Evolution of Environmental Policies and Agreements 1971-2011

Evolution of Environmental Policies and Agreements 1971-2011 The energy use (EN) and its integration property vary under the influence of different factors. Among various elements such as abundance of energy resources and energy intensity, the environmental policy is the factor that has had increasing effects on the EN. The energy sector and environmental concerns are inherently interdependent and policies in one sector have direct impact on the other. This appendix very briefly reviews the evolution of world environmental agreements and policies during the period of our study.[1] The world environmental system has undergone a significant development in the course of past four decades. It has especially improved by the public recognition of the environment as a vital concern of humankind and adoption of numerous Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The seminal step was the first United Nation conference on the environment, which was held in Stockholm in 1972. It created a momentum in drawing the public attention to the environmental issues and commitment for taking action. During the last forty years, the MEAs and policies on the environmental issues have evolved in several dimensions while there has almost been continuity in terms of principles. First, there has been a gradual development of the MEAs on environmental protection, with adoption of a large number of conventions and treaties. Nevertheless, after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit the attention shifted more from institution building to implementation, consolidation, and compliance. Yet, majority of conventions, especially at the early stage, have theme, sector, or territory approach, which resulting in treaties overlap or clash. Besides the treaty congestion caused by separate negotiation fora, secretariats and funding mechanism, most of conventions fail to effectively integrate environment standards into other policy areas. It remains one of the most pressing challenges of policy makers’ to design policies that may reconcile interdependencies of pursuing competitive economic growth, social concerns, sustainability, and environmental protection. The second dimension is characterized by recognition of the environment as public global goods. As it is manifested in the Stockholm Declaration, protection of the environment is beyond the interest of the individual countries or specific reciprocal relations and should be respected as part of the public interest of world community. However, there are important differences in understanding of countries on some fundamental concepts like sustainable use of natural resources and sustainable development. The industrialized countries in one hand and the developing countries on the other hand have different views on the policies and measures to adopt, type of commitments to take, and how to share responsibilities. More interestingly, even approaches and policies of industrialized countries, e.g. US and EU members, are significantly different. While the US is traditionally inclined to rely on market mechanism and private sector, the EU, as a leading global player that has some of the worldà ¢â‚¬â„¢s highest environmental standards, tends to act more actively and initiate progressive policy responds. The third trend that can be distinguished is the increasing role of civil society and private sector in MEAs and environmental policy making at national and international levels. In the recent decades there have been significant moves in the societies to call for more transparency, more social conscience and more compliance with the environmental agreements. The Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as the representatives of civil society, have been increasingly active at national and international levels. Their participation has influenced negotiating, implementing, monitoring and enforcing MEAs. At the same time, there have been pressures from governments, NGOs, and business community leaders to ensure that private sector takes greater accountability and responsibility for its actions. Therefore, in the recent decades, the public policy process has been moving toward more interactive models, where public entities seek to develop partnership with the private sector to manage comple x policy challenges. A famous example of this partnership is the â€Å"green economy†, which is deemed as one of important tools available for achieving sustainable development. Forth, it is generally accepted that science is the best way to evaluate the environmental risks and examine the adverse impacts of human activities. Thus, science and scientific evidence have been increasingly becoming more important in the process of environmental policy making. However, there is no consensus on how to apply the scientific evidence into environmental standards. The integration of science into environmental policies and governance even become more controversial when countries choose contradictory approaches in interpreting the scientific evidence according to their own interest. The different approaches in interpretation of scientific evidence shows science cannot be a good substitute for a liable policy response. Science is only expected to present unbiased and transparent evidence and ensure that policy makers are fully aware of all potential risks. Although MEAs has been significantly developed with adoption of a large number of conventions and treaties, the current international governance system cannot guarantee that all states at the global level will be willing and able to comply and respect the agreed international environmental standards. It urges to improve the quality and effectiveness of global environmental governance. Undoubtedly, it is a challenging and contentious task since there are areas that directly touch the sovereignty of states in managing their natural resources and pursuing their development strategies. To circumvent these concerns, there should be a new move to devise and develop the concept of â€Å"responsible sovereignty†. The concept of â€Å"environmentally responsible sovereignty† can urge states to use their powers in a way that are more aligned with the general interest of the international community and help to protect the global environment. References Hey, C. (2006). EU Environmental Policies: A short history of the policy strategies. In European Union Environmental Policy Handbook: A Critical Analysis of EU Environmental Legislation; Scheuer, S., Ed.; European Environmental Bureau: Utrecht. Bakker, C. and Francioni, F (2014). The Evolution of the Global Environmental System: Trends and Prospects. in The EU, the US and Global Climate Governance; Bakker, C. and Francioni, Eds; Ashgate Publishing. Orlando, E. (2014). The Evolution of EU Policy and Law in the Environmental Field: Achievements and Current Challenges; in The EU, the US and Global Climate Governance; Bakker, C. and Francioni, Eds; Ashgate Publishing. Baker, Susan (2002). The Evolution of European Union Environmental Policy. From Growth to Sustainable Development?, in Susan Baker et al. (eds.), The Politics of Sustainable Development. Theory, policy and practice within the European Union, London, Rutledge, p. 91-106. Von Homeyer, Igmar, (2009), â€Å"The Evolution of EU Environmental Governance†, in Joanne Scott, ed., Environmental Protection. European Law and Governance, Oxford, Oxford University Press, p. 1-26. [1] This part is heavily adapted from Bakker and Francioni ( 2014).

