International: A Major Decision of Global Environmental Protection

(United Nations Declaration on Human Environment, 2 1 Agenda, Earth Charter, Kyoto Protocol, Convention on Biological Diversity ...)

United nations declaration on the human environment.

The Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, also known as the Declaration of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, was adopted at the plenary session of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment on June 1972. The "Declaration" is the main achievement of this conference, which clarifies 7 common views and 26 principles reached by participating countries and international organizations to inspire and guide people all over the world to protect and improve the human environment.

Seven identical viewpoints in the Declaration on the Human Environment:

(1) Man is the product and shaper of the environment. Due to the rapid development of modern science and technology, human beings have the ability to change the environment on an unprecedented scale. Both the natural environment and the man-made environment are essential to human welfare and basic human rights.

(2) Protecting and improving the human environment is related to the well-being and economic development of people of all countries, which is the urgent desire of people and the responsibility of governments of all countries.

(3) Human beings should always sum up experience, make discoveries, invent, create and make progress. The ability of human beings to change the environment, if properly used, can bring benefits to people, if improperly used, will cause immeasurable damage to people and the environment. At present, in many parts of the earth, there are signs of increasing harm to the environment. In the man-made environment, especially in the living and working environment, there are also major defects that are harmful to human physical and mental health.

(4) In developing countries, most environmental problems are caused by slow development. Therefore, they should first devote themselves to development and at the same time pay attention to protecting and improving the environment. In industrialized countries, environmental problems are usually caused by industrial and technological development.

(5) Natural population growth has caused environmental problems, so appropriate policies and measures should be taken to solve these problems.

(6) Today's historical stage requires people all over the world to be more careful about the environmental consequences when planning actions. In order to gain freedom in nature, human beings must use knowledge to achieve harmony with nature and build a better environment. Protecting the environment for present and future generations has become an urgent goal of mankind. This is completely consistent with the development goals of peace, economy and society.

(7) In order to achieve this environmental goal, every citizen, organization, institution and enterprise is required to take responsibility and work together to create the future world environment.

The 26 principles in the Declaration on the Human Environment can be summarized into six aspects:

(1) Everyone has the basic right to enjoy freedom, equality and proper living conditions in a good environment, and at the same time has a sacred duty to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations.

(2) Protect the natural resources on the earth. The development and utilization of resources should be properly arranged in the planning to prevent future resource depletion. All countries have the right to develop according to their own environmental policies, but at the same time they have the obligation not to cause damage to the environment of other countries and regions. The discharge of toxic substances into the environment should not exceed the self-purification capacity of the environment. If environmental damage is caused to other countries or regions, compensation shall be made.

(3) All countries should make overall plans when planning their development, so as to coordinate economic development with environmental protection.

(4) In areas where the natural population growth is too fast or the population concentration is too high, which has an adverse impact on the environment, or where the development is hindered by the low population density, the relevant governments should adopt appropriate population policies.

(5) All countries, especially developing countries, should promote the research and popularization of environmental science and exchange experiences and latest scientific data with each other. Encourage the provision of environmental technologies to developing countries that will not cause economic burdens.

(6) Countries should ensure the effective cooperation of international organizations in environmental protection. When dealing with international issues of protecting and improving the environment, all countries, big or small, are equal. In the spirit of cooperation, we should effectively control or eliminate adverse effects through multilateral and bilateral cooperation, and at the same time, we should give due consideration to the sovereignty and interests of the countries concerned.

For the first time, the Declaration on the Human Environment provides the guidelines that all countries must abide by politically and morally for international environmental protection, summarizes and generalizes the basic principles and specific principles for formulating international environmental laws, and points out the direction for the development of domestic environmental laws in various countries.

The Declaration on the Human Environment clearly declares: "According to the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, every country has the sovereign right to develop resources according to its own environmental policy, and at the same time it has the responsibility to ensure that activities within its jurisdiction or control will not cause damage to the environment of other countries or areas beyond its jurisdiction." International issues related to environmental protection and improvement should be handled by all countries, big or small, on the basis of equality and in the spirit of cooperation. The Declaration has played an important role in promoting the development of international environmental law.

