International politics was a mess when Sweden suggested the 1972 UN Conference on the Environment in Stockholm, Sweden. Russia and the Warsaw Pact nations boycotted the meetings over the exclusion of East Germany as a non-sovereign state. China was hostile to the U.S., loudly condemning policies in Indochina and elsewhere. The event thus did not turn out to be the curtain raiser to a greener future Sweden had hoped.
The Founding Statement for the 1972 UN Conference
The UN General Assembly approved the terms of reference in 1969. These suggested the conference focus on “stimulating and providing guidelines for action by national government and international organizations” facing environmental issues.
There were extensive preparations during the conference buildup involving 115 participating governments. However, when the 1972 UN Conference discussions started in earnest , international politics intervened because climate change had a low profile on the actual agenda. Instead, the major issues raised turned out to be nuclear weapons testing, hunting whales, and chemical pollution.
Major Resolutions of the 1972 UN Conference on the Environment
Emotions were high during the period June 5 to 16, 1972. China’s firm position emboldened anti-colonial statements by developing countries that were in the majority at the meeting. The U.S. found itself on the back foot in the absence of having Russia as a distraction.
In the end, there was no decision on collective responsibility for the environment. Moreover, a low point was reached with the resolution that environment policy must not hamper development. However, India did succeed in establishing the point that poverty and ecological management intertwined.
Many of the decisions contained in the Stockholm Declaration released after the 1972 UN Conference fell on deaf ears. However, the European Community did follow through by creating the first Environmental Action Program. Some historians believe this was the precursor for the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. These too proved there is no way forward for the climate, without united international will.
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Preview Image: Stockholm City Park