Essay on Song of Solomon: The Names of a Society -- Song Solomon essay

Song of Solomon: The Names of a Society    Think of a time when the black society was still getting used to the word freedom and the white society hated the thought of it. The book Song of Solomon, written by Toni Morrison in 1977, takes place in Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior. The book emphasizes the racial and social tensions between blacks and whites between the 1930s and the 1960s. The Dead family goes through many phases of self-discovery throughout the story. In an effort to hide his southern, working class roots, Macon Dead, an upper-class northern black businessman tries to insulate his family from the danger and despair of the rank and file blacks with whom he shares the neighborhood. Macon can not keep this from influencing his family when he learns that his son has different plans. The book introduces many characters that have received their names from yearnings, events, mistakes, and weaknesses. Some of these names are out of respect and others are given by certain occurrences. Mostly the names are used i n defiance to the "cracker society". The black society used this term to relate to the "white society".    The Dead family lives on a street officially named "Mains Avenue". The only black doctor in town lived on this street and it soon became known as "Doctor Street". Soon it became the unofficial name of the street known not only to the doctor's patients, but also to the rest of the black citizens of the town. White legislators soon put a stop to the incorrect naming of the street and posted notices forbidding incorrect references to it in the black neighborhood. The notices stated that the avenue "would always be known as Mains Avenue and not Doctor Street"(p. 4). In a subtle retaliation, the ci... ...ack society in those days. They kept and used names that the cracker society would forget about in a few days. By keeping such names the black community quietly defied conformation to the white society.    This novel illustrates how the human spirit can not be dominated. The black community is able to fill in the empty spaces, which the "other society" is not able to enter into or relate to. When Milkman thinks back of all of the people that he had met on his journey it reflects the essence of the novel, " Names they got from yearnings, gestures, flaws, events, mistakes, weaknesses. Names that bore witness"(p. 330). The African American population found a way to allow for life and spirit in a world controlled by "crackers". Their defiance shows that the human spirit is unstoppable.    Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: First Plume Printing, 1987.

