CHRONOLOGY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONVENTION-1972

United Nations Conference on the Human

Environment- 1972

● It was first declaration of International

protection of the Environment.

● The conference let to increased interest and

research collaboration which paved the way
for further understanding of global warming.

● The United Nations Environment Programme

has been established by the United Nations
General Assembly in pursuance of the
Stockholm Conference.
United Nations Environment Programme
● The World Meteorological Organization and UN Environment established the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988.

● UN Environment is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

● Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.

Important Reports by UNEP

1. Emission Gap Report,
2. Global Environment Outlook,
3. Frontiers,
4. Invest into Healthy Planet.
Global Environment Facility
● The GEF was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
● It is a family of funds dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and
strains on land and ocean health.

● It provides Financial Assistance for five major International Conventions:

○ The Minamata Convention on Mercury
○ The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
○ The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD )
○ The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
○ The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Global Environment Facility
● It has 184 member countries, including
India.
● Its secretariat is based in Washington,
D.C.
● The World Bank serves as the GEF
Trustee, administering the GEF Trust
Fund
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

● It provides tools that enable human

progress, economic development and
nature conservation to take place
together.

● CITES entered into force in July 1975.

Currently there are 184 Parties and is
located at Geneva, Switzerland.

● The CITES Secretariat is administered by

UNEP.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

● APPENDIX I- most endangered among

CITES-listed animals and plants.

● APPENDIX II- not necessarily now

threatened with extinction but that may
become so unless trade is closely
controlled.

● APPENDIX III- Species included at the

request of a Party that already regulates
trade in the species and that needs the
cooperation of other countries to prevent
unsustainable or illegal exploitation.
Convention on Migratory Species- BONN CONVENTION-1979

● It is an intergovernmental treaty under the UNEP

● It was signed in 1979 and in force since 1983.
● India is also a party to CMS since 1983.
● It is the only global and UN-based intergovernmental organisation established
exclusively for the conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian
migratory species throughout their range

○ Appendix I lists ‘Threatened Migratory Species’.

○ Appendix II lists ‘Migratory Species requiring international cooperation’.
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer- 1985

● The Vienna Convention, which was the first of its

kind to be signed by all participating nations and
went into effect in 1988, was ratified by all nations
in 2009.

● The stratospheric ozone layer protects life on

earth from harmful UV radiation.

● Montreal Protocol- 1987- on Substances that

Deplete the Ozone Layer and its succeeding
amendments were subsequently negotiated to
control the consumption and production of
anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances
(ODSs) and some hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer- 1985

● The adoption of the 2016 Kigali Amendment to

the Montreal Protocol will phase down the
production and consumption of some HFCs and
avoid much of the projected global increase and
associated climate change.

● The goal is to achieve over 80% reduction in

HFC consumption by 2047.
● Legally Binding.
Brundtland Report-1987

● Formerly known as the World

Commission on Environment and
Development (WCED) formed in 1987.

● Brundtland Report, also known as

‘Our Common Future’.
● The term “Sustainable Development”
was coined
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-1988
● The IPCC is the United Nations body for
assessing the science related to climate
change.

● It was established by the World

Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the
United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) in 1988.

● The main activity of the IPCC is the

preparation of reports assessing the state
of knowledge of climate change.
Basel Convention -1989

● Adopted on March 22, 1989 by the Conference

of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland, on
the Control of Transboundary Movements of
Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal”,
generally known as the Basel Convention, came
into force in 1992.

● It particularly focuses on preventing transfer of

hazardous waste from developed to less
developed countries
United Nation Conference on Environment & Development/Earth Summit- 1992

● United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change was signed in 1992 at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development
also known as the Earth Summit, the Rido Summit
or the Rio Conference.

● India is among the select few countries to have

hosted the COP of all three Rio conventions on
climate change (UNFCCC), biodiversity (CBD)
and land (United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification).
● The UNFCCC entered into force in 1994
United Nation Conference on Environment & Development/Earth Summit- 1992

● Kyoto Protocol (1997)- International agreement

linked to the UNFCCC, which commits its parties
by setting internationally binding emission
reduction targets.

● The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan

in 1997 and entered into force in 2005.

