Current and International Issues

drishtiias.com/upsc-exam-gs-resources-International-Convention-and-Treaties-for-Sustainable-Development

International Convention and Treaties for Sustainable Development

Jul 18, 2014

1.Vienna Convention

1.1MONTREAL PROTOCOL

2.Stockholm Convention On Persistent Organic Pollutants

3.Rotterdam Convention
4.Basel Convention
5.Convention on Biological Diversity

5.1Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety:

5.2Nagoya Protocol
5.2.1Aichi Target

6.United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

7.United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

7.1KYOTO PROTOCOL
7.1.1KYOTO MECHANISM
7.1.2Doha Outcome
7.1.3Warsaw Outcome

8.Bonn Convention:
9.Barcelona Convention
10.Ramsar Convention
11.CITES
12.Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and
Other Matter
13.Minamata Convention
14.International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol)
15.Benzene Convention
16.International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW)

1.Vienna Convention :

Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.

Often called a framework convention, because it served as a framework for efforts to

protect the globe’s ozone layer.

The Vienna Convention was adopted in 1985 and entered into force on 22
September, 1988.
1/19
 The objectives of the Convention were for Parties to promote cooperation by means
of systematic observations, research and information exchange on the effects of
human activities on the ozone layer and to adopt legislative or administrative
measures against activities likely to have adverse effects on the ozone layer.

The Vienna Convention did not require countries to take concrete actions to control
ozone depleting substances. Instead, in accordance with the provisions of the
Convention, the countries of the world agreed the Montreal Protocol on Substances
that Deplete the Ozone Layer under the Convention to advance that goal.

The Parties to the Vienna Convention meet once every three years, back to back
with the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, in order to take decisions designed to
administer the Convention.

In 2009, the Vienna Convention became the first Convention of any kind to achieve
universal ratification.

1.1 MONTREAL PROTOCOL:

This protocol was designed to reduce the production and consumption of ozone
depleting substances in order to reduce their abundance in the atmosphere, and
thereby protect the earth’s fragile ozone Layer.

The original Montreal Protocol was agreed on 16 September 1987 and entered into
force on 1 January 1989. followed by a first meeting in Helsinki, May 1989.

It legally enforces the phase-out of the production and use of ozone depleting
substances - chemicals often used in refrigeration, air-conditioning, foam
manufacturing, aerosol production, and fire extinguishing.

Protocol stipulates that the production and consumption of compounds that deplete
ozone in the stratosphere--chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride,
and methyl chloroform--are to be phased out by 2000 (2005 for methyl chloroform).

Source: http://www.theozonehole.com/

A Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol:

• It was established in 1991 to assist developing countries meet their Montreal
Protocol commitments.
• Multilateral Fund was established by a decision of the Second Meeting of the
Parties to the Montreal Protocol (London, June 1990) and began its operation in
1991.
• The main objective of the Fund is to assist developing country parties to the
Montreal Protocol whose annual level of consumption of the ozone depleting
substances (ODS) chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons is less than 0.3 kilograms
per capita to comply with the control measures of the Protocol.

Since 2010, the agenda of the Protocol has focused on the phase-out of hydro
chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), an ozone-depleting substance mainly used in cooling
and refrigeration applications, and in the manufacture of foam products.
2/19
2.Stockholm Convention On Persistent Organic Pollutants:

A global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic
pollutants (POPs).

The Convention has a range of control measures to reduce and, where feasible,
eliminate the release of POPs, including emissions of unintentionally produced POPs
such as dioxins. The Convention also aims to ensure the sound management of
stockpiles and wastes that contain POPs.

POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become
widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms
and are toxic to humans and wildlife.

POPs circulate globally and can cause damage wherever they travel. In
implementing the Convention, Governments will take measures to eliminate or
reduce the release of POPs into the environment.

Convention came into force on 17 May 2004.

