Policy, International

Current International Policy

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was formed in 1972 with the specific purpose of encouraging collaboration on conservation and development. In 1977, the international community adopted a Plan of Action to Combat Desertification due to impacts on economy, society, and environment. In 1991, the UNEP concluded that even with some successes, land degradation due to desertification had increased, and at a 1992 conference proposed sustainable development and for the UN General Assembly to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INCD) to prepare a Convention to Combat Desertification, which was adopted in 1994, with entry into force on December 26, 1996. Over 179 countries were parties to the convention as of March 2002.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed on September 16, 1987, and entered into force on January 1, 1989, and has been ratified by 191 countries. In meetings for the Montreal Protocol, the parties established adjustments and reductions of production and consumption of the controlled substances.

At the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, member nations agreed to work together to formulate solutions. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was adopted at the conference for commitments to maintaining ecology balanced with economic development, though the United States disagreed with some document wording as not protecting biotechnology firms.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed in 1988 by partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme to assess the risk of human-induced climate change, possible impacts of climate change, and provide options to deal with climate change. The First IPCC Assessment Report completed in 1990 provided the impetus for the formation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by the UN General Assembly.

The UNFCCC is an international treaty joined by most countries and adopted in 1992, and entering into force in 1994. The UNFCCC provides the overall policy framework for addressing climate change and for coping with the impacts from inevitable temperature increases. From initial discussions, the idea came about of incorporating policy-based commitments into the international climate negotiations. The variety of options considered by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee was a system incorporating national assessment, along with implementation strategies and programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by considering their country's needs and responsibilities within the scope of international, regional, and local circumstances to determine what agenda items would be a priority and for the setting of objectives.

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