Global Environmental League Tables: A global ranking of countries’ commitments to Multilateral Environmental Agreements – February 2010 (click on the image to download the report)
Introduction to the report: Stakeholder Forum has been monitoring the ratification of MEAs on a regular basis since the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. The objective of this Global League Tables report was to highlight and praise progress made by nation-states towards the ratification of Multilateral Environmental Agreements. It is also the intention of the League Tables to encourage further action towards ratification in countries where progress is slow.
Stakeholder Forum believes that international environmental law in the form of environmental conventions and treaties offers a critical framework for promoting action on environmental issues at the national level. The proliferation of MEAs over the past three decades also reflects an acknowledgment of the global nature of environmental problems – Greenhouse Gas Emissions from one country stand to have an impact on the rest of the world due to resulting climate change; persistent organic pollutants produced in one country can become widely distributed geographically; impacts on biodiversity can have a significant geographic impact through climate change; global trade in hazardous chemicals without universal legislation can turn some regions into ‘danger zones whilst others are insulated from negative consequences. The development of generic global standards relating to certain aspects of the environment represents a step towards the creation of a ‘level playing field’ where citizens in all countries are protected from the negative impacts of a degraded environment. It also means that standards imposed in one country are not compromised by lower standards in another country that ‘leak’ across borders, either directly through water, land, and air, or indirectly through products.
Compiled and written by Hannah Stoddart and Peter Janoska
The original press release can be downloaded here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.