12 POPs listed in annexes to the Convention in 2004 are:

• Aldrin
• Chlordane
• Dieldrin
• Endrin
• Heptachlor
•Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
•Mirex
•Toxaphene
•Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
•DDT
• Dioxins
•Furans

In 2010, nine additional POPs were added to the Convention. They are:

• Chlordecone
• Lindane
• Hexabromobiphenyl
• Pentachlorobenzene
• Alpha hexachlorocyclohexane
• Beta hexachlorocyclohexane
• Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOS)
• Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenylether ('commercial
pentabromodiphenyl ether')
• Hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether ('commercial
octabromdiphenyl ether)

3/19
 Convention has five essential aims:
• Eliminate dangerous POPs, starting with the 12 worst
• Support the transition to safer alternatives
• Target additional POPs for action
• Cleanup old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs
• Work together for a POPs-free future

3.Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain

Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade:

It is an international treaty designed to facilitate informed decision-making by

countries with regard to trade in hazardous chemicals.

It establishes a list of covered chemicals and requires parties seeking to export a

chemical on that list to first establish that the intended importing country has
consented to the import.

It also requires that a party seeking to export a chemical that is not listed under the
Convention, but is subject to a ban or severe restriction in its own territory, must
provide notice to the importing country of the proposed export.

Convention entered into force on February 24, 2004.

Rotterdam Convention applies to industrial chemicals and pesticides that meet the
criteria for listing under the Convention, generally because they have been banned or
severely restricted in party countries or are severely hazardous pesticide
formulations.

Major Objective of Convention are:

• Promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among Parties in the
international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health
and the environment from potential harm.
• Contribute to the environmentally sound use of those hazardous chemicals, by
facilitating information exchange about their characteristics, by providing for a
national decision-making process on their import and export and by disseminating
these decisions to Parties.

4.Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous

Wastes and Their Disposal:

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous

Wastes and their Disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 by the Conference of
Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland, in response to a public outcry following the
discovery, in the 1980s, in Africa and other parts of the developing world of deposits
of toxic wastes imported from abroad.

The basic purposes of the Convention are to ensure that states have the full ability to
protect their own environment and to enable them to not permit actions which might
have adverse effects on the environment such as a transboundary movement of
hazardous waste.
4/19
 Objective of the Basel Convention is to protect human health and the environment
against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes. Its scope of application covers a
wide range of wastes defined as “hazardous wastes” based on their origin and/or
composition and their characteristics, as well as two types of wastes defined as
“other wastes” - household waste and incinerator ash.

Principal aims of Convention are:

• Reduction of hazardous waste generation and the promotion of environmentally
sound management of hazardous wastes, wherever the place of disposal;
• Restriction of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes except where it is
perceived to be in accordance with the principles of environmentally sound
management; and
• Regulatory system applying to cases where transboundary movements are
permissible.

The Convention requires a prior informed consent that must be followed before any
export or import is allowed to or from another party. The Exporting State is obliged to
get the written approval of the Importing state for such a movement to be legal under
the Basel Convention. In this context, each party has the right to ban any import or
export of hazardous or other wastes.

BAN Amendment to the Convention was adopted at the Third Conference of the
Parties in 1995 and incorporated in the text of the Convention. This amendment bans
any export of hazardous wastes from Basel Convention Parties that are members of
the EU, OECD, and Liechtenstein to all other Parties to the Convention.

5.Convention on Biological Diversity:

This Convention was inspired by the world community's growing commitment to

sustainable development. It represents a dramatic step forward in the conservation of
biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable
sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The Convention was opened for signature on 5 June 1992 at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (the Rio "Earth Summit"). It remained
open for signature until 4 June 1993, by which time it had received 168 signatures.
The Convention entered into force on 29 December 1993, which was 90 days after
the 30th ratification. The first session of the Conference of the Parties was scheduled
for 28 November – 9 December 1994 in the Bahamas.

The CBD was negotiated under the guidance of the United Nations.

Unlike other international agreements that set compulsory targets and obligations,
the CBD takes a flexible approach to implementation. It identifies general goals and
policies, and countries are free to determine how they want to implement them.

