Difference between revisions of "Environmental NGOs"
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==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 a major international treaty | + | By the mid 1990s each of these ten issues had become the subject of a major international treaty, plan of action or other initiative (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 community 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== | ||
Revision as of 11:03, 4 August 2008
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.
