Difference between revisions of "Environmental NGOs"
From NGO Handbook
m (New page: ==Introduction== Recent decades have seen an increase in the number, role, and functions of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with an environmental focus. As transnational actors ...) |
(→History of Environmental NGOs Within the UN System) |
||
| (9 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
| Line 9: | Line 7: | ||
The UN system played an integral role in the promotion and creation of environmental NGOs. Two important international conferences established a platform for groups to organize, set agendas, and make policy recommendations. | The UN system played an integral role in the promotion and creation of environmental NGOs. Two important international conferences established a platform for groups to organize, set agendas, and make policy recommendations. | ||
| − | Today, issues such as global warming and sustainable development command world attention. The mandates and missions of environmental NGOs are directed towards promoting solutions, advocating action, and policing agreements and policies, including holding governments accountable for these treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol. | + | Today, issues such as global warming and sustainable development command world attention. The mandates and missions of environmental NGOs are directed towards promoting solutions, advocating action, and policing agreements and policies, including holding governments accountable for these treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol. <membersonly> |
==The Environment Emerges as a Global Point of Interest== | ==The Environment Emerges as a Global Point of Interest== | ||
| − | While conservation organizations date back as early as the 18th and 19th centuries, | + | While conservation organizations date back as early as the 18th and 19th centuries, it was in the early 1970s that environmental issues gained prominence (Trzyna 1998). The United States held its first Earth Day on April 21, 1970. Authors such as Ralph Nader and Rachel Carson published seminal works. Other important publications emerged in the first decade of the 70s, including Man’s Impact on the Global Environment. Reports from groups such as the U.S. Academy of Sciences, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) added to a growing body of information. By the 1980s this information brought focus to a global scale and created an “agenda for international action” (Speth 2002). Collectively, these publications called attention to ten issues affecting the world: |
| + | *Loss of crop and grazing land | ||
| + | *Depletion of the world’s tropical forests | ||
| + | *Mass extinction of species | ||
| + | *Rapid population growth | ||
| + | *Mismanagement and shortages of freshwater resources | ||
| + | *Overfishing habitat destruction and pollution of the marine environment | ||
| + | *Threats to human health from mismanagement of pesticides and organic pollutants | ||
| + | *Climate change due to increased greenhouse gases | ||
| + | *Acid rain and air pollutants on fisheries, forest and crops | ||
| + | *Depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer (Speth 2002). | ||
| − | + | By the mid 1990s each of these ten issues had become the subject of major international treaties, plans of action or other initiatives (i.e. The Rio Conference held in 1992 and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC) in 1994). This new global agenda arose and moved forward due to the international response of the community of people in science, government, the UN, and NGOs that formed in the first decades of the environmental movement (Speth 2002). | |
==History of Environmental NGOs Within the UN System== | ==History of Environmental NGOs Within the UN System== | ||
| Line 21: | Line 29: | ||
As part of that international community, the United Nations acts a major advocate for non-governmental activity. A significant event behind the formation and rise of environmental NGOs was the UN Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972 (Genmill and Bamidele-Izu 2002). | As part of that international community, the United Nations acts a major advocate for non-governmental activity. A significant event behind the formation and rise of environmental NGOs was the UN Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972 (Genmill and Bamidele-Izu 2002). | ||
| − | The Stockholm Conference marked the beginning of organized environmental awareness on an international level (Halpern 1992). Representatives from 113 states, members of specialized agencies, and members of IGOs (intergovernmental organizations) and NGOs participated. The conference established a framework for environmental action and published The Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which states, “The protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world; it is the urgent desire of the peoples of the whole world and the duty of all Governments.” Principle 21, adopted at the conference, held states responsible “to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.” This eventually became international law(Halpern 1992). | + | The Stockholm Conference marked the beginning of organized environmental awareness on an international level (Halpern 1992). Representatives from 113 states, members of specialized agencies, and members of IGOs (intergovernmental organizations) and NGOs participated. The conference established a framework for environmental action and published The Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which states, “The protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world; it is the urgent desire of the peoples of the whole world and the duty of all Governments.” Principle 21, adopted at the conference, held states responsible “to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.” This eventually became international law (Halpern 1992). |
