GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Environmental policies involve any measures taken by governments, public or private organizations regarding the effects of human activities on the environment, preventing or reducing dangerous effects on ecosystems. The beginnings In the late 19th and early 20th century, when the effects of industrialisation and urbanisation increased and became harmful to human health, governments began developing the first laws for the protection of natural landscapes and wildlife, as well as rules for urban and housing. sewage Evolution of environmental policies became an important movement in the Western countries and many laws were passed, including about , air and water pollution, and the protection of endangered species. The beginning of the 1960s: Environmentalism acts waste disposal : The United Nations held its first conference on environmental issues in Stockholm, Sweden. The conference led to the creation of the , which became the world’s main international environmental organisation. 1972 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) : UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization founded the to study global warming, providing governments with scientific information that can be used to develop climate policies. 1988 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change : During the in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the concept of biosphere was recognised by major international organisations and the risks associated with reduction in biodiversity were publicly acknowledged. 1992 Earth Summit From Kyoto Protocol to recent days : In Kyoto, Japan, delegates from more than 150 countries approved the , which required developed countries to cut their greenhouse emissions by 50% by 2012. Some countries, such as the USA, which had the highest gas emissions, strongly opposed the protocol. 1997 Kyoto Protocol : The was held in Paris. Representatives of nearly 200 countries signed the 2015 21st UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) 1 Paris Agreement. : To accelerate actions to the Paris Agreement, the took place in New York with the purpose of maintaining the global warming limit of 1.5°C. The summit activated political and economic forces to promote climate action that will enable implementation of the goals of the , a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity to strengthen universal peace and to eliminate poverty in all its forms. 2019 implement Climate Action Summit 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 2 : 197 countries took part in , held in Glasgow. It confirmed the Paris Agreement as to global temperature limits (1.5°C) by the end of the century. CO₂ emissions will have to be cut by 45% by 2030 in order to reach 0% by 2050 (2060 for China, 2070 for India). 2021 COP26 : UN Climate Change Conference COP 28 was held in Dubai, UAE. For the first time nearly every country in the world has agreed to "transition away from fossil fuels". However, many countries complained about the lack of a clear call for a fossil-fuel phase out and the presence of a lot of in the text that might enable the production and consumption of coal, oil, and gas to continue. 2023 loopholes MORE COP stands for Conference of the Parties and the number refers to sequence of its events. COP26 which was held in Glasgow in 2021, was the 26th conference. 1 MORE See unit 1.1. 2