GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Environmental Conservation-related issues.
Source: DTE
Context: “Stockholm+50: A healthy planet for the prosperity of all — our responsibility, our opportunity” was held in the year 2022 to mark the 50 years of the Stockholm Conference ( Report of United Nations Conference on the Human Environment).
About Stockholm Conference, 1972
- This was the first global convergence on the planetary environment and natural resources.
- Also termed the “Swedish Initiative”, the idea of the Stockholm Conference was first proposed by Sweden.
- The theme was ‘Only One Earth’.
- Stockholm Declaration: To build the “interconnections between development, poverty and the environment”.
- Action Plan for the Human Environment
- Global Environmental Assessment Programme (watch plan)
- Environmental management activities
- International measures to support assessment and management activities carried out at the national and international levels.
Three Dimensions of the Conference:
- Countries agreed to not “harm each other’s environment or the areas beyond national jurisdiction”.
- An action plan to study the threat to Earth’s environment.
- Establishment of an international body called the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to bring cooperation among countries.
Significance:
- The Stockholm Conference of 1972 put environmental issues on the global agenda for the first time.
- No country had an environment ministry until 1972.
- Today, over 176 countries have environmental framework laws; 150 countries have enshrined environmental protection or the right to a healthy environment in their constitutions; and 164 countries have created cabinet-level bodies responsible for environmental protectio
- After 1972, the environment started making headlines and public consciousness increased.
- Many of today’s conventions on environmental crises trace their origin to the Stockholm Declaration.
Challenges:
- An uncoordinated response from the nations: The world is on track to warm at least 3˚C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
- Poverty is the biggest hurdle in the way of adopting sustainable measures for a healthy environment, as poverty can’t be eradicated without the use of science and technology.
Please Note:
Stockholm Conference is different from Stockholm Convention
Stockholm Convention: It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
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