The Rio Summit was held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, between June 3-14, 1992. The Second Earth Summit on Development and Environment was organized by the UN. His general secretary was Maurice Strong. It was attended by 178 countries, represented mostly by their heads of state, in addition to some 400 representatives of non-governmental organizations. On the other hand, some 17,000 people attended the NGO Forum, held in parallel to the Summit.
Twenty years had passed since the Stockholm Conference, the First Earth Summit, to celebrate the second installment of these events. To tell the truth, not much progress was made in those two decades on climate matters, despite the great hopes that were placed on the 26 principles issued by the Stockholm Declaration (July 5-14, 1972).
The most remarkable thing that happened in this period was the issuance of the Montreal Protocol for the protection of the ozone layer. The agreement was negotiated in 1987 and entered into force on January 1, 1989. Already in 1985, 20 countries that included the majority of the producers of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), responsible for the widening of the so-called “ozone gaps”, they had signed the Vienna Convention, which established the framework for negotiating international regulations on ozone-depleting substances. CFCs were replaced by HCFCs, whose effect is 20 times less, although they continue to affect the ozone layer. Until a definitive product can be found, HCFCs will be used as temporary replacements.The Montreal Protocol is considered an example of international cooperation to solve problems that affect the environment.
Among the objectives of the Rio Declaration we can consider the creation of a new form of cooperation between States, sectors and individuals, on issues related to environmental protection and sustainable economic development in harmony with the environment and cooperation between countries to protect, preserve and restore the conditions of the Earth.
Among the most outstanding achievements of the Rio Declaration, undoubtedly the most important was the establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in force since March 1994, with the premise of strengthening public awareness on a global scale on the problems related to Climate Change. Among the objectives of the UNFCCC is the need to stabilize the concentrations of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in the atmosphere to prevent risks to the climate system.
It was agreed to create the COP, Conference of the Parties, as the supreme body of the UNFCCC and the association of all the countries that are part of it. We would no longer have to wait twenty years for the next climate meeting, since it was decided to hold the annual COPs. They would include environmental experts, ministers, heads of state and non-governmental organizations. The first Conference, COP1, was held in Berlin, Germany, 1995. The following year, COP2, Geneva, 1996 was held, in which the need to set “binding quantitative targets” on the limitation of GHG emissions was adopted by consensus. by industrialized countries. In 1997, COP3, Kyoto, took place, from which the famous Kyoto Protocol emerged.After its creation, 18 tortuous years would come until the approval of the Paris Agreement, in 2015, whose entry into force is scheduled for 2020. The Kyoto Protocol had the merit of having managed to alert the public on issues such as the greenhouse effect, the global warming, climate change and other environmental problems.
Importance of the Rio Summit. In addition to the creation of the UNFCCC and the COPs, the Convention on Biological Diversity was established; the Declaration of Principles on the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests; the Rio Declaration on environment and development and finally Agenda 21, an initiative to build a sustainable development model for the 21st century.
Criticism of the Rio Summit
In a long article entitled “The discreet charm of the top of the earth. Impressionist Evaluation of Rio92 ”written by Roberto Guimaraes, Brazilian political scientist, researcher at the Social Development Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), indicates:
“In general terms, all the agreements adopted at Rio-92 produced more frustration than satisfaction among observers. The convention on climate change, for example, was the most anticipated document of the conference; and not without reason, since the convention had originally been formulated to eliminate, or at least slow down, the processes that contribute to the increase in average temperatures of the atmosphere and the increase in the level of the oceans, thus avoiding negative impacts on agriculture and coastal areas. The high expectations for that convention are only matched by the level of general frustration with which the final text has been received. It is, in fact, Rio's biggest failure. His text has been so "watered down" in previous discussions,that the document finally approved lost much of its original force, and is more like a simple declaration of intent. Instead of adopting urgent measures in this area, the current text only "recommends" the stabilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at the levels existing in 1990. Even so, it does not set deadlines for such stabilization to become effective.. "
Appendix
In the Rio Declaration, 27 fundamental principles were proclaimed that all countries should adhere to, with the objective of establishing a new and equitable global partnership by creating new levels of cooperation between States, key sectors of societies and individuals..
They sought to reach international agreements in which the interests of all were respected and the integrity of the global environmental and development system was protected, recognizing the integral and interdependent nature of the Earth. These Fundamental Principles proclaim that:
Declaration of principles of the Rio Summit
Principle 1: Human beings are at the center of concerns related to sustainable development. They have the right to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.
Principle 2: In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, States have the sovereign right to use their own resources according to their own environmental and development policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities carried out within of its jurisdiction or under its control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or areas that are outside the limits of national jurisdiction.
Principle 3: The right to development must be exercised in a way that equitably responds to the development and environmental needs of present and future generations.
