NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Political Science Chapter 13 Environment and Natural Resources

a. The Earth’s atmosphere, Antarctica, ocean floor and outer space are considered as part of the global commons.

c. The environmental degradation caused by human activities has become pervasive and has reached a dangerous level.

Global Environmental issues became the priority of states since the 1990s because at global level, the environmental issues drew attentions of various states at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janerio in Brazil in June 1992 through Agenda 21:

1. Rio-Summit 1992 dealt with climatic change, bio-diversity and forestry.
2. Agenda 21 combined economic growth with ecological responsibilities
3. Kyoto Protocol set the targets for greenhouse emissions. The above mentioned conference and summits raised the environmental issues at the global level to take steps by various states to check environmental degradation in a cooperative manner.

The outcomes of the summit are as follows:

(a) Rio Summit worked out conventions dealing with climate change, biodiversity, forestry and recommended a list of development practices called Agenda 21.

(b) The summit brought out the concept of sustainable development combining economic growth with ecological responsibility.

(c) It also touched upon various contentious issues like Commons, Global commons in global politics of environment. 

The ‘Global Commons’ refers to resource domains or areas that lie outside of the political reach of any one nation State.

International law identifies four global commons namely:

• The High Seas
• The Atmosphere
• Antarctica and
• Outer Space

With the advancement of science and technology in recent years it has made access to resources in the Global Commons easier, leading to an increase in activities in these resource domains, some types of which lack effective laws or policies to control and regulate such uses.

For example, Antarctica is facing rapid environmental degradation due to human pressures such as pollution, and the effects of global warming.

a. It was attended by 170 countries, thousands of NGOs and many MNCs. (Correct)

b. The summit was held under the aegis of the UN. (Wrong)

c. For the first time, global environmental issues were firmly consolidated at the political level. (Correct)

d. It was a summit meeting. (Wrong)

• In June 1992, Earth Summit provided some conservative measures for sustainable growth without damaging environment anymore. The consensus was on combining economic growth with ecological responsibility.

• The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 covered global commons for mutual economic development.

• Kyoto protocol has set the targets for the industrialised countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions to protect environment and to develop industries also.

• Clearing of forests in the Third world countries should be stopped.

• Awareness should be created about the use of renewable resources.

• Resource Geopolitics allocates and distributes natural resource among the nation states of global arena for sustainable development of nations.

• The practices mentioned above protect the global environment and even though the states are developing we could achieve this challenge only if we follow the provisions and practices mentioned in all these conference and summits.

• The Northern States (developed) are concerned with ozone depletion and global warming whereas southern states (developing) want to address the relationship between economic development and environmental management.
• The developed countries of the North want to discuss the environmental issue as it stands now and want everyone to be equally responsible for ecological conservation.
• The developing countries of the South have the opinion that much of the ecological degradation in the world is created by the developed countries through their industrial projects.
• If the developed countries are responsible for more environmental degradation they are supposed to take more responsibility onwards for undoing the damage.
• The developing countries are under the process of industrialization and they should be exempted from restrictions imposed on developed countries through various conventions like protocol, etc.
• The special needs of developing countries must be taken into considerations in the process of development, applications and interpretations of rules of International Environmental law.

• Common but differentiated responsibilities mean that the state shall cooperate in the spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth’s ecosystem.
• As the states have common but differentiated responsibilities over various contributions of global of global environmental degradations.
• The developed countries acknowledge that the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuits of sustainable development and of the technological and financial resources they command.

We can implement the idea with the help of conventions and declarations:

1. Rio Summit worked out conventions dealing with climate change, biodiversity, forestry and recommended a list of development practices called Agenda 21.
2. The 1992 United Nations Framework convention on climatic change (UNFCCC) also emphasised that the parties should act to protect the climate system on the basis of common but differentiated responsibilities.
3. Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding agreement to set targets for industrialised countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions which support for global warming.