5/19
 COP which stands for "Conference of the Parties" is the Convention's ultimate
authority and assembles representatives of all countries having signed the
Convention (the 'Parties') as well as observers such as non-Party countries, UN
agencies, international and non-governmental organisations.

CBD has near universal membership 193 countries

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has 3 main objectives:

• The conservation of biological diversity.
• The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity.
• The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic
resources.

The Convention also recognizes - for the first time - that the conservation of biological
diversity is "a common concern of humankind" and an integral part of the development
process.

5.1Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety:

Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international

treaty governing the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from
modern biotechnology from one country to another.

It was adopted on 29 January 2000 as a supplementary agreement to the Convention

on Biological Diversity and entered into force on 11 September 2003.

Protocol named after the Colombian city where the final round of talks was launched,
sets

Living Modified Organism (LMO) is defined in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as

any living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained
through the use of modern biotechnology. In everyday usage LMOs are usually
considered to be the same as GMOs (Genetically Modified organisms), but
definitions and interpretations of the term GMO vary widely.

Objective of the Protocol is to contribute to ensuring an adequate level of protection

in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of LMOs resulting from modern
biotechnology that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable
use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health, and
specifically focusing on transboundary movements.

Protocol promotes biosafety by establishing rules and procedures for the safe
transfer, handling, and use of LMOs, with specific focus on transboundary
movements of LMOs.

The governing body of the Protocol is the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (COP-MOP). The
main function of this body is to review the implementation of the Protocol and make
decisions necessary to promote its effective operation.

6/19
 Protocol does not cover :
• Products derived from LMOs (e.g. paper from GM trees).
• LMOs, which are pharmaceuticals for humans that are addressed by other relevant
international agreements or organizations.

Protocol assists developing countries in building their capacity for managing modern
biotechnology:
• It creates an advanced informed agreement (AIA) procedure that requires exporters
to seek consent from importing countries before the first shipment of LMOs meant to
be introduced into the environment (e.g. seeds for planting, fish for release, and
microorganisms for bioremediation)
• It establishes an internet-based “Biosafety Clearing-House” to help countries
exchange scientific, technical, environmental and legal information about LMOs.
• It requires bulk shipments of LMO commodities, such as corn or soybeans that are
intended to be used as food, feed or for processing, to be accompanied by
documentation stating that such shipments “may contain” LMOs and are “not
intended for intentional introduction into the environment”.
• The Protocol includes a clause that makes clear the Parties’ intent that the
agreement does not alter the rights and obligations of governments under the World
Trade Organization (WTO) or other existing international agreements.

5.2Nagoya Protocol:

The objective of this Protocol is the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising
from the utilization of genetic resources, including by appropriate access to genetic
resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all
rights over those resources and to technologies, and by appropriate funding, thereby
contributing to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its
components.

Protocol was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan .

Protocol significantly advances the Convention’s third objective by providing a strong

basis for greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of
genetic resources.

The Nagoya Protocol applies to genetic resources that are covered by the CBD, and
to the benefits arising from their utilization.

The Nagoya Protocol also covers traditional knowledge (TK) associated with genetic
resources that are covered by the CBD and the benefits arising from its utilization.

Protocol covers genetic resources within national jurisdiction - with some notable
exceptions:
• The Protocol does not apply to genetic resources covered by specialised access
and benefit-sharing agreements such as the International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture, or the framework for pandemic preparedness of

7/19
 the World Health Organisation.
• The Protocol does not apply to human genetic material, or to resources that were
acquired before the Protocol comes into effect.

5.2.1AICHI TARGET:

In the COP-10 meeting of Nagoya Protocol, the parties agreed that previous
biodiversity protection targets are not achieved, so they need to do come up with new
plans and targets.

