Protocols, conventions and treaties on environment are very important in exam point of view. Now a days environment is a very important topic and more questions coming from environment related topics in competitive exams. Below we provide all the important environmental protocols, conventions details. Aspirants who are preparing competitive exams must know about this topic.
The difference between a treaty, convention, protocol and summit is:
(1) Treaty: A treaty is an agreement where the nations made some rules and regulations to avoid further conflict or disagreement. In simple terms it is normally ratified by the lawmaking authority of the governments whose representatives have signed it.
(2) Convention: A convention is an international meeting of representatives from many nations that results in general agreement about procedures or actions they will take in future on specific topics.
(3) Protocol: A protocol is an agreement that diplomatic negotiators formulate and sign on the basis for a final convention or treaty.
(4) Summit: A meeting or conference of heads of state, especially to conduct diplomatic negotiations and ease international tensions.
Important International Environmental Protocols/Conventions/Agreement
The table below gives the list of important environmental conventions of the world:
| SL NO | NAME | PURPOSE | YEAR |
| 1 | Ramsar (Iranian city) Convention | Convention on Wetlands | Initiated in 1971
Came into force 1975 |
| 2 | Stockholm (Sweden) Convention | Persistant Organic Pollutants | Initiated in 2001
Came into force 2004 |
| 3 | Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Wild flora and fauna (CITES)/Washington Convention | Protect Endangered Plants & Animals | Initiated in 1973
Came into force 1975 |
| 4 | Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage | Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites | Initiated in 1972
Came into force 1975 |
| 5 | Convention on Biological Diversity | Conservation of Biological Diversity | Initiated in 1992
Came into force 1993 |
| 6 | Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)/ Bonn (Germany) Convention | Protect the Migratory Species of Wild Animals and their habitats | Initiated in 1979
Came into force 1983 |
| 7 | Vienna (Austria) Convention | Protection of Ozone Layer | Initiated in 1985
Came into force 1988 |
| 8 | Montreal (Canada) Protocol | Regulating Ozone depleting substances | Initiated in 1987
Came into force 1989 |
| 9 | Kyoto (Japan) Protocol | To reduce greenhouse gas emissions (CO2,CH4,N2O,HFCs,PFCs,SF6) | Initiated in 1997
Came into force 2005 |
| 10 | World Conservation Strategy | Living resource conservation for sustainable development | Initiated in 1980
Came into force 1982 |
| 11 | Nairobi (Kenya) Declaration | For achieving sustainable developments | Created in 1982
|
| 12 | World Charter of Nature | Principles of conservation by which all human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged. | Created in 1982
|
| 13 | Brundtland Report | Environment and Sustainable development
Brundtland (Norwey Prime Minister) Commission was established in 1983 |
In 1987 |
| 14 | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) | Control of emission of GreenHouse Gases (GHGs) that cause global warming. | Initiated in 1992
Came into force 1994 |
| 15 | Earth Summit/ United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)/ Rio summit | Environment and development | In 1992 |
| 16 | United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) | Combat Desertification (Drylands) | Initiated in 1994
Came into force 1996 |
| 17 | Helsinki (Finland) Declaration | Ethical principles on human experimentation developed for the medical community by the world medical association. | In 1989 |
| 18 | Basel (Switzerland) Convention | Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. | Initiated in 1989
Came into force 1992 |
| 19 | Cartagena(Colombia) Protocol on Biosafety | To protect biodiversity from risks | Initiated in 2000
Came into force 2003 |
| 20 | UN-REDD | Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.
|
Created in 2008 |
| 21 | Nagoya (Japan) Protocol | Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)).
|
Initiated in 2010
Came into force 2014 |
| 22 | Helsinki (Finland) Protocol | Reduction of Sulphur Emissions | Initiated in 1985
Came into force 1987 |
| 23 | Oslo (Norway) Protocol | Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions | Initiated in 1994
Came into force 1998 |
| 24 | Kigali (Rwanda) Amendment | It is an amendment to the Montreal Protocol (Reduce Ozone Layer Depletion) | Initiated in 2016
Came into force 2019 |
| 25 | Minamata (Japan) Convention | Protect peoples health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury.
|
Initiated in 2013
Came into force 2017 |
| 26 | Rotterdam (Netherlands) Convention | Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade | Initiated in 1998
Came into force 2004 |
| 27 | Aarhus (Denmark) Convention | Access to information, public participation in decision making and access to justice in environmental matters | Initiated in 1998
Came into force 2001 |
| 28 | Aarhus Protocol | Persistent Organic Pollutants | In 1998
|
| 29 | Gothenburg(Sweden)Protocol/Multi effect protocol | Reduce acidification, eutrophication and ground-level Ozone by setting emissions ceilings for sulphur,nitrogen oxides,ammonia and volatile organic compounds. | In 1999 |
| 30 | Paris Agreement | Climate change | In 2016 |
| 31 | Rio+20 | Sustainable Development (Economic,Social & Environmental) | In 2012 |
| 32 | Johannesberg Declaration | Focus on threats to the sustainable development ofpeople(Hunger,Malnutrition,Crimes,Trafficking,Corruption etc) | In 2002 |
| 33 | Bali (Indonesia) Summit | United Nations Conference on Climate Change (Reduce greenhouse gases in atmosphere) | In 2007 |
| 34 | Bamako (Mali) Convention | Treaty of African nations prohibiting the import of any hazardous waste. | Initiated in 1991
Came into force 1998 |
| 35 | Tehran(Iran) Convention
|
Necessity to protect and preserve the Caspian Sea’s natural resources for future generations |
Initiated in 2003 Came into force 2006 |
| 36 | Law of the Sea Treaty’ | Establish jurisdictional limits over the ocean areas.
Known as United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) |
In 1982 |
| 37 | COP 21 (Paris) | Reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. | Initiated in 2015
Came into force 2016 |
| 38 | COP 24 (Poland) | Rulebook that enables the implementation of 29 articles of the Paris Agreement | In 2018 |
| 39 | COP 25 (Spain) | To finalize the rulebook for the Paris Agreement | In 2019 |
For Download: Environmental Protcols
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