Created: 1996-05-15, Last update: 1997-03-30, Author: Holger Blasum, URL: http://www.blasum.net/holger/wri/environ/lecture/intnconf.html, Parent: http://www.blasum.net/holger/wri/environ/lecture/index.html

International Conferences (@Caldwell 1992:151-172)


four types of institutional structures concerned with man-in-biosphere:
a) government: implementing obligations under international treaties
b) United Nations: United Nations Environment Program, but interesting for NGO's: there is an Environmental Liaison Center at Nairobi (Kenya)
but bigger resources in: World Meterological Org., Food & Agriculture Org., World Health Org., UN Education-Science&Cultural Org., International Maritime Organization,UN Industrial Development Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency
c) NGO's like Greenpeace etc.
d) International Council of Scientific Unions (e.g. with WMO sponsoring World Climate Research Program)
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources;federation of national environmental organizations
-problems: enviromental ministries not well established

There are secretariats provided for the implementation of the relatively recent treaties. Old example: International Joint Commission of Canada and the US, charged with oversight over the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909

Conferences:
**compare (medical): International Sanitary Conventions from 1892! (Caldwell 1992:56)
-International Conference on the Biosphere 1968 Paris (UN)
-Stockholm 1972 United Nations on Environment conference (UN,founding UNEP)
-UN conference on Water (1977Mar del Plata); Desertification (Nairobi1977)
-joint: UNEP/WMO/ICSU conference at Villach/Vienna (Austria) 1985; founding Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 1988 (UNEP+ICSU)
-Montreal conference Sep 87: reducing CFCs by 30% to 1995, further 20% to 2000 (industrialized nations);speeded by London conference Jun 90 (100% reduction to 2000)
-June 1988 Toronto conference on climate sponsored by Canadian Government; carbon dioxide reductions by 20% till 2005 (compared to 1988)
-May 1992 Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
-Sept 1995 Berlin CO2 and global warming conference (unlike Toronto conference no results)
-Oct 1995 Jakarta Biodiversity conference