It includes 20 headline targets, organized under five strategic goals that address the
underlying causes of biodiversity loss, reduce the pressures on biodiversity,
safeguard biodiversity at all levels, enhance the benefits provided by biodiversity,
and provide for capacity-building:

A)Strategic Goal A: Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by

mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society:

1)Make people are aware of the values of biodiversity

2) Integrating biodiversity values into national and local development and poverty reduction
strategies
3)Elimination of harmful subsidies
4) Implementing plans for sustainable production and consumption

B)Strategic Goal B: Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote

sustainable use

5)Halting loss of all natural habitats, including forests

6)Sustainable harvest of all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants
7)Sustainable management of agriculture, aquaculture and forestry ensuring conservation
of biodiversity.
8)Reducing Pollution
9)Identification and prioritization of invasive alien species and pathways
10)Minimise the choral reflow destruction, ocean acidification

C)Strategic Goal C: To improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding

ecosystems, species and genetic diversity

11)Conserving terrestrial and inland water, coastal – marine areas

12) Prevention of extinction of known threatened species
13)Maintaining genetic diversity of agro-plants, domesticate animals and minimizing
genetic erosion

D)Strategic Goal D: Enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem
services

14)Restoration of ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to

water, and contribute to health, livelihoods and well-being
15)Enhancement of ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon

8/19
stocks, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of
degraded ecosystems.
16)Operationalise the Nagoya protocol on genetic resources, via national legislations

E)Strategic Goal E: Enhance implementation through participatory planning,

knowledge management and capacity building

17)Implementing an effective, participatory and updated national biodiversity strategy and

action plan
18)Integrating the traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local
communities relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and their
customary use of biological resources
19)Scientific and technological knowledge sharing application
20)mobilization of financial resources

6United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification:

It is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought

through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by
international cooperation and partnership arrangements.

Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement

linking environment and development to sustainable land management.

Convention addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas,
known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples
can be found

Desertification as defined in this Convention: is not the natural expansion of existing

deserts but the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. It is a
gradual process of soil productivity loss and the thinning out of the vegetative cover
because of human activities and climatic variations such as prolonged droughts and
floods. What is alarming is that though the land's topsoil, if mistreated, can be blown
and washed away in a few seasons, it takes centuries to build up. Among human
causal factors are over cultivation, overgrazing, deforestation, and poor irrigation
practices. Such overexploitation is generally caused by economic and social
pressure, ignorance, war, and drought.

7United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) :

It is an international environmental treaty that was produced at the United Nations

Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) (informally known as the
Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro, June, 1992.

Convention sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the

challenge posed by climate change. It recognizes that the climate system is a
shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

9/19
 Under the Convention, governments:
• Gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and
best practices
• Launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting
to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to
developing countries
• cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

The treaty as originally framed set no mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions
for individual nations and contained no enforcement provisions; it is therefore
considered legally non-binding. Rather, the treaty included provisions for updates
(called “protocols”) that would set mandatory emission limits. The principal update is
the Kyoto Protocol, which has become much better known than the UNFCCC itself.

A key element of the UNFCCC is that parties should act to protect the climate system
“on the basis of equality and in accordance with their common but differentiated
responsibilities and respective capabilities.”

The principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ includes two fundamental

elements.
• The first is the common responsibility of Parties to protect the environment, or parts
of it, at the national, regional and global levels.
• The second is the need to take into account the different circumstances, particularly
each Party’s contribution to the problem and its ability to prevent, reduce and control
the threat.

UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994. Today, it has near-universal

membership. The 195 countries that have ratified the Convention are called Parties
to the Convention.

UNFCCC is a “Rio Convention”, one of three adopted at the “Rio Earth Summit” in
1992. Its sister Rio Conventions are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
and the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

7.1KYOTO PROTOCOL:

It is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change, which commits its Parties by setting internationally binding
emission reduction targets.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered
into force on 16 February 2005

Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high
levels of Green House Gas emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150
years of industrial activity, the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations
under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities."

Targets for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol cover emissions of the
10/19
 six main greenhouse gases, namely:
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Methane(CH4)
• Nitrous oxide (N2O)
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
• Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)

Convention divides countries into three main groups according to differing

commitments:

Annex I Parties include the industrialized countries that were members of the OECD
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 1992, plus countries with
economies in transition (the EIT Parties), including the Russian Federation, the Baltic
States, and several Central and Eastern European States.

