Sustainability and Globalization International approaches to solving Global problems

1
Sustainability and GlobalizationInternational
approaches to solving Global problems
2
Sustainability meet the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.-from the
United Nations General Assembly (1987) Report of
the World Commission on Environment and
Development Our Common Future.
3
A Brief History of the United Nations involvement
in Sustainability
4
Early actions
1949 UN Scientific Conference on the
conservation of resources 1968 UN Economic and
Social Council decided to hold the first
Earth Summit in 1972
5
The First Earth Summit 1972

• UN Scientific Conference on the Human
  Environment
• 1972 in Stockholm
• Recommendations for international environmental
  action.
• Established the Governing Council of the UN
  Environment Programme (UNEP)

6
Post Earth Summit

• 1987 Environmental Perspective to the Year 2000
  and Beyond.
• 1988 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
  Change.
• 1989 Montreal Protocol
• 1992 The UN Conference on Environment and
  Development (aka The Earth Summit)

7
The UN Conference on Environment and Development

• 1992 Rio de Janeiro
• AKA The Earth Summit
• Agenda 21
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

8
Treaties to protect the environment

• Usually two types
• Ones that deal with specific locations, entities
  (i.e., a particular river), or a species.
• And ones that are global.

9
Treaties to protect the environment

• Each treaty may result in
• Regular meetings of the members
• A secretariat a small office to facilitate the
  meetings.
• A group of scientific advisees.

10
Difficulties in implementing the treaties

• Secretariat may not have power to verify reports
  from members.
• Secretariat may not have funding to enforce
  treaties.
• Lack of central locations for all of these
  treaties means that there is overlap and
  redundancy.

11
Difficulties in implementing the treaties

• Trade agreements sometimes conflict with
  Environmental treaties.
• Members may lack the funds or technology to
  implement treaties.

12
United Nations work

• Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  (IPCC)
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

13
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)

• Created at 1992 Earth Summit.
• Forum for reviewing progress of Agenda 21.
• Monitors activities of governments, private
  sector, etc.
• The UN Division of Sustainable Development is its
  secretariat.

14
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC)

• To study greenhouse warming and climate change
• To study the global effect of climate change on
  sea level, food production, water resources, etc.
• Has established itself as the state of the art
  interpretation of data.

15
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

• Signing of this treaty began at the Rio Earth
  Summit in 1992.
• Recognized that the climate system is a shared
  resource.
• Kyoto Protocol is an addition to the treaty.

16
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

• Climate Change Secretariat is located in Bonn,
  Germany
• Coordinates with the IPCC and the GEF.
• Major agreement on Carbon Equity
• per capita emissions should be more equitable
  across the world

17
Action within countries

• Climate change need to change over to
  Carbon-neutral sources.
• Cap and trade of Carbon dioxide
• Building codes
• Transportation