The Geopolitics of Sustainability
THE GEOPOLITICS OF SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable development has become one of the major issues for international relations…There are divergent interests and divergent positions. How the world has been organized until now?
Rio Summit
Twenty years after the Stockholm conference (which marked the beginning of a dialogue between developed countries and developing countries about the link between the well-being of population, economic growth and worldwide pollution), at the end of the cold war the conference of the united nations in Rio de Janeiro also emerged :
1. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (containing 27 principles); enlarging the concept of rights and responsibilities of countries in environmental matters, by popularizing the concept of sustainable development. It is focused on two major issues: environmental degradation and interdependency between economical growth and the need to protect environment. Hence the necessary to establish a global partnership.
It is not legally binding, but this declaration, as the human rights declaration is supposed to be respected.
2. Several documents come from this conference:
Agenda 21 - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD);
Agreement to negotiate a world desertification convention;
The statement of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests.
Framework Convention on Climate Change
Has been ratified by 167 states and although the US did not accept it has been a success.
Inspired by success of Montreal Protocol on CFCs, FCCC was a commitment with different governments in order
To try to reduce CFCs; To gather information about CFCs and better policies;
To set up an international cooperation to prepare the impacts of climate change.
US refused to accept binding targets or dates: “The American way of life is not up for negotiation”, President Bush.
Sustainable development has become one of the major issues for international relations…There are divergent interests and divergent positions. How the world has been organized until now?
Rio Summit
Twenty years after the Stockholm conference (which marked the beginning of a dialogue between developed countries and developing countries about the link between the well-being of population, economic growth and worldwide pollution), at the end of the cold war the conference of the united nations in Rio de Janeiro also emerged :
1. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (containing 27 principles); enlarging the concept of rights and responsibilities of countries in environmental matters, by popularizing the concept of sustainable development. It is focused on two major issues: environmental degradation and interdependency between economical growth and the need to protect environment. Hence the necessary to establish a global partnership.
It is not legally binding, but this declaration, as the human rights declaration is supposed to be respected.
2. Several documents come from this conference:
Agenda 21 - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD);
Agreement to negotiate a world desertification convention;
The statement of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests.
Framework Convention on Climate Change
Has been ratified by 167 states and although the US did not accept it has been a success.
Inspired by success of Montreal Protocol on CFCs, FCCC was a commitment with different governments in order
To try to reduce CFCs; To gather information about CFCs and better policies;
To set up an international cooperation to prepare the impacts of climate change.
US refused to accept binding targets or dates: “The American way of life is not up for negotiation”, President Bush.