The Stockholm Declaration And Global Environmental Politics
All around the world today, issues of environmental protection and climate change has become of major international concern with several organizations both private and governments alike, pushing environmental protection programs to the forefront all in a bid to create awareness to the general public on the preservation of our green climate and advocate for the protection of nature in order to make the earth habitable for all living things.
Environmental issues wasn't always of global concern until the Stockholm Declaration in 1972, where the United Nations boldly recognized human impact on the environment and laid out policies that could help to preserve the environment through collective actions of the global community.
In this passage, we will examine the Stockholm Declaration of 1972, it's action plan and the success and challenges.
STOCKHOLM DECLARATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY POLITICS
The Stockholm Declaration, also known as the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, was adopted in 1972 during the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden. It marked a significant milestone in the global environmental movement. The declaration recognized the interdependence of humans and the environment, emphasizing the need for responsible stewardship of the Earth's resources.
The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm was the first world conference to make the environment a major issue. The participants adopted a series of principles for sound management of the environment including the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment and several resolutions.
The Stockholm Declaration, which contained 26 principles, placed environmental issues at the forefront of international concerns and marked the start of a dialogue between industrialized and developing countries on the link between economic growth, the pollution of the air, water, and oceans and the well-being of people around the world.
The Action Plan contained three main categories:
Global Environmental Assessment Programme (watch plan).
Environmental management activities;
International measures to support assessment and management of activities carried out at the National and International levels.
In addition, these categories were broken down into 109 recommendations.
One of the major results of the Stockholm conference was the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Global environmental politics encompasses the complex web of interactions, negotiations, and policies among international actors concerning environmental issues. It addresses topics such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, pollution control, and sustainable resource management on a global scale.
The Key elements include: International agreements, conventions, and treaties aimed at fostering cooperation among nations to tackle shared environmental challenges. These efforts are crucial for safeguarding the planet's health and sustainability for current and future generations.
In 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden, the United Nations hosted its first Conference on the Human Environment, the official declaration of which is commonly called the Stockholm Declaration of 1972. The 26 principles within the declaration broadly recognize human impact on the environment, signifying for the first time in history that environmental issues have been addressed publicly and on a global scale. The declaration emphasized the need for nations to design integrative development plans that combine science and technology in order to lessen air, land, and water pollution and human impact on the environment. It urged each nation to create regulations for protecting wildlife and conserving the natural resources that are available within that country, and suggested creating national population policies, since overpopulation exacerbates the strain on natural resources.
The Stockholm Declaration provided a foundation for many of the environmental policies that have been established in the 113 participating countries. Additionally, the core principles presented in the declaration and the discussions that led to it sparked the creation of the United Nations Environmental Programme, which has subsequently developed more specific protocols to protect the environment.
What is Stockholm declaration?
The Stockholm Declaration, also known as the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, was a historic document adopted at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 5 to June 16, 1972. This conference was the first United Nations conference focused on environmental issues and marked a significant milestone in the global environmental movement.
The Stockholm Declaration outlined several key principles and guidelines related to environmental protection and sustainable development.
Some of the key points included in the declaration were:
Interdependence of Humans and the Environment: Recognizing that human well-being is closely interconnected with the state of the environment.
Global Responsibility: Emphasizing the responsibility of nations to protect and improve the environment, especially in the case of activities that may have transboundary impact or global environmental impacts.
Sustainable Development: Promoting the idea that economic and social development should occur in a manner that does not harm the environment and takes into account the needs of future generations.
Precautionary Principle: Introducing the precautionary principle, which suggests that lack of scientific certainty should not prevent action to prevent environmental harm.
International Cooperation: Stressing the importance of international cooperation in addressing environmental issues and establishing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as a coordinating body for global environmental efforts.
The Stockholm Declaration laid the foundation for modern global environmental governance and cooperation. It set the stage for subsequent international agreements and treaties aimed at addressing environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity conservation, and pollution control. This declaration remains a landmark document in the history of environmental politics and policy
In summary, the Stockholm Declaration laid the groundwork for global environmental politics by promoting cooperation, sustainable development, and shared responsibility for protecting the environment on a global scale. It continues to influence international environmental policy and governance to this day.
SUCCESS OR FAILURE?
While assessing the achievements of the Stockholm Declaration to ascertain whether it was a success or failure, it's basic principles was consulted and it read; Human rights must be asserted, apartheid and colonialism condemned. Natural resources must be safeguarded. The Earth's capacity to produce renewable resources must be maintained
These principles are:
Rights and Responsibilities for protecting the environment – Humans have the right to use and enjoy nature. The right to enjoy nature is not unfettered, it is coextensive with the duty to protect it. Art. 21 of the constitution also safeguards the fundamental right of a healthy environment. This principle also explicitly bars discriminatory laws.
Duty to protect natural resources – Natural resources are limited. We must use natural resources carefully. Preservation of resources depends on effective planning and management.
Duty to preserve renewable resources – Although renewable resources are not depleatable, their preservation is necessary for their quality.
Wildlife Conservation – A combination of factors is responsible for endangering wildlife. Humans have a special responsibility for protecting wildlife. The inclusion of conservation of wildlife in economic planning leads to sustainable development.
Duty to preserve non-renewable resources – Non-renewable resources are exhaustible. They are valuable resources. Exercising care and caution is necessary to prevent them from depletion.
Management of pollution – Pollution is harmful to the environment. Discharging toxins and other substances in large quantities are harmful to the ecosystem. Both the citizens and the states should play an active role in reducing the dumping of harmful substances.
Management of sea pollution – The states should reduce sea pollution by taking necessary steps to prevent substances hazardous to human health, marine life, and the legitimate uses of seas.
Social and Economic development – The improvement of social and economic conditions is necessary for a better living and working environment. Improvements should not affect the environment in any way.
Principle of environmental deficiency
Stability of prices and Income
Principle of environmental policy
Education on environmental protection
Rational management of resource
Rational planning
Human settlement and urbanization
Population control
Setting up of national institutions
Application of science
Education in environmental matters
Expanding scientific research
Reflection in customary International law
Compensation to victims
Implementing a Nationals Agenda
Cooperation with Nations
Coordination with Nations
Ban on Nuclear weapons
Based on the above assessment, it is needless to say that the Stockholm Declaration to a large extent was a huge success with notable achievements. In our world today, people both young and old are aware of their collective responsibility towards preserving a healthy habitable planet for all.
CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE PRESERVATION
Despite the numerous successes of the Stockholm Declaration, there are challenges facing the globe which the world is currently dealing with. These are:
The presence of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) has increased by 26 percent since 1970. This results in greater global warming which has detrimental effects all around the globe. More than 700,000 sq.km of the Amazon rainforest were cleared for farming since the ’70s. The condition of other forested areas is not much better.
Some estimates paint a darker picture, such as the number of fishes in the oceans has almost dropped by 50 %. The quality of the oceans is also not that great. These numbers and reports reveal the gap between planning and taking action. The way ahead is also not easy.
Taking action is the only way to tackle environmental depletion. The laws should adopt more stringent actions. No amount of conventions will help in environmental development unless people start taking action. We should realize the current situation and act cautiously.
CONCLUSION
Issues concerning the environment always affect the general public because the environment is the only habitation of the human person. It is therefore advisable to every individual of the society to be mindful of any action that can bring about environmental decay and be collectively responsible for safeguarding the environment for the benefit of all.
