Earth Summit

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accepted in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro provides principles and framework for cooperative international action on mitigating climate change. But it soon became clear that more radical targets were needed to encourage particular countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In response, countries that have ratified the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change accepted the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The rulebook for how the Kyoto Protocol will be implemented -the Marrakech Accord, was agreed in 2001. This paper describes political instruments and facilities of mitigating climate change by forestry proposed in those political documents.

This commentary summarizes the events at the recent UN Conference on Sustainable Development, commonly referred to as Rio+20, noting both the role of official national delegations and the diversity of non-state parties that were involved in a variety of venues at and around Rio+20. It sketches the background of sustainable development efforts, maps the road from the original 1992 Rio Earth Summit to the 20th anniversary gathering, and comments on the Conference’s outcomes and their implications for international law and legal institutions. In answer to the much debated question of whether the Rio+20 was a success or a failure, or something in between, the author concludes that the Conference, while disappointing to many, may have furthered the cause of sustainable development by producing a document which reflects a baseline of international norms and by fostering the increasingly important role of civil society action, commitments and partnerships, and of transnational governance.

On May the 29th the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Toronto and Waterfront Toronto hosted the Canada – Netherlands Resilient Cities Summit: ‘Planning and Design in a Changing Climate’. Before and in parallel to this summit, a collaborative student design charrette, including students from Delft University of Technology and the University of Toronto took place. The results of this design charrette were presented as part of the Summit program.

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Non-government organisations (NGOs) are regarded as 'heavyweight' actors in international fora.1 The term NGO refers to any organisation that is not a government or inter-governmental organisation. In fisheries governance in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, the increasing involvement of NGOs is a consequence of post United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)2 developments and globalisation processes. The 1992 UNCED, also referred to as the Earth Summit, provided the platform for greater participation of civil society in the pursuit of sustainable development and key fisheries principles were elaborated. Other international meetings such as the World Summit on Sustainable Development have reaffirmed principles raised since the Earth Summit.

This paper argues that the impasse over tackling climate change at the 2009 climate change summit is a result of the outcome of the prevailing power and politics at the summit. The paper discusses the sociological literature on power and notes that the failure of the summit illustrates the fragility of legitimacy and authority. The paper rehearses key parts of the chronology of the summit and argues that the politics of domination often prevail over the politics of legitimacy. Moreover, the way in which both science and politics have failed to legitimate the issue of climate change is explored. The paper closes with a discussion of what is required to fix the issue as legitimate and meriting serious action by major international agencies and economies.

베트남은 1991년 이래로 지속가능한 개발을 국가계획에 반영하여 온 최초의 몇 안 되는 실행국가 이다. 2004년 4월에는베트남의수상이베트남아젠다21의지속가능성과연계한전략적접근에대 한 결정을 문서화하고 있다. 아젠다 21의 제28장에서 언급된 바와 같이 지역 자치단체장은 지역 아 젠다 21을 실행하기 위한 과정에 참여하고 있으며 이는 지역사회, 지역의 정책 및 프로그램이 국가 계획과 연계되어야 하며 지역의 단체들은 이 부분에 준비 및 참여를 수행하였다. 본 논문은 이러한 국가계획하에 아젠다 21을 수행한 2개의 지방자치단체에 대한 참여프로그램 분석을 수행한 연구이 다. 랑손시의대중위생관리및미칸마을의녹색성장에대한참여프로그램을분석하였다. 주요어 : Agenda-21, Vietnam, Sustainable Development, Waste Management, Sanitary management Corresponding Author: Sang-Don Lee, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea Tel : 82-2-3277-3545 Fax : 82-2-3277-3275 E-mail: lsd@ewha.ac.kr 연구노트 The Brundtland Commission, formally the World Commission on Environment and Development, known by the name of its Chair Gro Harlem Brundtland, was convened by the United Nations in 1983. The commission was created to address growing concern “about the accelerating deterioration of the human environment and natural resou...

Elaboré par le Groupe de travail des peuples autochtones sur la Politique du Fonds pour l'environnement mondial relative aux peuples autochtones (IPTF). Ce groupe est composé des membres suivants : Joenia Batista de Carvalho (Brésil), Johnson Cerda (Équateur), Herminia Degawan (Philippines), Famarck Hlawching (Birmanie), Edna Kaptoyo (Kenya), Jadder Mendoza Lewis (Nicaragua), Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim (Tchad), Saro Pyagbara (Nigéria) et Jennifer Rubis (Malaisie). Il bénéficie de l'appui du Secrétariat du FEM, du Réseau d'ONG accréditées auprès du FEM et d'Helen Tugendhat.