Annex II Parties consist of the OECD members of Annex I, but not the EIT Parties. They
are required to provide financial resources to enable developing countries to undertake
emissions reduction activities under the Convention and to help them adapt to adverse
effects of climate change. In addition, they have to "take all practicable steps" to promote
the development and transfer of environmentally friendly technologies to EIT Parties and
developing countries. Funding provided by Annex II Parties is channeled mostly through the
Convention’s financial mechanism.

Non-Annex I Parties are mostly developing countries. Certain groups of developing

countries are recognized by the Convention as being especially vulnerable to the adverse
impacts of climate change, including countries with low-lying coastal areas and those prone
to desertification and drought. Others (such as countries that rely heavily on income from
fossil fuel production and commerce) feel more vulnerable to the potential economic
impacts of climate change response measures. The Convention emphasizes activities that
promise to answer the special needs and concerns of these vulnerable countries, such as
investment, insurance and technology transfer.

The 49 Parties classified as least developed countries (LDCs) by the United Nations are
given special consideration under the Convention on account of their limited capacity to
respond to climate change and adapt to its adverse effects. Parties are urged to take full
account of the special situation of LDCs when considering funding and technology-transfer
activities.

7.1.1KYOTO MECHANISM: There are three mechanisms that serve to help developed
countries achieve their Kyoto emission reduction targets by lowering the costs of reduction.
The so-called Kyoto mechanisms or flexible mechanisms enable developed countries to
meet part of their emission reduction commitments abroad. The Kyoto mechanisms:

Stimulate sustainable development through technology transfer and investment.

Help countries with Kyoto commitments to meet their targets by reducing emissions
11/19
 or removing carbon from the atmosphere in other countries in a cost-effective way.

Encourage the private sector and developing countries to contribute to emission

reduction efforts

Eligibility requirements: To participate in the mechanisms, Annex I Parties must meet,

among others, the following eligibility requirements:

They must have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

They must have calculated their assigned amount, as referred to in Articles 3.7 and
3.8 and Annex B of the Protocol in terms of tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions.

They must have in place a national system for estimating emissions and removals of
greenhouse gases within their territory.

They must have in place a national registry to record and track the creation and
movement of Emission Reduction Units, Certified Emission Reductions, Assigned
amount units and Removal Units (RMU)s and must annually report such information
to the secretariat.

They must annually report information on emissions and removals to the secretariat.

Mechanism:

1)Emission Trading (ET):

Emissions trading allow trade in emissions units between developed countries.

Each country is assigned a certain amount of emissions units. The volume of

emissions units allocated to each country is such that a country uses up its entire
allocation if it precisely complies with its national emission reduction target. If a
country achieves a greater reduction than called for in the Kyoto Protocol, it can sell
excess emissions units in the form of licences to another country that has not
succeeded in reaching its reduction target. The purchasing country can credit these
licences to its own emission reduction. The licences are sold internationally to the
highest bidder - in other words, the market determines the price.

2)Clean Development Mechanism (CDM):

CDM allows emission-reduction (or emission removal) projects in developing

countries to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one
tonne of CO2. These CERs can be traded and sold, and used by industrialized
countries to meet a part of their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.

It is carried out in a similar way to joint implementation; the main difference, however,
is that CDM projects are jointly carried out by a developed country with a reduction
commitment and a developing country without a reduction commitment.

With CDM, a developed country carries out an emissions-saving climate protection

project in a developing country, and these saved units - certified emission reductions
- can be credited to the developed country's account.
12/19
 CDM serves to assist developing countries, through technology transfer, in
establishing a climate-friendly economy.

Specific conditions of the CDM were laid down in the Marrakesh Accords. According
to these, all CDM projects have to be reviewed and approved in advance.

