U.N.: Preserving the environment is `urgent unfinished agenda'
NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, April 27, 2000
)2000 Associated Press

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2000/04/27/international0013EDT0400.DTL

[Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only]

(04-27) 00:13 EDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Despite improvements in the last 30 years, efforts to keep the globe eco-friendly remain the world's ``urgent, unfinished agenda,'' the deputy U.N. chief said.

In a speech Wednesday to environment ministers attending a U.N. conference on sustainable development -- the term for environmentally sound economic growth -- Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette called for a new ethic of conservation and stewardship to guide development in the 21st century.

``There is no denying the environmental achievements of the past three decades,'' Frechette said, listing the creation of government environment ministries and landmark treaties on climate change, biodiversity and the depletion of the ozone layer.

``However,'' she said, ``we must acknowledge the presence of an urgent, unfinished agenda: humans continue to plunder the global environment, unsustainable practices remain deeply embedded in the fabric of our daily lives, and despite some honorable exceptions, our responses to the challenges of sustainability have been too few, too little and too late.''

The environment conference of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development is meeting at U.N. headquarters to prepare for the 10th anniversary of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, where world leaders adopted a broad agenda to protect forests, clean up water, reverse atmospheric pollution, alleviate poverty and address other problems.

The environment group Greenpeace pointed out that the conference was occurring at U.N. headquarters at the same time as a monthlong review of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

``In one room, the rich few will argue that they have no money to spare for sustainable development, in the other they will struggle to maintain and further develop their multibillion dollar nuclear arsenal,'' said Remi Parmentier, head of Greenpeace's international political unit.

``If only a portion of what is spent by the nuclear weapons states to maintain and further develop their nuclear weapons was re-routed towards the protection of the environment, sustainable development could become a reality,'' he said.

)2000 Associated Press

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2000

Answers

...The environment conference of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development is meeting at U.N. headquarters to prepare for the 10th anniversary of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, ...

United nations
Commission on Sustainable Development

http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/

Agenda 21

Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment. ...

http://www.un.org/ esa/sustdev/agenda21.htm

All Agenda 21 Issues

http:// www.un.org/esa/sustdev/issueslist.htm

 Agriculture
 Atmosphere
 Biodiversity
 Biotechnology
 Capacity-building
 Consumption and Production Patterns
 Demographics
 Desertification and drought
 Education and awareness
 Energy
 Finance
 Forests
 Freshwater
 Health
 Human Settlements
 Indicators
 Industry
 Information
 Integrated decision-making
 International law
 Institutional arrangements
 Land management
 Major groups
 Mountains
 Oceans and Seas
 Poverty
 Science
 Small Islands
 Sustainable Tourism
 Technology
 Toxic Chemicals
 Trade and environment
 Transport
 Waste (hazardous)
 Waste (radioactive)
 Waste (solid)

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RIO DECLARATION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126- 1annex1.htm

NON-LEGALLY BINDING AUTHORITATIVE STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
FOR A GLOBAL CONSENSUS ON THE MANAGEMENT, CONSERVATION
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ALL TYPES OF FORESTS

http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126- 3annex3.htm

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Search...

Also search the U.N. site with keywords Commission on Sustainable Development or Sustainable Development for further links.

http://www.un.org/search/

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2000