Term "Earth" is a misnomer for this planet which is covered by oceans for 70% of its area. Life on Earth began from the oceans and they hold of the biological diversity of the planet. In 1992 the United Nations held the Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero, Brazil to discuss the state of the environment and the living beings which populate the Earth, which was attended by 172 nation states. A parallel summit of 2400 NGOs was also held. From the deliberation of the Summit arose three legally binding documents: “Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change” and “UN Convention to Combat Desertification” which was subsequently signed by most of the attending states and the guiding principles of which laid the foundation for future legislation in the signatory countries. The term biological diversity was coined by Dasmann in 1968. The definition of biodiversity was given by United Nations, 1992 at the Earth Summit is as follows: "The variability ...

The ability of innovation-both technical and social-to stretch and redefine 'limits to growth' was recognised at Stockholm in 1972, and has been a key feature in debates through to Rio+20 in 2012. Compared with previous major moments of global reflection about human and planetary futures-Stockholm, Rio in 1992, Johannesburg in 2002-we now have a better understanding of how innovation interacts with social, technological, and ecological systems to contribute to transitions at multiple levels. What can this improved understanding offer in terms of governance approaches that might enhance the interaction between local initiatives and global sustainability objectives post-Rio+20? The global political agenda over the last two decades has largely focused on creating economic and regulatory incentives to drive more sustainable industrial development patterns within and between nation-states-resulting most notably in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. At the other end of the spectrum, 'Local Agenda 21', launched at the first Rio summit, envisaged a community-led response to sustainable development challenges locally. This paper discusses the successes and challenges of globally linked local action through a number of illustrative examples, reflecting on how these have contributed to Rio 1992's original objectives. In doing so, we will draw upon innovation studies and development studies to highlight three key issues in a hybrid politics of innovation for sustainability that links global and local: first, the direction in which innovation and development proceed; second, the distribution of the costs, benefits, and risks associated with such changes; third, the diversity of approaches and forms of innovation that contribute to global transitions to sustainability. Drawing on this analysis, we will also reflect on Rio+20, including the extent to which hybrid innovation politics is already emerging, whether this was reflected in the formal Rio+20 outcomes, and what this suggests for the future of international sustainable development summits. '.

The ability of innovation—both technical and social—to stretch and redefine ‘limits to growth’ was recognised at Stockholm in 1972, and has been a key feature in debates through to Rio+20 in 2012. Compared with previous major moments of global reflection about human and planetary futures—Stockholm, Rio in 1992, Johannesburg in 2002—we now have a better understanding of how innovation interacts with social, technological, and ecological systems to contribute to transitions at multiple levels. What can this improved understanding offer in terms of governance approaches that might enhance the interaction between local initiatives and global sustainability objectives post-Rio+20? The global political agenda over the last two decades has largely focused on creating economic and regulatory incentives to drive more sustainable industrial development patterns within and between nation-states—resulting most notably in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Co...

Limited natural resources are decreasing day by day. In order for these resources to be used by future generations, the concept of sustainability, which aims to reduce the negative effects of human activities and the effective use of resources, should be implemented. Sustainability practices are essential in the aviation, which is an indispensable sector. In this study, what are the environmental targets within the scope of sustainable aviation practices, and the contributions of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as an information technology in the process of achieving these targets are discussed. The literature review was conducted and the applications that contributed to sustainability were exemplified by using the GIS tool in the aeronautical organizations and especially in airports. The possible contributions of GIS to sustainable aviation are expressed.

specific areas of the island: Domestic zones produce a high amount of organic waste, Small industrial and coastal trading zones have significant hazardous waste, The coastal trading zones generate the highest amount of inorganic waste.It also points out the ongoing challenges, such as the lack of regulation and coordination between different stakeholders involved in waste management. Conclusion: To improve environmental sustainability, this study recommends the development of zoned waste treatment facilities, environmental education programs, and frameworks for cross-border cooperation. The research provides a strategic plan and hopes to offer recommendations for responsive, accountable waste management, particularly in the development of zoned waste treatment facilities. The waste management zoning is divided into three areas: coastal settlements, port areas, and mangrove conservation areas. In the Conclusion, the study suggests strategies to improve waste management, such as:Developing zoned waste treatment facilities, Implementing environmental education programs,Establishing cross-border cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia to address waste issues effectively.

