www.gradeup.co 
                    Environmental Conventions and Protocols Notes 
              Convention   Year of      Purpose         Remarks 
                           establishment 
                                        for the         ·         Known as Waterfowl convention. 
                                        conservation    ·         India is part of it. 
              Ramsar       1971         and sustainable 
              Convention                                ·         There are currently 27 Ramsar sites 
                                        utilization of 
                                        wetlands        ·         in India 
              Stockholm                 International 
              Declaration  1972         protection of the  ·         UNEP was the result of it. 
                                        environment 
              Convention on             Control or 
              International             prevent 
              Trade in                  international 
              Endangered                commercial      ·         Known as Washington Convention 
              species of   1973         trade in 
              Wild flora                endangered      ·         Legally binding 
              and fauna                 species or 
              (CITES)                   products derived 
                                        from them. 
                                        Convention on 
              Convention on             the             ·         Also known as the Bonn Convention 
              Migratory    1979         Conservation of 
              Species                   Migratory       ·         It is under the aegis of United 
              (CMS)                     Species of Wild  Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 
                                        Animals 
              Nairobi                   for achieving 
              Declaration  1982         sustainable     ·         10th anniversary of Stockholm) 
                                        developments 
              Vienna                    for the         ·         It does not include legally 
              convention   1985         protection of the 
                                        ozone layer     binding reduction goals 
                                                        ·         It is a protocol to the Vienna 
                                                        Convention for the Protection of Ozone 
                                                        Layer 
              Montreal                  To control 
              Protocol     1987         Ozone-depleting  ·          Universal treaty (Ratified by all UN 
                                        Substances      countries) 
                                                        ·         Legally binding 
                                                     1 
              
               www.gradeup.co 
                                                             ·         Target only ozone depleting 
                                                             substances (Not GHG i.e. Hydro 
                                                             Fluorocarbons) 
               Brundtland     1987           Sustainable     ·         gave the concept of "sustainable 
               Report                        Development     development" 
               Earth Summit/ 
               United                                        ·         It had 27 principles 
               Nations 
               Conference on                 Environment     ·         Three legally binding agreements 
               Environment  1992             conservation &  were opened for                    signature: 
               and                           Development               (i) CBD 
               Development                                             (ii) UNFCC 
               (UNCED)/                                                (iii) UNCCD 
               Rio 
               Declaration 
                                                             ·         It is a product of Earth Summit, 
                                                             1992 
               Agenda 21      1992           Sustainable     ·         Agenda 21 refers to the 21st 
                                             Development     Century. 
                                                             ·         Non-binding 
                                                             ·         Environmental treaty produced at 
                                                             the Earth Summit,                1992. 
                                             Reducing 
                                             greenhouse gas  ·         Secretariat: Bonn, Germany 
               UNFCCC         1992           emissions to 
                                             combat global   ·         legally non-binding 
                                             warming. 
                                                             ·         Kyoto Protocol was negotiated 
                                                             under this framework. 
                                             Three main 
                                             goals: 
                                             1. Conservation 
                                             of biological   ·         Legally binding 
                                             diversity (or 
               Convention on                 biodiversity);  ·         USA has signed but not ratified 
               Biological     1992           2. Sustainable  ·         The two protocols to CBD are:  
               Diversity                     use of its                (a) Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, 
               (CBD)                         components;     2000  
                                                                       (b) Nagoya Protocol (Biodiversity 
                                             3. Sharing the  Accord), 2010 
                                             benefits of 
                                             genetic 
                                             resources fairly 
                                             and equitably 
                                                          2 
                
                 www.gradeup.co 
                                                                       ·         Headquarter: Bonn, Germany 
                                                                       ·         Only convention that came out from 
                                                    Convention to      direct                                recommendations 
                  UNCCD            1994             Combat             of Rio Agenda 21 
                                                    Desertification 
                                                                       ·         Legally Binding 
                                                                       ·         Canada withdrew 
                                                                       ·         Negotiated under UNFCC 
                                                                       ·         Came into force in 2005 
                                                                       ·         Binding targets to Annex I countries 
                                                                       ·         Mechanisms under protocol: 
                                                                                 (a) Clean Development Mechanism 
                                                                       (CDM) 
                                                                                 (b) Emission Trading 
                                                                                 (c) Joint Implementation (JI) 
                                                                       ·         This protocol applies to follow 
                                                                       GHGs (Annex A): 
                                                                                 (a) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 
                                                    to fight global              (b) Methane (CH4) 
                                                    warming by                   (c) Nitrous Oxide (NO2) 
                  Kyoto                             reducing                     (d) Sulphur Hexafluoride (SF6) 
                  Protocol (COP 1997                greenhouse                   (e) Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) 
                  3)                                                             (f) Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) 
                                                    gas                ·        The Protocol is based on the 
                                                    concentrations     principle of shared (Common) but 
                                                                       differentiated responsibilities. 
                                                                       ·        It places the obligation on developed 
                                                                       countries to reduce current emissions on 
                                                                       the basis that they are historically 
                                                                       responsible for the current levels of 
                                                                       greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 
                                                                       ·         Annex I countries: industrialized 
                                                                       countries and economies in transition 
                                                                       ·         Annex II countries: developed 
                                                                       countries which pay for costs of 
                                                                       developing countries 
                                                                   3 
                  
               www.gradeup.co 
                                                               ·         Non-Annex I countries: Developing 
                                                               countries 
                                                               ·         India is Non-Annex party to 
                                                               UNFCC. 
                                                               ·         There are two commitment periods 
                                                                         (i) 2008 – 2012 
                                                                         (ii) 2013 – 2020 
                                                               Note: The second commitment period was 
                                                               agreed on in 2012, known as the Doha 
                                                               Amendment to the protocol. 
                                              Prior Informed 
                                              Consent 
                                              Procedure for 
                                              Certain 
                Rotterdam      1998           Hazardous        ·         UN Treaty 
                Convention 
                                              Chemicals and 
                                              Pesticides in 
                                              International 
                                              Trade 
                                                               ·        Protecting biological diversity from 
                Cartagena      2000           Biosafety        potential risks posed by living modified 
                Protocol                                       organisms resulting from modern 
                                                               biotechnology. 
                                                               ·         UN Treaty 
                                              Eliminate or     ·         US is not a party to this treaty 
                                              restrict the     ·         Intergovernmental Forum on 
                Stockholm      2001           production and   Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the 
                Convention                    use of persistent  International Programme for Chemical 
                                              organic          Safety 
                                              pollutants 
                                                               (IPCS) prepared a list, known as the Dirty 
                                                               Dozen. 
                                                               ·         Negotiated under UNFCC since 
                                              Reducing         2005. 
                                              emissions from 
                 REDD &                       deforestation    ·         UN-REDD was launched in 2008. 
                REDD+          2005           and forest       India did not participate in it. 
                                              degradation in 
                                              developing       ·         REDDD+ (Defined in Bali Action 
                                              countries        Plan, 2007, CoP13) 
                                                           4