforceablty of the UN (quote and article )
due to the - countries are able to worsen climate change with non-complaicne with the UN agreements. This is displayed through the “US, UK and Japan not being able to speak during the 2019 conference” as “they were not prepared to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels” (SMH 2019)
Why is the Montreal Protocool so successful (International instruments) and why wasn’t it
The first UN treaty on the environment to receive universal ratifiaction meanwhile some states continue to disobey its rulings
Montreal Protocol successful details
It was developed 3 years after the hole in the O-Zone was discovered in 1985 and received universal ratificaiton with 197 signatories and set out a mandatory timeline for the phase out of O-zone depleteing substances
Montreal Protocol since 1988b
Since 1988 “the implentation of the protocol has lead to the phase-out of o-zone 998.6% of o-zone depleting substances” and the “o-zone has increased 1-3% since 2000” - UN environmental programme 2021
Montreal Protocol precendent
The Montreal Protocol has set a “precedent for climate action” as described by secretary-general of the global Meteorology organisation - the Montreal Protocol has obtained a decisive role in shaping “future cooperation” (Time, 2019)
China- Montreal Protocol - Non-compliance
Regardless of the success…. the substances have been ‘increasing by 7,000 tonnes since 2013’, this can be credited to ‘Chinese industrial areas found to be producing o-zone depleteing CFC gas’
Conferences- 1st and 2nd LCDMi
- UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992 (Conferences of the parties COP)
- COP21 - Paris Agreement
Paris Agreement ratificaiton
“The US and China, the worlds largest emitters” announcing “they will formally ratify the Paris Agreement”
Paris Agreement Ratificaiton what does it do and media title
Hence pertaining to the “significant advancement” of economic powers in priortising GEP over economic gain facilitated via conferences. subsequently creating a vital piece of legislation that encourages compliance by nations - (Breakthrough as US and China agree to Paris deal- Guardian 2016)
Paris agreement ineffective (Conferences) Explanation
However policy maker can ignore, contradict or withdraw from their obligations under international law relating to the environment
Paris agreement ineffective (Conferences) Trump
Anticipated by president donald trump pulling out of the Paris Agreement as a “reassertion of Americas soverginty” thus eradticting all pressure created at COP21 and demonstrating the ineffectiveness of conferences to maintain compliance
COP26 effectiveness - pact name - what is achieved - where and when is the article from
COP26 held in 2021 saw the creation of the ‘Glasglow Climate Pact’ which contained the historic mention of fossil fuels for the first time at a global conference - working to build a bridge between ‘good intentions and measurable actions’ as countries build tangile efforts rather than simply ambitious claims (UN news Dec 2021)
Despite progress made at COP26
the efforts of this advancement of environmental international law have been hindered by the economic greed of developing countries
- with “the biggest coal finances China, Korea and Japan” abstaining from the “Global Coal to Clean Power Transition statement” and India attempting to “water down” langangue within the Climate Pact statement from ‘phasing out’ to ‘phasing down’ - hence exemplifying the inability of conferences to fully unite counties (UN News and The Guardian 2021)
Due to the changing moral and ethical standards – COP15
there has been a development in the awareness surrounding biodiversity and with the recent COP conference COP15 as of December 2022 countries have adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodivesrity Framework which was “once in a decade deal to halt the destruction of earths ecosystems” that was only possible through “the collaboration of all countries” hence reflecting the effectiveness of conferences to create cooperation etc to facilitate law reform (Gaurdian dec 2022)
Stockholm conference - date - why was it formed - what did it lead to
The 1972 Stockholm conference was the first conference created that addressed environmental issues globally - The Stockholm declaration created 26 principles to put environmental protection at the forefront of international concerns - one of these principles lead to the creation of UNEP - UNEP works with countries to help them consider their own environmental impact hence individuality preserving UNEP as a whole (good segway would be Stockholm lead to the rest of the environmental conferences - eg Paris which was the first conference to established a finite goal)
ICJ ineffective and effective
Established in 1945 as an organ of the UN the ICJ acts as a promotional tool for compliance through its binding decisions. Its effectiveness is furthered when comparing it to ad-hoc tribunals as their respective and inconsistent nature make them strongly ineffective. Meanwhile regardless of the binding decisions of the ICJ being binding states can utilitese their soverginty to not comply.
Ineffectiveness of Ad-hoc tribunals
The ICTY failed to address the forms of environmental damage that are permitted within the 1949 Geneva convention (add quote) - which was used to persecute the accused during the trial - the extreme bombing campagain by NATO which caused things such as mass oil spills and the destruction of chemical plants -the ICTY could not persecute the USA as they hadnt ratified article 1 of the convention (Final report of ICTY 2017)
ICJ AUS and NZ v Japan
2014 - the ICJ ruled that Japans whaling program JARPA II was not “in conformity with its obligations” and japan must cease its programs - japan continued the program committing to killing 333 in 2014 - inability etc (Guardian 2016)
