United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference)

Stockholm, Sweden
June 5-16, 1972

The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (also known as the Stockholm
Conference) was an international conference convened under United Nations auspices
held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5-16, 1972.

It was the UN's first major conference on international environmental issues, and marked
a turning point in the development of international environmental politics.

In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), which had
been set up in 1983, published a report entitled «Our common future».

The Brundtland Report stated that critical global environmental problems were primarily
the result of the enormous poverty of the South and the non-sustainable patterns of
consumption and production in the North.
It called for a strategy that united development and the environment – described by the
now-common term “sustainable development”.
Sustainable development is defined as follows:
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
World Bank in World Development Report in 1992 stated “ Sustainable development is
development that lasts. A specific concern is that those who enjoy the fruit of economic
development today maybe making future generations worse off by excessively
degrading earth’s resources and pollutin the earth’s environment”

2 concepts:
1. Right to develop
2. Need to sustain the environment
There has to a balance between two for furture development in sustainable manner.

Non-renweable energy sources should be depleted at lower pace enabling transitions

to reneable energy sources.
Development : environmental protection and sustainable use of natural resources

It is a broad oncept applicable to development activities.

Sustainability address issue of carrying capacity which is the number of individuals
environment can support without deggradation. It improves quality of human life and
addresses social issues like equity and social justice.

Devlopment : people meet their needs and improve living conditons. It focusses on
economic growth and undermines ecological constraints or carryin capacity of
environment.
When two are merged into “Sustainable development”: multidimensional concept that
merges socio, economic, ecological and cultural sustainability.

Environmentally sustainable development links development and environment .

It envisions a policy based on recognition that long term economic growth is related to
sustainable natural environment.
Conditions for Sustainable development:
Development damaes environment and depletes natural resources.

1. Resources should be used below assimilative capacity of the environment.

2. Utilization of renewable energy sources should not b greater than natural
regeneration renewable rate

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”

― Mahatma Gandhi.

We humans use consume natural resources at destructive pace.

Essential requirements for sustainable development:
3. Human needs should not be beyond capacity of the environment to support. It is
essential to conserve demands of other species and sustain for future generaitons.
4. No poverty
5. Equality of opportunity and equitable distributions of assessts.
6. Participation of indigenous communities in development
7. Effective waste management and pollution control
8. Access to clean energy produced ins sustainable manner
7. Preserve marine life from ill effects of pollution and climate change
8 resilience to natural disasters
9.Control use of hazardous mateials.
10. Invest in health and education

The four dimensions of sustainablity: social, economic, environmental and cultural

UN Millennium declaraion endorses 3 of them –social, economic and environment.

UN Agenda 21 also underlies culture as the fourth domain.

Indicators of sustainability :
1. GDP growth: elimination of poverty reduces environmental streaa
2. Population stability: over population leads t o over-exploitation
3. Water use: enough water for use. Eliminate water pollution
4. Clean air index- indispensable for human life
5. Human Resource Development: healthcare, nutritional standards, living
standard, education
6. Energy intensity: use of renewable resources should be lesser that itsrate of
regeneration
7. Soil degradation
8. Forest Coverage ratio
9. Resource material intensity: resource planning and allocation
10. Renewable energy
11. Transport energy: transport sector causes pollution
12. Material energy: basic material needs
13. Recycled proportions: recycled material to meet the needs
14. Institutions supporting participation: local people

UNITED NATIONS ENERAL ASSEMBLY in 2015 passed Development Agenda 2030 for
sustainable development- Sustainable Development goals (SDGs):

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture
Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster
innovation

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14. Conserve ”life below water”. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine
resources for sustainable development.

Goal 15. Protect “life on land”, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt
biodiversity loss

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to
justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for
sustainable development
7 types of renewable energy:
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the only type of renewable energy you can easily harness at home. You
need to buy either solar water heaters or solar panels to use solar energy and reduce
your energy bills. There are different types of PV panels and you can choose the best one
for your home according to the price, efficiency, and other criteria.
Wind Energy
To utilize gale-force winds, we need to build large turbines in windy areas. Wind farms
can help rural and remote areas to have green electricity. For example, offshore and
onshore wind in the UK is generating around 24.2% of the UK’s electricity.
Hydroelectric
Hydroelectric power is similar to wind energy technology except for the working
liquid, water instead of air. Building large dams and using turbines might be expensive,
but it will produce a great amount of electricity.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is another clean and renewable energy that can be regarded as a
sustainable power source. It is the heat within the planet Earth that can be harnessed in
some areas.
Biomass
Biomass energy is the heat we can derive from organic waste by burning it. It's regarded
as a renewable energy source because we always regenerate organic materials, mostly
plants.
Tidal Energy
Tidal or ocean energy is the hydropower energy we can get from tides. This energy
is sometimes sorted under the category of hydropower, not in a separate one.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the most abundant element available on our planet, two-thirds of
which is water. This element can be used as a zero-carbon fuel if we separate it.
INDIA’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was released by the Prime
Minister on 30th June 2008.

It outlines a national strategy that aims to enable the country to adapt to climate change
and enhance the ecological sustainability of India‘s development path.

It stresses that maintaining a high growth rate is essential for increasing living standards of
the vast majority of people of India and reducing their vulnerability to the impacts of
climate change.

They focus on promoting understanding of climate change, adaptation and mitigation,

energy efficiency and natural resource conservation to various bodies-gov, public, industry,
scientists.

There are eight ―National Missions which form the core of the National Action Plan.
There are eight National Missions on climate change:
1. National Solar Mission
2. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
3. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
4. National Water Mission
5. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system
6. National Mission for a Green India
7. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
8. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change

Main principles of NAPCC are:

9. Protection of poor and vunerable through sustainable development

10. National growth through measues for bringing qualitative changes to enhance
ecological sustainability
11. Use appropriate technologies for adaptation as well as mitigation of GH
emissions widely adopting accelerated pace.
The Principles of NAPCC6 are:

● Protecting the poor through an inclusive and sustainable development strategy,

sensitive to climate change
● Achieving national growth and poverty alleviation objectives while ensuring
ecological sustainability
● Efficient and cost-effective strategies for end-use demand-side management
● Extensive and accelerated deployment of appropriate technologies for
adaptation and mitigation
● New and innovative market, regulatory, and voluntary mechanisms for
sustainable development
● Effective implementation through unique linkages – with civil society, LGUs, and
public-private partnerships