Over the past two decades, Morocco has been able to develop a political and strategic vision which has gradually considered the environment as a prerequisite for any public policies. The new approach aims to make the environment the cornerstone of sustainable development, and therefore, ultimately, of the birth of a new "green and inclusive" economy. This vision benefits from an exceptional impetus from His Majesty the King Mohammed VI. Morocco has therefore put in place a national environmental and sustainable development policy which breaks down into several priority areas, namely: strengthening the legal and institutional framework; environmental upgrading through programs dedicated to the preservation of the environment and providing financial instruments and systems in the service of environmental monitoring. In addition, Morocco, with its strategic north-south status, is actively engaged in the environmental diplomacy and multilateral cooperation. On the road to an i...

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The Earth Summit 2025 will serve as a critical moment for global reflection on sustainable development, drawing attention to pressing issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and human-wildlife conflict. Charles’ Theory on Human Evolution (2011) suggests that human beings evolved in savanna flatlands, which offered open space for walking and tool use. This historical pattern of settling in flat, fertile lands has persisted over millennia, leading to widespread land use changes and environmental degradation. The challenge today is to find ways to accommodate growing human populations while minimizing the impact on ecosystems and biodiversity where Sri Lanka is having a historical approach, could be used to generate a new socioecological, cultural and production-oriented civilization for the future. 
Sri Lanka, inherits a civilization identified as a hydraulic civilization based on traditional way of managing natural ecosystems and water resources sustainably, offers a potential universal solution to some of the most significant environmental and societal problems facing the world today. By reviving and adapting the principles of these ancient hydraulic civilization, particularly the manmade hydrologically interconnected cascade ecosystems, Sri Lanka could provide a model for mitigating climate change, reducing human-animal conflict, and establishing sustainable human habitats, which survived many thousand years as a process now identified as the transformative adaptation.

Globally, higher education is driven by the ongoing neoliberalism, and this consequently contrasts the role of higher education in promoting long-term development, which protects people's rights against inequality and poverty. The existing literature demonstrate critiques on an 'unbundled' higher education in the era of marketisation, but little up-to-date frontline experience is reported by the university tutors in research papers. This chapter is based on a qualitative case study through autoethnographic reflection of developing an International Education (IE) course which benefits from community partnership that led decolonial activities and promote in-depth understanding of sustainable development. It proposes a Theory of Change (ToC) approach for a more powerful and aligned curriculum design and course development in higher education practice.

The concept and initiative of green (world) economy but especially the greening of industry is not new. It appeared 20 years ago at the Rio World Summit, and since that time it has been discussed constantly, integrating more new and complex approaches, but particularly gaining focus in context with the increasing negative environmental impacts and global warming. As the advanced economic globalisation and acceleration of trade has increased the degradation of environment (damages and risk), a new strategic orientation became essential. That was the reason why a proposal at the Rio+20 World Summit initiated global environmental governance for the first time (Biermann et al. 2012). At the same time, requirements and expectations escalated to develop a green but even more a blue economy (Paoli 2010). But as the analysis of country statistics has shown, the level and status of the greening varies by countries. With the comparison of the green index and the FOI indices (Bartha -Gubik 201...

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, was probably the largest event in a long series of mega-summits on environmental protection and sustainable development. Roughly 44000 participants descended on Rio de Janeiro to take part in ten days of preparatory committee meetings, informal consultations, side events, and the actual conference. Yet despite this unprecedented high attendance by participants from governments and civil society, the outcome of the conference is less than what many had hoped for. In this paper, I review the outcomes of the 2012 Rio Conference in detail, with a special focus on its contributions towards the reform of the institutional framework for sustainable development. Following this review, I discuss the way ahead, including whether megaconferences will continue to play a major role in the governance of our planet.