Agenda 2 1

Agenda 2 1 Century is an 800-page blueprint for global sustainable development, aiming at encouraging development while protecting the environment. It was adopted at the Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.

Agenda 2 1 Century is an epoch-making achievement in bringing environmental, economic and social issues into a single policy framework. Agenda 2 1 Century contains more than 2,500 different suggestions for action, including detailed suggestions on how to reduce waste and consumption patterns, help the poor, protect the atmosphere, oceans and biodiversity, and promote sustainable agriculture. The recommendations in Agenda 2 1 Century are still appropriate. Later, the resolutions of major United Nations conferences on population, social development, women, cities and food security were expanded and strengthened.

Earth charter

1From June 3 to June 4, 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Delegations from 183 countries and representatives from 70 international organizations of the United Nations and its affiliated institutions attended the meeting. This meeting is also called "Global Environment Summit". The meeting adopted the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Charter, which is a guiding document for national and international actions on environment and development. The full text stipulates 27 basic principles of the international environment and the sustainable development of all countries, and for the first time, while recognizing the right to development of developing countries, it has formulated a policy of combining environment with development.

The natural environment is the main concern of the Earth Charter. The Charter holds that environmental protection, human rights, equal human development and peace are interdependent and inseparable.

The Earth Charter is a set of moral principles, which expounds how to build a just, sustainable and peaceful global society in the 2 1 century.

This "people's charter" was completed after ten years of dialogue and consultation. With the continuous development of global civilized society, the Earth Charter is applicable to the brand-new knowledge of this era. So far, more than 6,000 organizations representing millions of people in the world have signed an agreement, indicating that they agree with the Charter.

The Earth Charter has been translated into 26 languages and widely supported as a tool to promote education, dialogue, introspection and reform.

Kyoto Protocol (Kyoto Protocol)

Kyoto Protocol Translation Kyoto Protocol and Kyoto Treaty. The full name of Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is a supplementary clause to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It was formulated in Kyoto, Japan from 1997 to 12 by three meetings of the participating countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its goal is to "stabilize the greenhouse gas content in the atmosphere at an appropriate level to prevent serious climate change from harming human beings". The Kyoto Protocol was signed to protect mankind from the threat of climate warming.

The Kyoto Protocol needs the ratification of at least 55 countries, which account for more than 55% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan in February 1997, and was opened for signature from March 16 to March 1999, with a total of 84 countries signing it. China signed and ratified the Protocol in May 2002 1998. As of August 2005, 13 and 142 countries and regions have signed the Protocol, including 30 industrialized countries, and the population of the ratifying countries accounts for 80% of the world's total population. The formal entry into force of Kyoto Protocol is the first time in human history to limit greenhouse gas emissions in the form of laws and regulations.

Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international convention for the protection of the earth's biological resources. 1 June, 19921was adopted at the seventh meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi.1signed by signatory countries at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 5, 1992, and in June 1993. The permanent secretariat is located in Montreal, Canada. The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity is the highest decision-making body for the implementation of the Convention globally, and all major decisions on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity must be adopted by the Conference of the Parties.

The Convention is a legally binding convention, aiming at protecting endangered animals and plants, protecting all kinds of biological resources on the earth to the maximum extent, and benefiting present and future generations. According to the Convention, developed countries will provide new supplementary funds to developing countries in the form of donation or transfer to compensate for their increasing costs of protecting biological resources, and technology should be transferred to developing countries in a more affordable way, thus promoting the protection of global biological resources; The signatory countries shall catalogue the plants and wild animals within their own territory and make plans for the protection of endangered plants and animals; Establish financial institutions to help developing countries implement plans to count and protect animals and plants; A country that uses another country's natural resources should share research results, profits and technology with that country.

