STOCKHOLM CONFERENCE: BACKGROUND, COUNTRIES, POINTS - HISTORY - 2025

The Stockholm Conference (1972), officially called the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, was the first major international congress convened to deal with the environment. This conference was held in the Swedish capital that gives it its name, in June 1972.

Concern for the environment and its relationship with human beings grew after the end of the Second World War. First, because of the waste that nuclear energy could generate, then because of the consequences of the growing use of pesticides and, finally, because of the loss of biodiversity that was taking place.

Source:; By Wilfried Huss / Anonymous -Modifications by Denelson83, Zscout370 and Madden..United Nations (1962) The United Nations flag code and regulations, as amended November 11, 1952, New York OCLC: 7548838., Public Domain, https: // commons.wikimedia.org / w / index.php? curid = 437460

This awareness of the importance of caring for the planet led the UN General Assembly, at the request of Sweden, to decide to convene the conference. It was attended by representatives of 113 countries, in addition to hundreds of intergovernmental organizations.

After 11 days of sessions, the Conference approved a document composed of 26 principles, in addition to a series of recommendations that formed an international plan of action to combat environmental degradation.

Background

The end of World War II was marked by the dropping of US atomic bombs on Japan. Soon, the great powers began a race for the primacy in the use of nuclear energy and, coupled with this, grew the fear of the pollution associated with it.

On the other hand, from the 1960s on, various environmental organizations were gaining strength. Apart from nuclear waste, other issues such as the use of synthetic pesticides or the loss of biodiversity were also causing concern.

Almost for the first time, the voices that demanded to take care of the ecosystem began to be heard across the planet. According to their postulates, it was a matter of respecting the environment, both for the effects that its deterioration could have on the quality of life of human beings, and for the survival of the planet itself.

Club of Rome

Four years before the Stockholm Conference, the manager of the FIAT company, Aurelio Peccei, and the Scottish scientist Alexander King founded the Club of Rome with the purpose of studying and finding solutions to environmental problems.

The first report of this organization was published in 1972. Its author was Donella Meadows and it was titled The Limits of Growth. Although certain aspects of this work received considerable criticism, its publication was a great impetus for world leaders to take the matter more seriously.

Swedish Initiative

It was in this context that the United Nations decided to convene the Conference on the Human Environment.

The initiative had come from Sweden, a country that had been characterized by its public policies to deal with pollution. These were the reasons why the venue chosen to hold the meeting was its capital, Stockholm.

Maurice Strong, an oil magnate who, however, had become a prominent figure among environmental advocates, was appointed as Secretary General of the Conference.

Participating countries

The conference was opened by the UN Secretary General, Kurt Waldheim, and the Swedish President, Olof Palme.

Stockholm hosted, during the 11 days that the sessions lasted, representatives from 113 countries. In addition, more than 400 organizations, both intergovernmental and non-governmental, took part in the discussions.

Countries absent

The most notable absence was that of the Soviet Union. Likewise, the vast majority of the communist bloc nations did not attend either.

Agreed points and objectives

The final result of the Stockholm Conference was a declaration made up of 26 principles and 109 recommendations to start acting in defense of the environment.

The second of the principles is a good summary of the objectives of the Conference:

"The protection and improvement of the human environment is a fundamental issue that affects the well-being of the peoples and the economic development of the entire world, an urgent desire of the peoples of the whole world and a duty of all governments"

In this final document appeared a series of goals that had to be achieved in the following years. These ranged from the declaration of a decade-long moratorium on whaling to the need to study how nuclear energy was being used.

Although, in practice, they were no more than recommendations, many experts consider this statement as the first attempt to create international environmental legislation.

Main topics discussed

Conference participants were divided into three different committees, each dedicated to studying a specific issue.

The first of these committees should be in charge of deliberating on the protection of the environment from the point of view of each society and culture.

On the other hand, the second committee focused its work on natural resources. Finally, the third party debated what means should be used internationally to achieve an improvement in environmental protection.

One of the aspects that received the most attention was the state of the seas and oceans. Pollution of the world's waters was already worrying at the time, affecting entire populations.

Greatest achievement

For most analysts, beyond the actual results of the Conference, its main achievement was to raise awareness of the importance of ecology. One of the principles of the document thus collected it:

“We have reached a point in history when we must guide our actions around the world, paying more attention to the consequences that they may have for the environment. Through ignorance or indifference we can cause immense and irreparable damage to the earthly environment on which our lives and well-being depend. "

In addition, it established as a fundamental objective to guarantee the future of the planet that “the earth's natural resources, including air, water, land, flora and fauna and especially representative samples of natural ecosystems, must be preserved for the benefit of present and future generations through careful planning or management, as appropriate "

recommendations

The Declaration of the Stockholm Conference contained the following recommendations to the governments of the planet:

- Establish gene banks that allow the preservation of biodiversity.

- Take measures to protect those animal and plant species that are at risk of disappearing.

- Plan in a sustainable way all construction carried out in towns and cities.

- Plan measures to reduce pollution.

- Formation of a new UN sponsored body to help protect the environment.

United Nations Environment Program

The last point mentioned above became a reality in late 1972. In December of that year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) was created.

The objective of this body was to coordinate the work carried out at the UN related to the protection of the environment.

world Bank

Not only the United Nations proceeded to incorporate the recommendations of the Stockholm Conference. Other organizations also took environmental defense measures. The World Bank, for example, began to take into account the impact on the nature of its programs to finance development.

European Community

The then European Economic Community, today the European Union, drew up in 1973 a Directive on the Protection of the Environment and Consumers, as well as the Environmental Action Program.

References

1. Vertua, Nestor Raul. United Nations Conference on the Human Environment - Stockholm, June 5-16, 1972. Retrieved from dipublico.org
2. Ecology Today. Stockholm Conference. Obtained from ecologiahoy.com
3. Escuelapedia. Stockholm Conference. Obtained from schoolpedia.com
4. Handl, Günther. Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Obtained from legal.un.org
5. Boudes, Philippe. United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Retrieved from britannica.com
6. Black, Richard. Stockholm: Birth of the green generation. Retrieved from bbc.com
7. Environmental Science: In Context. United Nations Conference On The Human Environment (1972). Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
8. Grieger, Andreas. Only One Earth: Stockholm and the Beginning of Modern Environmental Diplomacy. Retrieved from environmentandsociety.org