3)Joint implementation (JI):

In this Projects carried out jointly by two developed countries that have both
committed to an emission reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol fall within the
scope of joint implementation.

If a developed country carries out or finances a climate protection project in another

developed country, it can credit the resulting emission reductions in the form of
emission reduction units to its reduction target.

The recipient country of course cannot credit these units. Joint implementation
projects can contribute to emission reductions first being achieved where it is
cheapest.

7.1.2Doha Climate Change Conference (2012):

The 18th session of the COP to the UNFCCC, that started on 26 November and
concluded on 8 December 2012 in Doha, Qatar has resulted in a set of decisions
(clubbed together as 'Doha Climate Gateway') aimed at advancing the
implementation of the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol (KP).

key issues for the Doha conference were:

• Amending the KP to implement the second commitment period under the Protocol
• Successfully concluding the work of the Bali Action Plan (BAP) within which there
was urgent need for a clear path to climate finance
• planning the work under the Durban Platform (DP) for enhanced action.

Key Doha Outcome:

• It has been agreed that the Kyoto Protocol (KP), as the only existing and binding
agreement under which developed countries commit to cutting emissions of GHGs,
will enter a second commitment period that will run for eight years.
• Governments have agreed to speedily work toward a climate change agreement
under Doha Protocol (DP) applicable to all countries from 2020, to be adopted by
2015. Further governments have decided to find ways to scale up efforts before 2020
to meet the gap in global ambition for emissions reduction.
• Governments have launched a robust process to review the long-term temperature
goal. This will start in 2013 and conclude by 2015 and is a reality check on the
advance of the climate change threat and the possible need to mobilize further
action.
• The Work Programme on Long term Finance launched in 2011 has been extended
for another year to contribute to the ongoing efforts to scale up mobilization of climate
finance. Developed countries have reiterated their commitment to deliver on
13/19
 promises of mobilizing US$100 billion both for adaptation and mitigation by 2020.
• Decision also encourages developed countries to increase efforts for providing
finance between 2013 and 2015, and at least to the average annual level provided
during the 2010-2012 fast-start finance period.
• Finance pledges of about $ 6 billion for period upto 2015 announced by Germany,
the UK, France, Denmark, Sweden and the EU Commission.
• The selection of the Republic of Korea by the Board of the Green Climate Fund
(GCF) to host the GCF has been endorsed.
• The unresolved issues of Technology-related Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)
and the Unilateral Measures under the Bali Action Plan (BAP) are now part of the
planned or continuing work of various bodies of the Convention. Based on the
decisions, the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) will initiate exploration of
issues relating to enabling environments and barriers, including IPRs in its future
work-plan. The TEC has already identified IPRs as one of the key messages on
which further work is necessary. Similarly, a decision has been taken for facilitating
discussion on the issue of unilateral measures under the existing forum on
implementation of response measures.

7.1.3Warsaw Outcome :

The Warsaw Climate Change Conference held in November 2013

Key decisions adopted at this conference include decisions on further advancing the
Durban Platform, the Green Climate Fund and Long-Term Finance

Delegates to COP19 agreed that all nations should work to cut emissions from
burning coal, oil and gas as soon as possible, and ideally by the first quarter of 2015.

Warsaw Framework for REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation in Developing Countries): COP approved to provide a formal framework,
safeguards, and funding in hopes of cutting deforestation in half by 2020 and halting
it by 2030.

8Bonn Convention:

It is Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

Adopted in 1979 and entered in to force in 1983
This Convention aims to build and strengthen global conservation efforts for
migratory species in the air, on land, and in the seas
It is an international and intergovernmental treaty backed by the United Nations
Environmental Programme.
The Convention divides species into two appendices,
• Appendix I, lists species that are threatened with extinction and
• Appendix II, species that need or would benefit greatly from international
cooperative conservation efforts.
migratory species as defined in Convention means the entire population or any
geographically separate part of the population of any species or lower taxon of wild
animals a significant proportion of whose members cyclically and predictably cross
one or more national jurisdictional boundaries
14/19
9Barcelona Convention:

It is Convention for Protection against Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea

It is a regional convention to prevent and abate pollution from ships, aircraft and land
based sources in the Mediterranean Sea.

