The Impact of IGOs on the environment

1. IGOs and the
Environment

2. IGOs and the Biosphere
• IGOs look to the atmosphere and
hydrosphere and know they are
transboundary and therefore require global
agreement and actions
• This has always been universally difficult
to achieve
• The success of schemes have been varied
• You shall consider several

3. Students are to:
• Read about the schemes on Page 290 of
Pearson and draw a table up and consider
the pros and cons of each one

4. The Schemes
• The Montreal Protocol on the Depletion of
stratospheric Ozone (p.290)
1. Convention on International Trade in Endangered
species (CITES) (p.291)
2. The UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea
(UNCLOS) (p.291)
3. The Helsinki Rules (p.292)
4. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) (p.292)
5. The Antarctic Treaty System (p. 293)

5. • You have the whole lesson to complete this task
whilst considering which type of scheme is the
most successful and why.
• Make sure you have good case study notes on
each
Scheme Positives Negatives
Montreal Protocol on
the Depletion of
stratospheric Ozone
CITES
UNCLOS
Helsinki Rules
MEA
Antarctic Treaty
System

6. Convention on International Trade
in Endangered species (CITES)
• Global treaties such as CITES which are
deigned to protect endangered species
from trade, but which require monitoring
and policing which may be costly and
ineffective.
• Due to successes in protection it has
meant to price of certain species has gone
up and therefore more attractive to
poachers

7. • Initiatives relating to managed or sustainable
forest such as the FSC mark which are
effective if consumers and producers buy into
their aims.
• Efforts to preserve particular species such as
the whale and the IWC, although not every
one signs up and the system is open to abuse
e.g. by Japan.
• Global management strategies such as
UNESCO biosphere reserves have worked
although they can be costly to implement.
•

8. The UN Convention on the Laws of the
Sea (UNCLOS)
• Defines the rights and responsibilities of nations over their use of
the world’s oceans
• Came into force in 1994 with 166 countries signed up by 2016
• It defines the boundaries of coastal zones where countries have
exclusive use of mineral and marine resources
• General guidance on safeguarding the marine environment and
freedom for scientific research in international waters.
• Landlocked countries have rights to the sea without taxation
• Greatest achievement is that over 90% of international trade
takes place by sea as well as 95% of all global internet traffic
• Imposes responsibility on all countries to fish sustainably

9. UNCLOS and the ISA
• International Seabed authority control the
national jurisdiction of deep seabed
exploitation working on the principle of
‘Common heritage of mankind’ (Global
Commons)

10. The Antarctic Treaty System