| − | The Stockholm Conference is credited with influencing the many international conferences that followed, and for the establishment of over 1,200 multilateral and bilateral treaties and agreements, and legislation and agencies in virtually every country (Halpern 1992). Many national governments developed domestic environmental programs as a result of the Stockholm Conference, and “it legitimized the biosphere as an object of national and international policy and collective management (Speth 2002). Additionally, the Stockholm Conference also played a major role in the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an international body that identifies global environmental issues and acts as a catalyst and educator . | + | The Stockholm Conference is credited with influencing the many international conferences that followed, and for the establishment of over 1,200 multilateral and bilateral treaties and agreements, and legislation and agencies in virtually every country (Halpern 1992). Many national governments developed domestic environmental programs as a result of the Stockholm Conference, and “it legitimized the biosphere as an object of national and international policy and collective management (Speth 2002). Additionally, the Stockholm Conference also played a major role in the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an international body that identifies global environmental issues and acts as a catalyst and educator. |
| − | + | Twenty years later, the 1992 United Nations conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, served as a continuation. The UNCED particularly affected the development of NGOs (Speth 2002). Nearly every country in the world was represented (a total of 178), and more than 172 heads of state attended (UN website; Halpern 1992). More than 1,400 environmental NGOs were officially accredited in Rio, with about 2,400 NGO representatives, and about 7,000 NGOs participated in the “Global Forum” event organized in conjunction with the conference (Breitmeier, Rittberger 1998). The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, Rio+10) attracted about three times the number of accredited NGO representatives.<ref>M. Lisowski, "Negotiating power and bargaining assets to affect international environmental negotiations," ''Diplomacy & Statecraft'' 16(2005, issue 2): 361-383.</ref> McCormick put the number at 3,200 NGOs accredited to the Johannesburg meeting.<ref name="McCormick">J. McCormick, "The Role of Environmental NGOs in International Regimes," pp. 92-110 in R. S. Axelrod, S. D. VanDeveer, and D. L. Downie (Eds.), ''The Global Environment: Institutions, Law, and Policy'', 3rd Edition (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. 2011). ISBN-13: 978-0872899667.</ref> | |
| + | |||
| + | This initiative acknowledged the need for and involvement of non-state actors in reaching sustainable development goals (Speth 2002). Following the Earth Summit, in December 1992, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was established to ensure effective followup of UNCED. The Commission on Sustainable Development is also responsible for reviewing the progress of Agenda 21. Agenda 21 is a comprehensive document calling for a balanced and integrated approach to the environment and development. Agenda 21 addressed social and economic factors, such as poverty and consumption patterns, that affect the global environment. It analyzed the need for conservation and sound management of resources, and provided a framework for how all social groups could implement it. | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
==Types of Environmental NGOs== | ==Types of Environmental NGOs== | ||
| − | Environmental NGOs exist in virtually every country in the North and South. They operate on the international, national, or local level. They may work independently, or as part of networks or coalitions. Environmental organizations can be classified according to legal or geographic focus, function, subject and when they were founded(Trzyna 1998). | + | Environmental NGOs exist in virtually every country in the North and South. They operate on the international, national, or local level. They may work independently, or as part of networks or coalitions. Environmental organizations can be classified according to legal or geographic focus, function, subject and when they were founded (Trzyna 1998). |
Environmental NGO’s functions vary, but there are general roles that these NGOs take on as part of their involvement in global environmental governance. Environmental NGOs may act in the following ways: | Environmental NGO’s functions vary, but there are general roles that these NGOs take on as part of their involvement in global environmental governance. Environmental NGOs may act in the following ways: | ||
| − | *Provide up-to-date research and information on critical issues | + | *Provide up-to-date research and information on critical issues |
| − | *Offer quicker response to issues than government bodies | + | *Offer quicker response to issues than government bodies |
*Influence public opinion on environmental issues | *Influence public opinion on environmental issues | ||
| − | *Represent groups and individuals | + | *Represent groups and individuals affected by environmental conditions not covered by policymakers |
| − | *Provide services and expertise to government and operations | + | *Provide services and expertise to government and operations |
| − | *Monitor international agreements, negotiations, and government compliance | + | *Monitor international agreements, negotiations, and government compliance |
