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Evolution of Environmental Politics: From Stockholm to Copenhagen

Explore the political journey of climate change from the 1970s to Copenhagen 2009 and beyond. From key events like the Stockholm Conference to the failure of Rio+20, understand the shift from cooperation to the necessity of international collaboration. Discover major UN conferences, agreements like the Montreal Protocol, and the challenges and prospects for climate negotiations post-Rio+20. The discussion delves into the importance of long-term international cooperation in tackling climate change.

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Evolution of Environmental Politics: From Stockholm to Copenhagen

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  1. Climate change as a political issue Part 1

  2. Environmentand international politicsFrom Stockholm to Copenhagen Session 1

  3. The rise of the environment as a political issue • Since the 1970s, environmental concerns have climbed their way to the top of the political agenda • 1972: Meadows report of the Club of Rome • 1972: Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment • 26 principles of environmental governance • Creation of UNEP

  4. Catastrophes and accidents • 1976: Seveso toxic dioxins leak • 1979: Three-Mile Island incident • 1982: Seveso directive • 1984: Bhopal catastrophe • 1986: Chernobyl

  5. Scientific discoveries • Man lands on the Moon 1969 • Hole in the ozone layer • Discovered in the 1980s • Montreal Protocol 1987 • Climate change • First measurements in the 1950s • First models in the 1970s (Hansen) • Creation of the IPCC 1988

  6. The rise of global governance • 1987: ‘Our Common Future’ by the World Commission on Environment and Development • ‘Sustainable development’: ‘a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ • Montreal Protocol 1987 • Aimed at tackling the depletion of the ozone layer • One of the most successful international agreements • Develops the concept of ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ • Bears many resemblances with the Kyoto Protocol

  7. Major UN Conferences • 1972: Stockholm Conference • 1992: Rio EarthSummit • Agenda 21 • Three major conventions: UNFCCC (climate change), UNCBD (biodiversity), UNCCCD (desrtification) • 1997: Kyoto Protocol • 2002: Johannesburg summit on sustainabledevelopment • First failureof international cooperation

  8. Copenhagen 2009: from cooperation to collaboration

  9. Rio +20: The end of the road • The prospects for the Rio +20 conference looked grim already. • The conference was indeed a disaster. • No more appetite for international cooperation. • 2012 is the last year when GHG emissions are capped. • What now for the COP21 in Paris?

  10. So whybother? • International cooperation remains necessary because there’s no relationship between • the quantity of GHG that a region or a country emits and the consequence for that area in terms of climate change • the quantity of GHG that we emit today and the changes in the climate our generation will experience • Thus there’s a necessity of: • International cooperation • Long-term cooperation

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