Convention was Adopted in 1976and entered into force in 1978

In 1995 the Protocol was amended and recorded as the Protocol for the Prevention
and Elimination of Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea by Dumping from Ships and
Aircraft or Incineration at Sea. The new Protocol is not yet in force.

The Convention's main objectives are:

• Assess and control marine pollution
• Ensuring sustainable management of natural marine and coastal resources;
• Integrate the environment in social and economic development;
• Protect the marine environment and coastal zones through prevention and
reduction of pollution, and as far as possible, elimination of pollution, whether land or
sea-based;
• Protect the natural and cultural heritage;
• Strengthen solidarity among Mediterranean coastal States;
• Contribute to improvement of the quality of life.

10Ramsar Convention:

It is Convention on Wetlands of International Importance

Convention provides the framework for national action and international cooperation
for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

The Ramsar Convention is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a
particular ecosystem. The treaty was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971
and the Convention's member countries cover all geographic regions of the planet.

Ramsar is not affiliated with the United Nations system of Multilateral Environmental
Agreements

Convention's mission is "the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local
and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards
achieving sustainable development throughout the world".

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was developed as a means to call international

attention to the rate at which wetland habitats were disappearing, in part due to a
lack of understanding of their important functions, values, goods and services.
Governments that join the Convention are expressing their willingness to make a
commitment to helping to reverse that history of wetland loss and degradation

Montreux Record under Ramsar List is a register of wetland sites on the List of
Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have
occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological
15/19
 developments, pollution or other human interference. So, it is maintained as part of
the Ramsar List.

Ramsar Convention works closely with five other organisations known as

International Organization Partners (IOPs). These are Birdlife International, the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Water
Management Institute (IWMI), Wetlands International and WWF International. These
support the work of the Convention by providing expert technical advice, helping
implement field studies and providing financial support

Obligations under the convention:

• To recommend sites for inclusion in the “List of Wetlands of International
Importance”.
• To ensure wise use of wetlands.
• To establish reserves and promote training in wetland research, management and
wardening.

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

Flora (CITES):

It is an international agreement between governments aimed to ensure that

international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants do not threaten their
survival.

Convention entered into force in 1975

CITES establishes a system of trade controls that vary in their restrictiveness,

depending upon the degree of jeopardy each species faces. The trade controls
imposed by CITES apply only to the species listed on three Appendices to the
Treaty.
• Appendix I of the Treaty receives the most protection; they cannot be imported or
exported for primarily commercial purposes. To be traded for other purposes, such
as zoological or scientific imports, a specimen of any species listed in Appendix I
must be accompanied by an export permit from the exporting country and an import
permit from the importing country.
• Species on Appendix II of CITES, which are the vast majority of all species
protected by the Treaty, can be traded for both commercial and noncommercial
purposes. However, they must be accompanied by an export permit, which may be
issued only upon the finding that the export of the specimens concerned will not be
detrimental to the survival of the species. This requirement allows countries to control
trade in those species listed on Appendix II.
• Member countries may unilaterally list species on Appendix III that are protected
within the countries' borders. The purpose of Appendix III is to obtain international
cooperation in the enforcement of national conservation laws. Countries importing
specimens of a species listed on Appendix III--from the country responsible for
including the species on the Appendix--must insist upon presentation of a permit
showing that the specimens were lawfully acquired and exported from that country.

16/19
• CITES is an international agreement to which States (countries) adhere voluntarily. States
that have agreed to be bound by the Convention ('joined' CITES) are known as Parties.
Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement
the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework
to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure
that CITES is implemented at the national level.

12. Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and

Other Matter:

Convention was adopted on 29 December 1972 in London

Convention contributes to the international control and prevention of marine pollution

by prohibiting the dumping of certain hazardous materials. In addition, a special
permit is required prior to dumping of a number of other identified materials and a
general permit for other wastes or matter

Dumping has been defined as the deliberate disposal at sea of wastes or other
matter from vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-made structures, as well as the
deliberate disposal of these vessels or platforms themselves.