*Legitimize quality and authority of environmental policy choices (Yale 2002). | *Legitimize quality and authority of environmental policy choices (Yale 2002). | ||
| Line 45: | Line 53: | ||
*Types of natural environments. Arid and semiarid lands; caves, coral reefs, forests, grasslands and savannas; islands; lakes, rivers and streams; mediterranean-type ecosystems; mountains; oceans, seas, and coastal zones; polar zones; tropical ecosystems; wetlands. | *Types of natural environments. Arid and semiarid lands; caves, coral reefs, forests, grasslands and savannas; islands; lakes, rivers and streams; mediterranean-type ecosystems; mountains; oceans, seas, and coastal zones; polar zones; tropical ecosystems; wetlands. | ||
*Environmental Resources and Problems. Acidification; air quality; biotechnology; climate change; cities and other human settlements; cultural heritage; desertification; hazardous materials; human health and the environment; natural hazards; noise; radiation and nuclear energy; occupational safety and health; offroad vehicles; oil spills; pest management; rural environments; soil erosion and depletion; solid waste and resource recovery; war, terrorism, and the environment; water. | *Environmental Resources and Problems. Acidification; air quality; biotechnology; climate change; cities and other human settlements; cultural heritage; desertification; hazardous materials; human health and the environment; natural hazards; noise; radiation and nuclear energy; occupational safety and health; offroad vehicles; oil spills; pest management; rural environments; soil erosion and depletion; solid waste and resource recovery; war, terrorism, and the environment; water. | ||
| − | *Environmental Strategies | + | *Environmental Strategies. Social and Economic Dimensions; Agriculture and food; architecture and construction; arts and humanities; auditing, environmental; business and the environment in general; Common property management; Communications media; Conflict resolution & collaboration; Consumption; Corruption control; Development assistance; Ecolabeling; Economics; Education & training; Energy; Ethics; Financing mechanisms; Fisheries; Forestry; Gender; Geographic information systems; Governance, policy-making & public management; Human rights; Impact and risk assessment; Indigenous peoples & traditional knowledge; Industrial ecology; Integrative approaches; Landscape approaches; Land-use regulation; Law & legal action; Market-based approaches; Minerals & mining; Monitoring Natural sciences; Planning; Pollution prevention and industrial ecology; Population; Protected areas. Psychology; Religion; Social sciences; Specialized support services; Sustainable development; Technology; Tourism; Trade, international; Transportation; Youth |
==Conclusion== | ==Conclusion== | ||
| Line 53: | Line 61: | ||
NGOs continue to defend environmental rights and act as advocates for justice, working with, and through government bodies. Whether they be global, broad-based groups or regional, issue-specific organizations, NGOs serve as a key resource in the fight to keep environmental conservation and sustainable development in the conscience of individuals and nations, with the aim to spur action and create lasting positive change. | NGOs continue to defend environmental rights and act as advocates for justice, working with, and through government bodies. Whether they be global, broad-based groups or regional, issue-specific organizations, NGOs serve as a key resource in the fight to keep environmental conservation and sustainable development in the conscience of individuals and nations, with the aim to spur action and create lasting positive change. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Footnotes== | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 19:00, 5 September 2010
Contents
Introduction
Recent decades have seen an increase in the number, role, and functions of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with an environmental focus. As transnational actors in civil society, these environmental NGOs seek to directly impact and influence environmental issues on the international, national, and local levels. This article will address how the rise of global awareness of the environment led to the creation and development of environmental NGOs in response to these issues, their objectives and roles, and the outlook for their participation and impact on these issues in the future.
The environment emerged as a new critical international issue in the 1970s. Concerns such as the depletion of natural resources, climate change, and harmful pollutants began to gain awareness in the public’s mind. The environmental movement in the United States, for example, emerged from incidents and individuals reacting to governments who were slow or unwilling to address issues and problems.
The UN system played an integral role in the promotion and creation of environmental NGOs. Two important international conferences established a platform for groups to organize, set agendas, and make policy recommendations.
Today, issues such as global warming and sustainable development command world attention. The mandates and missions of environmental NGOs are directed towards promoting solutions, advocating action, and policing agreements and policies, including holding governments accountable for these treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol.
To read the rest of the article, please log in using your WANGO membership username and password (using the log in at the top, right-hand corner of the page). Not a WANGO member, but would like full access to the articles in the NGO Handbook? Join WANGO (http://www.wango.org/join.aspx) as an organization or individual member or purchase a year subscription for $30.