Endangered Species Speech Essay

â€Å"DOOMED† was the headline on the front page of the United Kingdom newspaper, the Daily Mirror, in 1961. The article explained how rhinos were doomed to disappear from the face of the earth due to man’s folly, greed, and neglect. Rhinos once roamed many places throughout Eurasia and Africa and were known to early Europeans who depicted them in cave paintings. Long ago they were widespread across Africa’s savannas and Asia’s tropical forests, but today very few rhinos survive outside national parks and reserves. 52 years after the article we find that the diceros bicornis or the black rhino is indeed doomed. This rhino has been named critically endangered with a population today of only 4,848. These rhinos are found throughout southern and eastern Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Angola. My knowledge of the black rhino has increased dramatically due to my interest in endangered species. I became interested in endangered species when an advocate from the World Wildlife Foundation came to my school in 8th grade. Ever since, I have kept up with their website and read articles on what this incredible organization is doing for the advancement of endangered species. The St. Louis zoo is home to three black rhinos named Ruka, Kati Rain, and Ajabu. Ruka was born on January 14th, 2011 and was the first black rhino born in the St. Louis zoo in twenty years. In 38 zoos across the nation there are a total of 60 black rhinos. Although humans pose numerous threats to this critically endangered species of rhino, there are many conservation efforts being started to help increase the number of rhinos in the future. Why do rhinos matter? In almost all rhino conservation areas, there are other valuable plants and animals. The protection of rhinos helps protect other species including elephants, buffalo, and small game. Rhinos contribute to economic growth and sustainable development through the tourism industry, whic h creates job opportunities and provides tangible benefits to local communities living alongside rhinos. Rhinos are one of the â€Å"Big 5† animals popular on African safaris and they are a popular tourism draw in places like the Eastern Himalayas. The black rhino weighs around 1 to 1  ½ tons and the height of this rhino is relative to a 6 foot tall man. The rhino has two horns made of a substance similar to that of human fingernails. Sometimes the horns will fall off but they will eventually regenerate. The anterior horn near the front of the head is the larger of the two ranging in size from 3 inches to 5 feet. The shape of the horn also differs between sexes: with males tending to have thicker horns, and the females often longer and thinner ones. The female black rhino uses her horn to protect her young from predators such as lions, crocodiles, and hyenas. The men black rhino uses his horn to battle attackers. Humans are the only real threat to adult black rhinos. No other animal is a match for a full-grown rhino and its heavily armored body of very thick skin and lethal horns. Even though no animal is a match for a black rhino, humans are a major threat their population. Humans jeopardize the survival of the black rhino in many ways. Habitat changes have contributed to population declines. In southern Zimbabwe, privately owned rhino conservancies have been invaded by landless people. This reduces the amount of safe habitat for black rhinos and increases the risk of poaching. Poaching is the illegal practice of trespassing on another’s property to hunt or steal game without the land owner’s permission. Poaching is the leading threat against the critically endangered black rhinos. Poaching statistics released by the South African government reveal 668 rhinos were slaughtered—a 50% increase over 2011 and a staggering 5000% increase since 2007. Already, an additional five rhinos have been killed since the beginning of this year. Matthew Lewis, an African species expert, believes â€Å"poaching is a scourge that could wipe out decades of conservation gains made for black rhinos. A recent demand for the rhino horn has driven poaching to a record high level. In South Africa in 2010, a total of 333 rhinos were killed- almost one a day. In several Asian cultures, people believe that a rhino horn provides powerful medicine for a variety of ailments. Others, mainly those in northern Africa, use the rhino horns to make handles for special daggers. Since these rhino horns are usually very high in price, many poachers are willing to break the law and kill the se endangered animals. Poaching increases during times of political and economic instability. The social and economic conditions prevalent across much of the African continent include human population growth, poverty, instability, corruption and greed. During times of political instability and war outbreak it makes it hard to work on rhino conservation. The natives are worried more about the country as a whole than on helping conserve the rhino population. Despite the many threats against the black rhino, recent efforts have been made to increase the population. The World Wildlife Foundation has been involved in rhino conservation for nearly 50 years. The conservation efforts will expand existing protected areas and improve their management as well as establishing new protected areas, improve security monitoring to protect rhinos from poaching, and improve local and international law enforcement to stop the flow of rhino horn and other illegal wildlife trade items from Africa to other regions of the world. In October 2011, The World Wildlife Foundation successfully established a spacious and safe environment for black rhinos in an effort called â€Å"The Flying Rhinos†. Nineteen critically endangered black rhinos were transported via helicopter to a land vehicle. They spent less than 10 minutes in the air and the sedated animals woke up in a new home. This provided new territory where the rhinos have a greater opportunity to increase in number and live safe from poachers. Tracking the illegal wildlife trade and poaching will help the rhinos live safely in the wild. The World WildLife Foundation is setting up a rhino horn DNA analysis (RHODIS) that helps contribute to forensic investigations at the scene of poaching crimes and also serves as evidence to strengthen prosecution cases. TRAFFIC, the world’s largest wildlife trade monitoring network has played a vital role in helping develop innovative new transmitters to track rhino movements and protect them from poaching. They also helped set up an anonymous hotline that allows people to inform the authorities about poaching. To monitor and protect black rhinos the focus is on anti poaching patrols and more equipped law enforcement officers. Hopefully these valiant and strategic efforts will benefit the black rhino population in the future. Dr. Barney Long, an Asian species expert, expressed that â€Å"Rhinos have been an integral part of the natural world for tens of millions of years, and humankind is causing dramatic declines in just a few decades. We ca n change the outcome.† The black rhino is an incredible animal with many benefits to the world around us. Humans have been causing harm to species through poaching to use the rhino’s horn, political instability and war, and habitat loss. Although humans over the years have caused a decline in the rhino population, there are many conservation efforts in place to help increase the number of rhinos in the future. Tracking illegal wildlife trade and poaching, monitoring and protecting the areas where rhinos live, and creating new and innovative endeavors such as the Flying Rhinos are helping the rhinos tremendously already. The World Wildlife Foundation along with other organizations are putting in time and effort to save this amazing species of rhino, but they need your help! Push governments to protect threatened animal populations by increasing law enforcement, imposing strict deterrents, and reducing the demand for endangered species products. Hopefully, one day we will see the black rhino roam freely across the savanna once again.

Life Span Of The Women - 1296 Words

a. Life Span/pg. 371: The maximum length of life of a species; for humans, the longest that a human has lived. The life span of the girls in China are limited by the law that a family is only allowed one child and if it wasn’t a son the family was looked down on. The reason this law affected the life span of the girls in China was because then they had started abandoning their baby girls, which then were found and the lucky ones got adopted by great families. Out of the many found some are not found in time and died from being abandoned and having to fend for themselves. The babies were left at such a young age that if they were left out there too long there was no way for them to be fed. The mothers were probably hoping that someone would†¦show more content†¦Family can mean anything to an individual. In this case we see that the little girls find a loving home in those who could not have a baby themselves and they love the girls dearly. c. Family of Orientation/pg. 461: The family in which a person grows up. A family of orientation means a lot to the little girls who were left abandoned in China by their own mothers. Their new adopted family has become their whole world after the horrific event of them being abandoned. Even though they are not blood related to their new parents they are all they ever knew and I can’t ever imagine thinking the same way about my blood parents if I knew they had abandoned me. The girls also have another mother who was their foster mom that many adoption parents take the girls to go visit, because they feel that it is the right thing to do. The foster moms are very emotional when seeing the girls they took care of and seeing them all grown up. One mother didn’t end up bringing her new daughter to meet her foster parents, because they didn’t want to and the foster mom was very hysterical about it and wished she would have. 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