In 1996, the "London Protocol" was agreed to further modernize the Convention and,
eventually, replace it.

Protocol, which is meant to eventually replace the 1972 Convention, represents a

major change of approach to the question of how to regulate the use of the sea as a
depository for waste materials. Rather than stating which materials may not be
dumped, it prohibits all dumping, except for possibly acceptable wastes on the so-
called "reverse list", contained in an annex to the Protocol.

London Protocol stresses the “precautionary approach”, which requires that

“appropriate preventative measures are taken when there is reason to believe that
wastes or other matter introduced into the marine environment are likely to cause
harm even when there is no conclusive evidence to prove a causal relation between
inputs and their effects”.

It also states that "the polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution" and
emphasizes that Contracting Parties should ensure that the Protocol should not
simply result in pollution being transferred from one part of the environment to
another.

The objective of the London Convention and Protocol is to promote the effective
control of all sources of marine pollution. Contracting Parties shall take effective
measures to prevent pollution of the marine environment caused by dumping at sea.

13. Minamata Convention:

Major highlights of the Minamata Convention on Mercury include a ban on new

mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, control measures on air emissions,
and the international regulation of the informal sector for artisanal and small-scale
17/19
 gold mining.

Use of mercury in coal-fired power plants, small and artisanal gold mines and cement
production has to be reduced. Countries with small and artisanal gold mines will have
to devise strategies to reduce the use of mercury in gold production in three years

The use of mercury in products like batteries, CFLs, soaps, cosmetics and medical
appliances like thermometer will be phased out by 2020

Convention was adopted and opened for signature on 10 October 2013

Convention is named after the Japanese city of Minamata, which experienced a

severe, decades-long incidence of mercury poisoning after industrial wastewater from
a chemical factory was discharged into Minamata Bay.

Preamble of the treaty stipulates parties to the convention recognise “the substantial
lessons of Minamata Disease, in particular the serious health and environmental
effects resulting from mercury pollution, and the need to ensure proper management
of mercury and the prevention of such events in the future.”

Specific goals include:

• A phase-out date of 2020 for products made from mercury
• The preparation and implementation of national plans to control and reduce
mercury emissions and releases
• The end to all mercury mining
• The prohibition of mercury trade
• Environmentally-safe management of mercury waste
• Information-sharing, capacity-building projects, technical assistance for developing
country

14.International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol):

International convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment

by ships from operational or accidental causes.

MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at International Maritime

Organisation. The Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate of tanker
accidents in 1976-1977. As the 1973 MARPOL Convention had not yet entered into
force, the 1978 MARPOL Protocol absorbed the parent Convention.

All ships flagged under countries that are signatories to MARPOL are subject to its
requirements, regardless of where they sail and member nations are responsible for
vessels registered under their respective nationalities.

The convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimising pollution at

sea from ships, and this includes both accidental pollution and pollution from routine
operations. At current date MARPOL 73/78 consist of 6 technical annexes:
i.Regulations for the prevention of pollution by oil.
ii.Regulations for the control of pollution by noxious liquid substances in bulk.

18/19
 iii.Prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form.
iv.Prevention of pollution by sewage from ships.
v.Prevention of pollution by garbage from shipsvi.revention of air pollution from ships.

15.Benzene Convention:

Convention was created by the International Labor Organization.

Its objective is to protect workers who are exposed during the course of their work to
C6H6, also known as Benzene, a recognized carcinogen.

It was adopted in 1971 and entered into force in 1973.

16.International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW):

Convention provides for the "proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make
possible the orderly development of the whaling industry."

It aims to promote the recovery of depleted whale populations by addressing issues

such as ship strikes, entanglement events, environmental concerns and establishing
protocols for whale watching.

The Convention was signed in 1946 and entered into force in 1948.

19/19