"Think global, act local" is a phrase much related to green governance. Since the Earth Summit in Rio de Jañeiro and its 'Local Agenda 21' in 1992 it is accepted that local authorities have a key role in implementing sustainable development. During the early 1990's Local Agenda 21 diffused to many countries, including the Netherlands. As a consequence local sustainability reached the national policy agenda, and intergovernmental subsidy schemes and supporting policy instruments were implemented to support local authorities in adopting local sustainability policies and creating 'local capacity'. One of the measures implemented concerned a tool, the so-called 'Local Sustainability Meter', which was designed to both monitor progress and serve as an incentive in terms of 'naming and blaming'. The data that has been collected since 1999 enables us to conduct a longitudinal analysis on local sustainability progress and dynamics. For instance, insights may be derived on the magnitude and intensity of policy measures that are adopted, and variation therein between local authorities. In this paper we investigate which factors influence local authorities to become pioneers in sustainability governance. We use insights from Diffusion-of-Innovations theory, Public Management and Policy Network theory to categorize local authorities on sustainability performance, and define what pioneering means in this regard. Next, we investigate developments in the Netherlands, what pioneering means in practice, by which factors it is influenced, and the ways in which pioneers distinguish themselves from their 'mainstream' peers. The paper offers theoretical elaboration, it presents a historical case study of the Netherlands, as well as results from an explorative statistical analysis. Therewith, the paper contributes to systematic conceptualization of 'pioneering in environmental policy', and adds a local-and multi-level governance component to it.

It is undeniable that climate change has become one of the greatest global challenges facing humanity in the coming decades. Since the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, all climate summits have emphasized the importance of sustainability through commitments that set the framework for a low-emission development model. Education, as a training field for the rest of the professions, has the responsibility to promote sustainability and this would be feasible considering environmental education as the backbone of the rest of the subjects of the different educational stages. This article presents the visual methodology of knowledge modeling through the use of concept maps and the free software Cmap Tools (ihmc, Florida) as a possibility to promote environmental awareness and sustainability in teachers in training. In compliance with the 4th and 15th sdg s of the 2030 Agenda, the theme of “biosphere reserves” was selected. The intention was to develop conceptually transparent au...

Over the past two decades, Morocco has been able to develop a political and strategic vision which has gradually considered the environment as a prerequisite for any public policies. The new approach aims to make the environment the cornerstone of sustainable development, and therefore, ultimately, of the birth of a new "green and inclusive" economy. This vision benefits from an exceptional impetus from His Majesty the King Mohammed VI. Morocco has therefore put in place a national environmental and sustainable development policy which breaks down into several priority areas, namely: strengthening the legal and institutional framework; environmental upgrading through programs dedicated to the preservation of the environment and providing financial instruments and systems in the service of environmental monitoring. In addition, Morocco, with its strategic north-south status, is actively engaged in the environmental diplomacy and multilateral cooperation. On the road to an i...

Globally, higher education is driven by the ongoing neoliberalism, and this consequently contrasts the role of higher education in promoting long-term development, which protects people's rights against inequality and poverty. The existing literature demonstrate critiques on an 'unbundled' higher education in the era of marketisation, but little up-to-date frontline experience is reported by the university tutors in research papers. This chapter is based on a qualitative case study through autoethnographic reflection of developing an International Education (IE) course which benefits from community partnership that led decolonial activities and promote in-depth understanding of sustainable development. It proposes a Theory of Change (ToC) approach for a more powerful and aligned curriculum design and course development in higher education practice.

There is clear and convincing evidence that the world faces a worsening series of local and regional water quantity and quality problems, largely as a result of poor water allocation, wasteful use of the resource, and lack of adequate management action...by 2025 two-thirds of the world's population of 8.3 billion people will be suffering water stress."

The UNCED Earth Summit established two new principles of international justice: an equitable international order and protection of the environment UNCED was a significant symbol a morality play about environment and economics. Wealth is asymmetrically distributed; approximately one-fifth of the world (the G-7 nations) produces and consumes four-fifths of goods and services; four-fifths (the G-77 nations) get one-fifth. This distribution can be interpreted as both an earnings differential and as exploitation. Responses may require justice or charity, producing and sharing. Natural and national resources come into tension with the common heritage of humankind, exemplified in disputes about, who owns biodiversity resources. Ethics has to learn planetary home economics. HE United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, was a watershed because from there onward two new principles of international order are indisputably in place. Nine classical principles are:

Belarus has preserved its third position in Registering Property in the World Bank's Doing Business 2014 report. Constant improvement of property registration procedures has allowed Belarus to achieve that. The Registering Property indicator takes into account three factors: the number of procedures required to transfer rights to property, the time spent on completing all the necessary procedures and the cost of procedures. From "The Earth Summit" in Brazil 1992 sustainable development recognized by almost all societies as one of the major global goals. In a broad sense it's incorporates economic, social and environmental concerns in decision making for development which thereby should meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Till nowadays sustainable development continued to be a driving force in land administration, which is about processes of determining, recording, and disseminating information about the ownership, value, and use of land, when implementing land management policies. UN-FIG Bathurst Declaration, 1999 established a strong link between land administration and sustainable development, outlines its significance in poverty reduction, social, environmental and economic development. The article provides basic innovative approaches on land administration in the Republic of Belarus, discusses main sustainability issues and challenges to resolve in a forthcoming period to meet the international trends in cadastral reform.

The SRI is a dedicated team of over 50 staff and 65 PhD students working on different aspects of sustainability. Adapting to environmental change and governance for sustainability are the Institute's overarching themes. SRI research explores these in interdisciplinary ways, drawing on geography, ecology, sociology, politics, planning, economics and management. Our specialist areas are: sustainable development and environmental change; environmental policy, planning and governance; ecological and environmental economics; business, environment and corporate responsibility; sustainable production and consumption. Disclaimer The opinions presented are those of the author(s) and should not be regarded as the views of SRI or The University of Leeds. The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20): A sign of the times or 'ecology as spectacle'?

The United Nations conference on Sustainable Development that took place in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 was nothing short of a disaster. Called to mark twenty years since the rst Earth Summit, Rio+ 20 was supposed to demonstrate that governments

The 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou takes place within a tense global political context. The outcome of the UK Brexit referendum in June revealed the deep divide between the politics of competitive nationalism and the commitment to international cooperation. It also reflected the depth of public reaction to global economic integration and the absence of response to public anxieties about social well-being and environmental sustainability from the political middle in many countries. China’s hosting of the G20 Summit presents an opportunity to turn a corner in global summitry by strengthening global leadership at this critical juncture, while China’s ability to do so depends on the willingness of other G20 members to comprehensively address public anxieties. The UN 2030 Agenda and the Paris Climate Agreement, both reached in 2015, do provide political and policy answers to the public anxieties. The question is the effectiveness of the initiatives governments are taking to implement them, ...

Having survived the financial crisis of 2008, sustainable development is now negotiating what author Alan AtKisson calls the 'tectonic plates of world order'. Sustainable development, he argues, has become mainstream as a result of the Earth Summit and additional grassroots actions of the 1990s. To advance a sustainable future, he indicates the necessity of a global reset for sustainable development. Such a reset should reassert its more radical role for non-negotiable rights of people and planetits primary position with regards to, rather than instead of, green economy or green growth. KEYWORDS sustainable development; sustainability; green economy; wellbeing In 2009, I wrote an essay with the provocative title 'Pushing Reset on Sustainable Development' and circulated it via a new think-tank group convened by the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development. The metaphor of 'pushing reset' was popular at the time-Hillary Clinton was 'resetting' US relations with Russia, for exampleand the essay, later published as a broadside and a blog post, attracted attention and was relatively widely read (AtKisson, 2009). The essay analysed sustainability's steady advance in corporate, government, and institutional settings over the past two decades, but it called for a significant change in strategy, away from increasingly economistic formulations, and towards a more integrated approach. Speaking the language of businesspeople and economists had helped shift sustainable development closer to the boardrooms and C-suites of the world. I had personally pursued (and attempted to convince others to pursue) that strategy since the early 1990s. This strategy, driven on many fronts, had been relatively successful for the movement as a whole. However, by 2009, the times and the needs had changed. To go further, I argued, sustainable development needed to return to its core ethical, social, and scientific roots. It needed to aim once again for the broader vision of a sustainable world. Four years later, I believe that such a reset of sustainable development is indeed under waybut it is happening very slowly, as though a giant finger was pushing down on a giant global reset button, at a steady but visually glacial pace. If you look carefully, and stare a long time, you can see it happening. The process of rethinking sustainable development, which arguably began at the COP15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen in 2009, is unfolding over years. This article revisits the themes and arguments of my earlier essay and updates them in the light of recent past events, as well as expected future events, including the Rio+20