● It recognized that developed countries are

principally responsible for the current high levels
of GHG emissions in the atmosphere.
United Nation Conference on Environment & Development/Earth Summit- 1992

● The detailed rules for the implementation of

the Protocol were adopted at COP-7 in
Marrakesh.

● Kyoto Protocol Phase-1 (2005-12) gave the

target of cutting down emissions by 5%.
○ Phase- 2 (2013-20) gave the target of
reducing emissions by at least 18% by
the industrialized countries.
United Nation Conference on Environment & Development/Earth Summit- 1992

● Paris Agreement(2015) - also known as the

Conference of Parties 21 or COP 21) is a
landmark environmental accord that was
adopted in 2015.
● It replaced the Kyoto Protocol .
● It aims to reduce global GHG emissions in an
effort to limit the global temperature
increase in this century to well below 2°C
above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing
means to limit the increase to 1.5°C by
2100.
● Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
or INDCs-Not Legally Binding
Convention on Biological Diversity-1992
● CBD is a legally binding treaty to conserve
biodiversity that has been in force since 1993.

● It sets out guidelines for countries to protect

biodiversity, ensure sustainable use, and
promote fair and equitable benefit sharing.
● The CBD Secretariat is based in Montreal,
Canada.
● The Parties (Countries) under CBD, meet at
regular intervals and these meetings are called
Conference of Parties (COP).
Convention on Biological Diversity-1992
● Cartagena Protocol-2000.

● Nagoya Protocol - adopted in 2010.It

entered into force on 12th October 2014.
UN Convention to Combat Desertification-1994
● The United Nations Convention to Combat

Desertification (UNCCD) was established in

1994 to protect and restore land and ensure a

safer, just, and more sustainable future.

● The UNCCD is the only legally binding

framework set up to address desertification and

the effects of drought.

● There are 197 Parties to the Convention,

including 196 country Parties and the European

Union
Rotterdam Convention- 1998
● The Rotterdam Convention was adopted in 1998.
The Convention entered into force on in 2004.

● It covers pesticides and industrial chemicals that

have been banned or severely restricted for health
or environmental reasons by Parties and which
have been notified by Parties for inclusion in the
Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.

● The Convention creates legally binding obligations

for the implementation of the Prior Informed
Consent (PIC) procedure.
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants-2001

● It is a global treaty to protect human health

and the environment from POPs.
● It was opened for signature in 2001 in
Stockholm (Sweden) and became effective in
2004.
● POPs are listed in various Annexes to the
Stockholm Convention after thorough
scientific research, deliberations and
negotiations among member countries.

● India ratified the Stockholm Convention in

2006
 UN-REDD & REDD+( Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)

UN-REDD UN-REDD+
● The United Nations Programme on Reducing
➔ and the role of conservation, sustainable
Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation. management of forests and enhancement of
forest carbon stocks in developing countries
● collaborative programme of the
(REDD+)
FAO, UNDP & UNEP ➔ Voluntary climate change mitigation approach
that has been developed by Parties to the
● It was created in 2008 in response to the UNFCCC
UNFCCC.
decisions on the Bali Action Plan and REDD at
➔ It aims to incentivize developing countries to
COP-13.
● It partners with developing countries to support reduce emissions from deforestation and
them in establishing the technical capacities forest degradation, conserve forest carbon
needed to implement REDD+ and meet UNFCCC stocks, sustainably manage forests and
requirements for REDD+ results-based payments. enhance forest carbon stocks.
Rio+20 Outcomes-2012
● Its more recent RIO Summit was known as
"RIO +20" since there were two summits
twenty years apart, in 1992 and 2012.

The official discussions centered on two major

topics:

● How to build a green economy for long-term

development and lifting people out of poverty
and
● How to improve international cooperation for
long-term development
Minamata Convention on Mercury-2013
● The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a
global treaty to protect human health and
the environment from the adverse effects
of mercury and its compounds.

● Controlling the anthropogenic releases of

mercury throughout its lifecycle is one of
the key obligations under the
Convention.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework-2022

● 5th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the UN

Convention on Biological Diversity
“Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework” (GBF) was adopted.

● GBF includes 4 goals and 23 targets for

achievement by 2030.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework-2022