International Treaties: Biological Diversity & Environmental Laws PDF

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY I. OBJECTIVES An international agreement which aims to Define what international law is; ensure the safe handling, transpor...

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY I. OBJECTIVES An international agreement which aims to Define what international law is; ensure the safe handling, transport, and use Distinguish what an international treaty from of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting a protocol and a convention; and from modern biotechnology that may have Justify the need for environmental laws or adverse effects on biological diversity, taking policy instruments also into account risks to human health B. CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY II. INTERNATIONAL LAW Dedicated to promoting sustainable INTERNATIONAL LAW development by conserving biological Legal responsibilities of states in their diversity and sharing fairly and equitably the conduct with each other, and their treatment benefits arising from the use of generic of individuals within state boundaries resources Environmental law: transfer of wildlife, air pollution C. CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE Starts off as a common concern among IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD countries, thus a meeting is called where FAUNA AND FLORA representatives from many nations discuss Aims to ensure that international trade of issues raised especially by those who are more than 35,000 species of animals and affected or who may cause significant plants - whether as live specimens, fur coats impacts or dried herbs - does not threaten their survival CONVENTION International meeting of representatives from many nations D. CONVENTION ON LONG-RANGE Results in a general agreement about TRANSBOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION procedures or actions they will take on Established eight protocols that set strict specific topics reduction targets for releases of pollution for Serves as a common ground of international the protection of human and environmental laws health. Most common Each of these protocols targets pollutants such as sulfur, nitrogen oxide, persistent PROTOCOLS organic pollutants, volatile organic An agreement that diplomatic negotiators compounds, ammonia, and toxic heavy formulate and sign as the basis for a final metals. convention or treaty Draft or formulate the standards, regulatory E. CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION OF limits, regulatory agencies, and POLLUTION OF THE SEA BY OIL recommended penalties against violations Prevent ocean pollution by oil discharged Treaty itself may not be completed for many from ships in the territorial waters of a years number of countries TREATY F. CONVENTION ON THE TRANSBOUNDARY Agreement where the parties to it negotiate EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS to reach common ground and avoid further Aims at protecting human beings and the conflict or disagreement environment against industrial accidents by Normally ratified by the law-making authority preventing such accidents, by reducing their of the government whose representative has frequency and severity, and by mitigating signed it their effects Least common G. THE KYOTO PROTOCOL III. PH: INTERNATIONAL TREATIES Places heavier burden on developed nations The discussion covered 13 treaties that are under the principle of “common but affiliated with the Philippines. differentiated responsibilities” since it recognizes that developed countries are A. THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON principally responsible for the current high BIOSAFETY TO THE CONVENTION OF levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere  H. THE MINAMATA CONVENTION ON MERCURY Aims to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury I. MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON SUBSTANCES THAT DEPLETE THE OZONE LAYER Endeavors to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) such as chlorofluorocarbons, halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform. Also aims to eliminate by-product emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) which are potent greenhouse gases with global warming potential thousands of times that of carbon dioxide J. RAMSAR CONVENTION Provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources K. THE STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS Aims to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment L. UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION Endeavors to forge a global partnership to reverse and prevent desertification/land degradation and to mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas in order to support poverty reduction and environmental sustainability M. UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE Aims to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system