Having survived the financial crisis of 2008, sustainable development is now negotiating what author Alan AtKisson calls the 'tectonic plates of world order'. Sustainable development, he argues, has become mainstream as a result of the Earth Summit and additional grassroots actions of the 1990s. To advance a sustainable future, he indicates the necessity of a global reset for sustainable development. Such a reset should reassert its more radical role for non-negotiable rights of people and planetits primary position with regards to, rather than instead of, green economy or green growth. KEYWORDS sustainable development; sustainability; green economy; wellbeing In 2009, I wrote an essay with the provocative title 'Pushing Reset on Sustainable Development' and circulated it via a new think-tank group convened by the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development. The metaphor of 'pushing reset' was popular at the time-Hillary Clinton was 'resetting' US relations with Russia, for exampleand the essay, later published as a broadside and a blog post, attracted attention and was relatively widely read (AtKisson, 2009). The essay analysed sustainability's steady advance in corporate, government, and institutional settings over the past two decades, but it called for a significant change in strategy, away from increasingly economistic formulations, and towards a more integrated approach. Speaking the language of businesspeople and economists had helped shift sustainable development closer to the boardrooms and C-suites of the world. I had personally pursued (and attempted to convince others to pursue) that strategy since the early 1990s. This strategy, driven on many fronts, had been relatively successful for the movement as a whole. However, by 2009, the times and the needs had changed. To go further, I argued, sustainable development needed to return to its core ethical, social, and scientific roots. It needed to aim once again for the broader vision of a sustainable world. Four years later, I believe that such a reset of sustainable development is indeed under waybut it is happening very slowly, as though a giant finger was pushing down on a giant global reset button, at a steady but visually glacial pace. If you look carefully, and stare a long time, you can see it happening. The process of rethinking sustainable development, which arguably began at the COP15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen in 2009, is unfolding over years. This article revisits the themes and arguments of my earlier essay and updates them in the light of recent past events, as well as expected future events, including the Rio+20

Critical dimensions of sustainability in education are presented. Critical conditions determining the success of sustainability initiatives are then discussed. Agenda 21, adopted by the 1992 Earth Summit, emphasizes that human population, consumption, and technology are the primary driving forces of environmental change. Agenda 21 also states that education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of all people to address environment and development issues. Recognizing the shortage of specialists in environmental management and related fields, as well as the lack of comprehension by professionals in all fields of their effect on the environment and public health, the role of the university has been defined in the following way: "Universities educate most of the people who develop and manage society's institutions. For this reason, universities bear profound responsibilities to increase the awareness, knowledge, technologies, and tools to create an environmentally sustainable future". This paper refers to the evolution of concerns for education for sustainable development education (EDS) in higher education. We believe that the first concerns of many universities are based on the Talloires Declaration which contains the commitment of Leader University Association for a sustainable future (ULSF) 1 .

Critical dimensions of sustainability in education are presented. Critical conditions determining the success of sustainability initiatives are then discussed. Agenda 21, adopted by the 1992 Earth Summit, emphasizes that human population, consumption, and technology are the primary driving forces of environmental change. Agenda 21 also states that education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of all people to address environment and development issues. Recognizing the shortage of specialists in environmental management and related fields, as well as the lack of comprehension by professionals in all fields of their effect on the environment and public health, the role of the university has been defined in the following way: "Universities educate most of the people who develop and manage society's institutions. For this reason, universities bear profound responsibilities to increase the awareness, knowledge, technologies, and tools to ...

In 2012, world leaders will meet at the Rio+20 conference to advance sustainable development-20 years after the Earth Summit that resulted in agreement on important principles but insuffi cient action. Many of the development goals have not been achieved partly because social (including health), economic, and environmental priorities have not been addressed in an integrated manner. Adverse trends have been reported in many key environmental indicators that have worsened since the Earth Summit. Substantial economic growth has occurred in many regions but nevertheless has not benefi ted many populations of low income and those that have been marginalised, and has resulted in growing inequities. Variable progress in health has been made, and inequities are persistent. Improved health contributes to development and is underpinned by ecosystem stability and equitable economic progress. Implementation of policies that both improve health and promote sustainable development is urgently needed.

