Stockholm+50:
Stockholm+50 is being held in Stockholm, Sweden. It will commemorate the 50 years since the 1972 United Nations (UN) Conference on the Human Environment (also known as the Stockholm Conference).
- The UN General Assembly will be convening this international meeting.
- This is being held at a time when the world is facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and waste, nature and biodiversity loss, as well as other planetary issues even after 50 years of the Stockholm Declaration.
- This is threatening the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- A sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic will also remain as one of agenda points.
Stockholm Conference, 1972
- Climate change was first discussed using emerging scientific evidence in the UN General Assembly in 1968.
- In 1967, a research study provided the actual estimates of global temperature based on CO2 levels.
- Also, it was predicted that the doubling of CO2 from the current level would result in nearly 2°C rise in global temperature.
- The idea of the Stockholm Conference was first proposed by Sweden. That’s why it’s also termed the “Swedish Initiative”.
- The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm was held from 5th –16th June, 1972.
- This was the first global convergence on the planetary environment.
- The theme was ‘Only One Earth’.
- 122 countries participated in the conference.
- Aim:
- Creating a common governance framework for the planetary environment and natural resources.
- Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment
Stockholm Declaration:
- 70 out of 122 participant countries which were developing and poor countries adopted the Stockholm Declaration.
- The Stockholm Declaration contained 26 principles that marked the beginning of a dialogue between developed and developing countries.
- This built the “interconnections between development, poverty and the environment”.
- The Action Plan contained three main categories that were further broken down into 109 recommendations:
- Global Environmental Assessment Programme (watch plan)
- Environmental management activities
- International measures to support assessment and management activities carried out at the national and international levels.