As of May 2008, the Convention had 65,438+090 signatories. China signed the Convention on June 1992+0 1 and ratified it on October 7/KLOC-0.

In February 2004, the seventh ministerial meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Kuala Lumpur, which adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration.

Biodiversity refers to all living things in the biosphere on earth, namely animals, plants and microorganisms, as well as their genes and living environment. It includes three levels: genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. Simply put, biodiversity represents thousands of biological species in Qian Qian. More than half of the world's species (about 5 million species) live in the tropical rain forest on earth, so the biodiversity there is the richest.

Biodiversity is of great value. It can not only provide raw materials for industry, such as gum, oil, aromatic oil, fiber, etc., but also provide various special genes for human beings, such as cold tolerance and disease resistance genes, making it possible to cultivate new varieties of animals and plants. Many wild animals and plants are precious medicinal materials, which make it possible to treat difficult diseases.

With the pollution and destruction of the environment, such as deforestation, vegetation destruction, hunting and so on. The biological species in the world are disappearing at the rate of dozens every day. This is a great loss of the earth's resources, because once species disappear, they can never be regenerated. The disappearance of species will not only make human beings lose a natural resource, but also cause the disappearance of other species through the food chain. Nowadays, all countries in the world are calling for the protection of biodiversity and putting it into action.

Nairobi Declaration.

To commemorate the anniversary of the Stockholm United Nations Conference on the Human Environment 10 and promote the improvement of the world environment, members of the international community held a special meeting on the human environment in Nairobi from May to June 18, 2008, and adopted the Nairobi Declaration. On the basis of fully affirming the Declaration of Stockholm Conference on Human Environment, this paper puts forward some new principles that all countries should abide by in view of the new problems in the world environment.

(1) The Stockholm Conference is a powerful force to deepen the public's knowledge and understanding of human environmental vulnerability. In the years since then, environmental science has made great progress; Great progress has been made in education, publicity and training. Almost all countries have passed environmental legislation, and many countries have written environmental protection clauses in their constitutions. In addition to the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme, some governmental and non-governmental organizations have been established, and some important international agreements on environmental cooperation have been concluded. The principles of the Stockholm Declaration are still as valid today as 1972. These principles provide a set of basic rules for improving and protecting the environment in the future.

(2) However, it should be pointed out that the action plan has only been partially implemented, and the result cannot be considered satisfactory. This is mainly due to the lack of sufficient foresight and understanding of the long-term interests of environmental protection, insufficient coordination of methods and efforts, lack of resources and uneven distribution. Therefore, the impact of the action plan on the entire international community is not enough. Some uncontrolled or unplanned human activities make the environment worse and worse. Deforestation, soil and water quality deterioration and desertification have reached alarming levels, and seriously endangered the living conditions in large areas of the world. Diseases caused by harmful environmental conditions continue to bring human suffering. Atmospheric changes (such as the change of ozone layer, the increase of carbon dioxide content and acid rain), the pollution of marine and inland waters, the abuse and arbitrary disposal of harmful substances and the extinction of animal and plant species further threaten the human environment.

(3) In recent ten years, some new viewpoints have emerged, namely, the necessity of environmental management and assessment. People generally recognize the close and complex relationship among environment, development, population and resources, and the growth of population, especially in urban areas. Only by adopting a comprehensive and unified approach in the region and emphasizing this interrelationship can we make the environment harmless and make social and economic development sustainable.

(4) The threat to the environment, because poverty and luxury have become more serious. Both will lead to people's over-exploitation of the environment. Therefore, the international development strategy of the Third United Nations Development Decade and the establishment of a new international economic order are the main means to reverse environmental degradation in global efforts. Combining market regulation with planning is also beneficial to the healthy development of society and the rational management of environment and resources.

(5) A peaceful and safe international atmosphere, without the threat of war, especially nuclear war, without wasting manpower and material resources on armaments, without apartheid, apartheid or any form of discrimination, without colonialism and other forms of oppression and foreign domination, will be of great benefit to the human environment.

