EARTH SUMMIT

• The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) also known as the Rio Summit, Rio Conference, and Earth Summit ,

• A major United Nations conference was held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.

• 172 governments participated, with 116 sending their heads of state or government.

• 2,400 representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) attended

• 17,000 people at the parallel NGO "Global Forum" (also called Forum Global), who had Consultative Status also attented.

• Twelve cities were also honoured by the Local Government Honours Award for innovative local environmental programs.

• These included Sudbury in Canada for its ambitious program to rehabilitate environmental damage from the local mining industry, 

• Austin in the United States for its green building strategy

•  Kitakyūshū in Japan for incorporating an international education and training component into its municipal pollution control program.

The issues addressed included:• systematic scrutiny of patterns of production —

particularly the production of toxic components, such as lead in gasoline, or poisonous waste including radioactive chemicals

• alternative sources of energy to replace the use of fossil fuels which are linked to global climate change

• new reliance on public transportation systems in order to reduce vehicle emissions, congestion in cities and the health problems caused by polluted air and smoke

• the growing scarcity of water

RESULTS:• The Earth Summit resulted in the following

documents:1. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development2. Agenda 21 with regards to sustainable development3. Forest Principles

• Moreover, important legally binding agreements (Rio Convention) were opened for signature:

1. Convention on Biological Diversity2. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)3. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals:

• conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity);• sustainable use of its components;• equal sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

(UNCCD) Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the

effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements.

ACHIEVEMENTS:• An important achievement was an agreement on

the Climate Change Convention which in turn led to the Kyoto Protocol.

• Another agreement was to "not to carry out any activities on the lands of indigenous peoples that would cause environmental degradation or that would be culturally inappropriate".

• The Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signature at the Earth Summit.

Rio+20 or the Earth Summit 2012 • In 2012, the United Nations

Conference on Sustainable Development was also held in Rio, and is also commonly called Rio+20

• It was held from 13 to 22 June.

• The objectives of the Rio+20 Summit are: 1. to secure renewed political commitment to

sustainable development; 2. to assess progress towards internationally

agreed goals on sustainable development 3. to address new and emerging challenges.

• The Summit also focused on two specific themes:

1. a green economy in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable development

2.an institutional framework for sustainable development.

7 Critical Issues:1.Disasters:• caused by earthquakes, floods, droughts, hurricanes,

tsunami can have devastating impacts on people, environments and economies.

• With a quickening pace of natural disasters taking a greater toll on lives and property, and a higher degree of concentration of human settlements, a smart future means planning ahead and staying alert.

2.Oceans• oceans and seas have been vital role for trade and

transportation. Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.

3.Water • Clean, accessible water for all is an essential

part of the world we want to live in.• Water scarcity, poor water quality and

inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world.

4.Food• how we grow, share and consume our food.• A profound change of the global food and

agriculture system is needed if we are to nourish today's 925 million hungry and the additional 2 billion people expected by 2050.

5.Cities• hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity,

social development and much more• Common city challenges include congestion, lack of

funds to provide basic services, a shortage of adequate housing and declining infrastructure.

• The challenges cities face can be overcome in ways that allow them to continue to thrive and grow, while improving resource use and reducing pollution and poverty.

6.Energy• Sustainable energy is needed for strengthening

economies, protecting ecosystems and achieving equity.

7.Jobs• Economic action and social policies to create gainful

employment are critical for social cohesion and stability.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC)

• An international environmental treaty negotiated at the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.

• The objective of the treaty is to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".

• The UNFCCC was adopted on 9 May 1992, and opened for signature on 4 June 1992

• On 12 June 1992, 154 nations signed the UNFCCC

• The treaty itself set no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries. In that sense, the treaty is considered legally non-binding.

• Instead, the treaty provides a framework for negotiating specific international treaties (called "protocols") that may set binding limits on greenhouse gases.

• The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change.

• The 20th COP took place in Peru in 2014.

• As of March 2014, UNFCCC has 196 parties.

• In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded and established legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

• The 2010 Cancún agreements state that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F) relative to the pre-industrial level.

Later negotiations:• Kyoto Protocol• At the 1st Conference of the Parties (COP-

1), Parties decided that the aim of Annex I Parties stabilizing their emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000 was "not adequate", and further discussions at later conferences led to the Kyoto Protocol.

• The Kyoto Protocol sets emissions targets for developed countries which are binding under international law.

• The Kyoto Protocol has had two commitment periods, the first of which lasts from 2005-2012, and the second 2012-2020

• All (43)Annex I Parties, excluding the US, have participated in the 1st Kyoto commitment period.

• 37 Annex I countries and the EU have agreed to second-round Kyoto targets.

• These countries are Australia, all members of the European Union, Belarus, Croatia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Norway, Switzerland, and Ukraine.Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine have stated that they may withdraw from the Protocol or not put into legal force the Amendment with second round targets.

• Japan, New Zealand, and Russia have participated in Kyoto's first-round but have not taken on new targets in the second commitment period. Other developed countries without second-round targets are Canada (which withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol in 2012) and the United States.

• Bali Action Plan• As part of the Bali Action Plan, adopted in

2007, all developed country Parties have agreed to "quantified emission limitation and reduction objectives, while ensuring the comparability of efforts among them, taking into account differences in their national circumstances."

• 42 developed countries have submitted mitigation targets to the UNFCCC secretariat, as have 57 developing countries and the African Group

• Copenhagen and Cancún• The Accord states that global warming

should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F). This may be strengthened in 2015 with a target to limit warming to below 1.5 °C.

• 114 countries have agreed to the Accord

• The ultimate objective of treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

Thank You.