World leaders convened for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012, marking 20 years since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and at a time of rapidly increasing pressures on the planet?s ecosystems and impacts on the poor and vulnerable members of society. Rio+20 focused on two closely related solutions to the world?s challenges ? new institutional frameworks for sustainable development, and the drive to a green economy defined as an economy ?that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities? (UNEP, 2012). (...)

Jednym z efektów ekspansji człowieka na Ziemi jest ogromny wzrost tempa wymierania gatunków. Proces ten prowadzi do znaczącego ograniczenia bioróżnorodności. Jej ochrona jest konieczna z najbardziej elementarnych przyczyn: dla zachowania mechanizmów działania żywej przyrody oraz zdolności przyrody do przetrwania zmian środowiska, a także dla zapobieżenia utracie wartości przyrodniczych, jeszcze nieodkrytych i niewykorzystanych, które mogą być podstawą rozwoju i gwarancją przeżycia przyszłych pokoleń. Pojęcie różnorodności biologicznej zostało zdefiniowane w Konwencji o różnorodności biologicznej przyjętej podczas Konferencji Narodów Zjednoczonych na temat środowiska i rozwoju (tzw. Szczytu Ziemi) w Rio de Janeiro 5 czerwca 1992 r. Sygnatariuszem tej Konwencji jest Unia Europejska. Zobowiązania nałożone na sygnatariuszy Konwencji winny znaleźć odzwierciedlenie we Wspólnej Polityce Rolnej (WPR) UE. Konieczność ochrony różnorodności biologicznej nie stanowiła jednak determinantu WPR aż do 2014 r. Dopiero jej ostatnia faza rozwojowa wprowadziła zestaw środków służących ochronie bioróżnorodności. Ważne jest, by regulacje prawne WPR znalazły odzwierciedlenie w przepisach prawa krajowego członków UE oraz by ich wdrażaniu towarzyszyło uznanie wartości kapitału naturalnego przez społeczność UE. Słowa kluczowe: bioróżnorodność; ochrona bioróżnorodności; rozwój obszarów wiejskich; Wspólna Polityka Rolna W PROWA DZ E N I E Od początku swego istnienia cywilizacja czerpie niezliczone korzyści ze środowiska naturalnego i jego bioróżnorodności. Korzyści te określa się także

The environment of our earth is degrading at an alarming rate because of non-sustainable agriculture, urbanization, and industrialization. Unsustainable trends in relation to environmental change and climate imbalance, threats to public health, poverty and social exclusion, demographic pressure and ageing, mismanagement of natural resources, biodiversity loss, and land degradation etc. This paper aims at focusing on need of environmental conservation through MDG-7. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. All 189 United Nations member states at the time (there are 193 currently), and at least 23 international organizations, committed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, rooted in the concept of sustainable development. The millennium development goals seek to solve world's biggest problem i.e. Environmental challenges and this position is inherent in the seventh MDG: Ensure Environmental sustainability by integrating the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of resources, to reduce biodiversity loss, and to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. In this paper present status of India towards achieving MDG-7 has been analyzed and identified which will lead to environment conservation and sustainable development.

The environment of our earth is degrading at an alarming rate because of non-sustainable agriculture, urbanization, and industrialization. Unsustainable trends in relation to environmental change and climate imbalance, threats to public health, poverty and social exclusion, demographic pressure and ageing, mismanagement of natural resources, biodiversity loss, and land degradation etc. This paper aims at focusing on need of environmental conservation through MDG-7. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. All 189 United Nations member states at the time (there are 193 currently), and at least 23 international organizations, committed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, rooted in the concept of sustainable development. The millennium development goals seek to solve world'...

The SRI is a dedicated team of over 50 staff and 65 PhD students working on different aspects of sustainability. Adapting to environmental change and governance for sustainability are the Institute's overarching themes. SRI research explores these in interdisciplinary ways, drawing on geography, ecology, sociology, politics, planning, economics and management. Our specialist areas are: sustainable development and environmental change; environmental policy, planning and governance; ecological and environmental economics; business, environment and corporate responsibility; sustainable production and consumption. Disclaimer The opinions presented are those of the author(s) and should not be regarded as the views of SRI or The University of Leeds. The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20): A sign of the times or 'ecology as spectacle'?