(6) Many environmental problems cross national boundaries. For everyone's benefit, in appropriate cases, it should be solved through consultations between countries and coordinated international actions. Therefore, governments should gradually formulate environmental laws, including various conventions and agreements, and expand cooperation in scientific research and environmental management.

(7) Environmental defects caused by underdevelopment, including external factors beyond the control of the countries concerned, are a serious problem, but they can be overcome by more equitable utilization of technical and economic resources between countries and within countries. Developed countries and countries capable of doing so should assist developing countries affected by environmental imbalance and help them deal with the most serious environmental problems. The application of appropriate technology, especially in developing countries, can combine economic and social progress with the protection of natural resources.

(8) Further efforts are needed to develop environmental harmlessness, seek methods and management methods for utilizing natural resources, and modernize the traditional animal husbandry system. Special attention should be paid to the role of technological innovation in promoting resource substitution, recycling and protection. The rapid consumption of traditional energy and conventional energy poses a new and severe challenge to the effective management and protection of energy and environment. It is necessary to make rational energy planning among countries or groups of countries. Measures such as developing new energy and renewable energy will have a very favorable impact on the environment.

(9) It is better to prevent environmental damage than to spend a lot of money and energy to repair it after it is destroyed. Preventive measures should include proper planning of all activities that may affect the environment. In addition, publicity, education and training should be carried out to raise public and politicians' awareness of the importance of the environment. Everyone must take responsibility and participate in the work in promoting environmental protection. All enterprises, including transnational corporations, should consider their environmental responsibilities when adopting industrial production methods or technologies and exporting them to other countries. In this regard, timely and adequate legislative action is also important.

(10) The international community solemnly reaffirms the obligations of all countries to the Stockholm Declaration and Plan of Action and the need to further strengthen and expand national efforts and international cooperation in the field of environmental protection. The international community has also reaffirmed its support for the work of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the main institution for promoting global environmental cooperation, and called for increased funds, especially through the Environment Fund, to deal with environmental problems. The international community urges governments and people all over the world to collectively and individually shoulder historical responsibilities, so that our little earth can ensure that everyone can live a dignified life and pass it on from generation to generation.

World protection strategy.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is a programmatic document to protect the world's biological resources, which was drafted by the United Nations Environment Programme and approved by relevant international organizations on March 5, 1980.

The earth's resources are the basis for the survival and reproduction of the whole mankind. In order to prevent the continued degradation and depletion of resources and attract the attention of governments and the general public, 1975, the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the World Wildlife Fund put forward the title and structure of the World Natural Resources Protection Outline (the Outline for short), entrusted the International Union for Conservation of Nature to draft it, and after repeated consultations, the first draft of the Outline was written. It has been submitted to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Wildlife Fund for consideration. It was revised and published simultaneously in the capitals of most countries in the world on March 5, 1980.

The Outline is not only a knowledge program, but also an action guide for protecting the natural environment and resources. The basic content includes three parts.

The first part puts forward the goal of protecting natural resources, which mainly includes three aspects: ① maintaining the basic ecological process and life support system; (2) Preserving genetic diversity, that is, preserving the diversity of biological genetic material types in the world; ③ Ensure the sustainable utilization of species and ecosystems (especially fishing grounds, wildlife, forests and pastures). The outline also stipulates the necessary conditions for achieving these goals.

The second part is to suggest that countries take action. The "Outline" requires that the current practice of separating development from protection must be changed and the two should be closely combined. The purpose of development is to obtain social and economic benefits, and the purpose of protection is to ensure the sustainable development and utilization of earth resources and support the viability of all living things. The two are consistent. In every process of formulating and implementing development policies, all countries should combine nature protection to formulate environmental policies to promote the recycling of resources and nature protection policies to ensure the sustainable utilization of resources.

