Introduction:
The word environment is derived from the French word “environ” meaning encircle. Environment is
very broad concept that effects an organism during its lifetime. It can simply be defined as all
external factors which effects life of human, animals and plants. Top 5 pollutants of the world are
China, USA, India, Russia, and Japan.
Causes of Pollution:
Pollution is the contamination of air water and land. There are numerous causes of pollution such as,
industrialization, urbanization, deforestation, over population, CFC gasses etc.
International Treaties on Environmental Issues:
1. Stockholm’s Conference 1972:
The united nation put the environmental issue at the forefront of the international agenda for the
first time in 1972 at the Stockholm’s Sweden. It main purpose was to protect and serve the human
environment and to prevent destruction of environment. The declaration recognizes humans as the
greatest threat to the environment. Humans are responsible for almost all of the environmental
destruction. It was started on June 5 and ended on 16, June 1972. Pakistan ratified the convention in
1976.
2. CITES 1975:
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), 1975. An
international agreement concluded between States, the aim of which is to ensure that international
trade of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES guides nations across the
world on how to protect threatened species by regulating and monitoring their trade. It establishes a
framework for countries to cooperate with each other to ensure that plant and animal species aren't
depleted by international demand.
3. Montreal Protocol 1987:
It is the global agreement to protect ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of
Ozone depletion substances (ODS). It was signed by 197 countries and was most successful
environmental action it was ratified by most nation. The parties to the Protocol having phased out
98 per cent of their ozone-depleting substances, they saved an estimated two million people from
skin cancer every year. It include unique adjustment provisions that enable the parties to the
protocol. Pakistan signed on December 18, 1992.
4. Basel Convention 1989:
The Basel Convention was adopted in 1989. The guiding principles of the Convention are: the
generation and transboundary movements of hazardous wastes should be reduced to a minimum;
and hazardous wastes should be managed in an environmentally sound manner, treated, disposed
of as close as possible to the source of generation, and minimized at the source. Pakistan ratified it
in 1994.
5. Earth Summit 1992:
Its primary objectives was to produce a broad agenda for international actions on environmental
issue. The Declaration states that long term economic progress is only ensured if it is linked with the
protection of the environment. If this is to be achieved, then nations must establish a new global
partnership involving governments, their people and the key sectors of society.
6. Kyoto Protocol 1997:
The Kyoto Protocol was an international agreement that aimed to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions and the presence of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. The essential tenet of
the Kyoto Protocol was that industrialized nations needed to lessen the amount of their CO2
emissions. The Kyoto Protocol aimed to fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere “to a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the
climate system.”
7. Paris Agreement 2015:
It is loyally binding international treaty on climate change and was adopted by 196 countries. The
goal was to limit the global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5degrees Celsius, compared to
pre-industrial level. It entered into force on 4 November 2016.
8. UN Climate Change Summit 2019:
It was held at the headquarters of UN in New York on 23 sep, 2019. The ultimate objective of the
Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations "at a level that would prevent dangerous
interference with the climate system." It reinforced that 1.5 C is the socially economically, politically
and scientifically safe limit to global warming by the end of this century.
Conclusion:
Humanity is waging a war on nature and this the suicidal. In 2020 world faced a pandemic that has
brought life as we know to half. The European environmental agency (EEA) predicted that because
of COVID-19 lockdown 50% reduce of NO2 and CO2 occurred. Which shows that if human tries they
can prevent pollution to safe environment and a rule we can apply for prevention is “Three R rule”
which means Reduce---Reuse---Recycle, for the sake of nation and for ourselves.