O Level Notes : Geography - Environmental Management - Protocols, treaties, and conventions

A protocol is an agreement that is drafted and signed by negotiators to form the basis for final conventions or treaties. It may take years after a protocol has been signed, for a treaty to be completed.

O level Geography Apr 11, 2021 0 724 Add to Reading List

Protocol

A protocol is an agreement that is drafted and signed by negotiators to form the basis for final conventions or treaties. It may take years after a protocol has been signed, for a treaty to be completed.

Treaty

It is an agreement drafted by parties after signing a protocol, to reach common ground and to prevent conflicts. The law making authorities, for example, parliament or senate of each member state will need to endorse or ratify the treaty.

Convention

It is a meeting of representatives from many countries which will lead to an agreement on plan of action to solve issues.

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

The following are some of the protocols, treaties and conventions drafted and signed by different countries to protect the environment globally.

The Earth Summit

The Earth Summit is also known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or the Rio Convention. It was held from 3 to 4 June 1992 on which 154 countries attended. The aim of this convention was to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. In order to stop negative influence on the climate by humans, the Earth Summit emphasised that:

Member states revise their production patterns.
Alternative sources of energy be used to replace fossil fuels.
The use and supply of clean water be improved.
Reliance on public transport be increased to reduce emissions.

The major aim was to reduce greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere so as to prevent depleting the ozone.

Kyoto protocol

After the UNFCCC (Earth Summit), further discussions led to the Kyoto protocol. At first only 37 countries committed to this protocol. The protocol is aimed at reducing emission of Greenhouse Gases(GHG). At first the countries agreed to reduce the GHGs to an average of 5% against 1990 levels. Later, the parties committed to reduce GHGs emission by at least 18% below 1990 levels within 8years (from 2013 to 2020). Stopping emission of GHGs into the atmosphere would protect the environment and therefore stop climate change.

Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol was drafted to address the issue of ozone depletion. The discovery of holes on the stratospheric ozone in the Arctic and Antarctic ignited considerable efforts towards protecting the ozone. This protocol was finalised in It is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out both production and consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances(ODS).

Case Study: USA and the Montreal Protocol

Some countries which ratified this protocol are USA and Canada. The USA took action at domestic level to phase out the production of ODS such as chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) and halons. The success of the USA in implementing the Montreal Protocol measure brought considerable benefits to USA. More than

280million cases of skin cancer were prevented. Approximately 1.6million cancer deaths and more than 45million cases of cataracts were also prevented.

Basel Convention

The Basel Convention on control of transboundary movement of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland. This convention came as a response to challenges which were faced. In the 1980s, it was discovered that industrialised nations were dumping, through exportation of toxic wastes, into Africa and other developing countries. Growing environmental awareness between 1970s and 1980s led these countries to seek cheap ways of disposing their wastes. Africa became the destination of these wastes. The Basel Convention targeted to protect human health and the environment against adverse effects of Hazardous Wastes. A range of substances were defined as "hazardous wastes" and that included those substances with high radioactivity.

Bamako Convention

It came into effect in 1994. It is referred in full as, The Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa. The convention came as a response to the human health and environmental dangers posed by hazardous wastes transported across countries. It stresses that the generator of wastes should carry out responsibilities with regard to the transport and disposal of hazardous wastes in a manner that protects human health and the environment. Member states are supposed to ban importation and transportation of hazardous wastes as well as their disposal into or through their territories.

Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar convention on Wetlands provides the framework for conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It was first adopted in Iranian City of Ramsar in 1971 but it came into force in 1975. Ninety percent of the UN member states are members to this convention. The major objective of this convention is conservation and wise use of wetlands through local, national and international cooperation. Members meet after every 3 years at the Conference of Contracting parties(COP), to administer the work of the convention and improve implementation of objectives.

Zambezi River Basin Action Plan(ZACPLAN)

It is aimed at ensuring effective use and management of the Zambezi River. Eight countries are members to this multinational plan which is under the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). These countries are Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. As shown in fig 6.1 all these countries use the Zambezi River Basin. The basin is shared among all these nations hence there is competition which may lead to negative impacts. The Zambezi and its tributaries have to be protected from negative impacts such as pollution by member states. The negotiations of ZACPLAN started in the early 1980s to come up with goals to prioritize in utilizing the Zambezi River Basin.

ZIMBABWEAND INTERNATIONALTREATIES Zimbabwe is a member state to a number of international conventions, protocols and treaties. Through parliament and senate, Zimbabwe has ratified (endorsed) a number of these for protection of the environment. Some of the treaties, protocols and conventions ratified by Zimbabwe are:

Ramsar Convention

Zimbabwe ratified this Convention in February 2012. At least 7 wetlands in Zimbabwe were designated as Wetlands of International Importance or Ramsar sites. These are Victoria Falls, Driefontein Grasslands, Middle Zambezi (Mana Pools), Lake Chivero, Monavale Vlei, Chinhoyi Caves and Cleverland Dam. These are protected under the Ramsar Convention. Some of these wetlands are under threat from human activities such as Lake Chivero (growth of water hyacinth due to water pollution).