The third part calls for international action. The outline points out that many biological resources are * * *, and the protection of some biological resources is often not a national matter. The biological resources of one country may be affected by the development activities of another country, so only through international cooperation can they be effectively protected. For example, the protection of tropical forests, the rational use of land in arid areas, the use of the resources and wealth of all mankind, such as the high seas, the atmosphere, Antarctica, the protection of international rivers and seas, and the establishment of genetic reserves around the world should all be formulated and international cooperation should be carried out.

After the publication of the outline, it attracted worldwide attention. According to the principles and methods defined in the Outline, many countries have formulated their own laws and measures to protect resources in order to prevent unreasonable utilization of resources.

World charter of nature

The Charter recognizes that:

(1) Human beings are a part of nature, and life depends on the functions of natural systems to ensure the supply of energy and nutrients.

(2) Civilization originates from nature, and nature shapes human culture. All artistic and scientific achievements are influenced by nature. Only when human beings live in harmony with nature can they have the best chance to exert their creativity and get rest and entertainment.

The Charter is convinced that:

(1) Every life form is unique and should be respected regardless of its value to human beings. In order to give this recognition to other creatures, human beings must be bound by the code of conduct and morality.

(2) Human behavior or its consequences can change nature and exhaust natural resources; Therefore, human beings must fully realize the urgent need to maintain the stability and quality of nature and protect natural resources.

The Charter is convinced that:

(1) Obtaining lasting benefits from nature depends on maintaining basic ecological processes and life support systems, as well as the diversity of life forms, and the over-exploitation or destruction of habitats by human beings will endanger the above phenomena.

(2) If the natural system is degraded due to excessive consumption and abuse of natural resources, and the country and people fail to establish an appropriate economic order, then the economic, social and political structure of civilization will collapse.

(3) Competing for scarce resources will lead to conflicts, while protecting nature and natural resources will help to uphold justice and maintain peace, which can only be achieved after human beings learn to live in peace and give up war and armaments.

The Charter reaffirms that human beings must learn how to maintain and improve their ability to use natural resources, while ensuring the protection of various species and ecosystems for the benefit of present and future generations.

The Charter firmly believes that appropriate measures must be taken at the national and international, individual and collective, public and private levels to protect nature and promote international cooperation in this field.

Therefore, the World Charter for Nature has published five general principles, eight charter functions and the implementation plan of 1 1 charter, so as to guide, judge and restrain all human behaviors that affect nature.

Vienna convention for the protection of the ozone layer.

The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (hereinafter referred to as the Convention) was signed in Vienna on March 1985. The convention clearly points out the possible harm of ozone depletion in the atmosphere to human health and the environment, calls on governments to take cooperative actions to protect the ozone layer, and puts forward chlorofluorocarbons as monitoring chemicals for the first time.

The United Nations Environment Programme has taken a series of international actions to protect the ozone layer. 1976 In April, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme first discussed the ozone layer destruction. 1977 In March, the UNEP Governing Council convened an expert meeting on the ozone layer and adopted the first World Action Plan for the Ozone Layer. 1980, the UNEP Governing Council decided to set up an ad hoc working group to prepare for the formulation of a global convention for the protection of the ozone layer. After several years' efforts, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was finally adopted at the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of the Ozone Layer held in Vienna, Austria in March 1985, and came into effect in March 1988.

The purpose of the Convention is to take appropriate international cooperation and action measures to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects caused or likely to be caused by human activities that can or may change the ozone layer.

The Convention promotes and encourages countries to carry out cooperative research and information exchange on the protection of the ozone layer, and requires States parties to adopt appropriate methods and administrative measures to control or prohibit all activities that damage the atmospheric ozone layer, protect human health and the environment, and reduce the impact of ozone layer changes. Although the Convention has not reached any substantive control agreement, it has taken an important step in cooperating to deal with global environmental problems and prepared for taking international measures to control CFCS in the future.

As of March 2000, there were 65,438+074 States parties to the Convention, and our government formally joined the Convention on September 65,438+065,438+0 and February 65,438+0989.