Principle 4: In order to achieve sustainable development, the protection of the environment should be an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation.
Principle 5: All States and all people should cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty as an indispensable requirement of sustainable development, in order to reduce disparities in living standards and better respond to the needs of the majority of peoples of the world.
Principle 6: Special priority should be given to the special situation and needs of developing countries, in particular the least developed and the most environmentally vulnerable countries. International action on the environment and development should also take into account the interests and needs of all countries.
Principle 7: States shall cooperate in a spirit of global solidarity to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem. Given that they have contributed to different degrees of global environmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities. Developed countries recognize their responsibility in the international pursuit of sustainable development, in view of the pressures that their societies exert on the global environment and the technologies and financial resources available to them.
Principle 8: To achieve sustainable development and a better quality of life for all people, States should reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and promote appropriate demographic policies.
Principle 9: States should cooperate in strengthening their own capacity to achieve sustainable development, increasing scientific knowledge through the exchange of scientific and technological knowledge, and intensifying the development, adaptation, diffusion and transfer of technologies, among these, new and innovative technologies.
Principle 10: The best way to deal with environmental issues is with the participation of all interested citizens, at the appropriate level. At the national level, everyone should have adequate access to information on the environment available to public authorities, including information on materials and activities that pose danger in their communities, as well as the opportunity to participate in the processes decision-making. States must facilitate and promote awareness and participation of the population by making information available to all. Effective access to judicial and administrative procedures must be provided, including compensation for damages and pertinent remedies.
Principle 11: States shall enact effective laws on the environment. Environmental standards, management objectives and priorities should reflect the environmental and development context to which they apply. The standards applied by some countries may be inadequate and represent an unjustified social and economic cost for other countries, particularly developing countries.
Principle 12: States should cooperate in promoting a favorable and open international economic system that will lead to economic growth and sustainable development in all countries, in order to better address the problems of environmental degradation. Trade policy measures for environmental purposes should not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a veiled restriction on international trade. Unilateral measures to solve environmental problems that occur outside the jurisdiction of the importing country should be avoided. Measures to address transboundary or global environmental problems should, to the extent possible, be based on an international consensus.
Principle 13: States should develop national legislation regarding liability and compensation for victims of pollution and other environmental damage. States shall also cooperate expeditiously and more decisively in the drafting of new international laws on liability and compensation for the adverse effects of environmental damage caused by activities carried out within their jurisdiction, or under their control, in areas outside their jurisdiction. its jurisdiction.
Principle 14: States should cooperate effectively to discourage or prevent the relocation and transfer to other States of any activities and substances that cause serious environmental degradation or are considered harmful to human health.
Principle 15: In order to protect the environment, States should apply the precautionary approach widely according to their capacities. Where there is danger of serious or irreversible harm, the lack of absolute scientific certainty should not be used as a reason to delay the adoption of cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.
Principle 16: National authorities should endeavor to promote the internalization of environmental costs and the use of economic instruments, taking into account the criterion that the polluter must, in principle, bear the costs of pollution, taking due account of the public interest and without distorting international trade or investment.
Principle 17: An environmental impact assessment should be undertaken, as a national instrument, for any proposed activity that is likely to have a significant negative impact on the environment and is subject to the decision of a competent national authority.
Principle 18: States should immediately notify other States of natural disasters or other emergency situations that may produce sudden harmful effects on the environment of those States. The international community must do everything possible to help the States that are affected.
Principle 19: States should provide relevant information, and notify in advance and in a timely manner, States that are potentially affected by activities that may have significant adverse transboundary environmental effects, and should consult with those States at an early date and in due time. good faith.
Principle 20: Women play a key role in environmental management and development. It is, therefore, essential to count on their full participation to achieve sustainable development.
Principle 21: The creativity, ideals and courage of the world's youth should be mobilized to forge a global partnership aimed at achieving sustainable development and ensuring a better future for all.
Principle 22: Indigenous peoples and their communities, as well as other local communities, play a fundamental role in environmental management and development due to their traditional knowledge and practices. States should duly recognize and support their identity, culture and interests and enable their effective participation in the achievement of sustainable development.
Principle 23: The environment and natural resources of peoples subjected to oppression, domination and occupation must be protected.
Principle 24: War is, by definition, the enemy of sustainable development. Consequently, States must respect the provisions of international law that protect the environment in times of armed conflict, and cooperate in its further development, as necessary.
Principle 25: Peace, development and protection of the environment are interdependent and inseparable.
Principle 26: States should peacefully resolve all their disputes over the environment by appropriate means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
Principle 27: States and individuals shall cooperate in good faith and in a spirit of solidarity in the application of the principles enshrined in this Declaration and in the further development of international law in the field of sustainable development.
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