7
achieving only a slowdown in the increase of
global emissions. It is not surprising that environmental protection regulations are generally classified as soft law.
Most experts consider taking measures in
order to reduce anthropogenic climate change
increasingly urgent. Ratification of the Kyoto
Report in more countries is now not enough.
Even stricter emission limits are required. This
was targeted at the climate conference in Paris
(December 2015) where the wording of the new
convention was accepted in agreement and it
became effective rather soon (in 2016). The fact
that the two greatest greenhouse gas emitters,
China and the USA also joined the new convention boosted it significantly. However, the new
president of the latter announced in 2017 that the
USA would leave the convention.
In theory, international conventions that are
ratified are similarly obligatory law as national
law but their ignorance seems to be more frequent than that of national rules.
What is the situation with sustainable development in the twenty-first century? No specific
tasks for particular countries were listed in the
Plan of Implementation agreed by UN at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development at
Johannesburg in 2002.
The efficiency of international conventions
and agreements is moderate and the achieved
results until the turn of the millennium were few.
The situation is even worse if the rest of the factors of sustainable development (economic and
social conditions, institutes regulating those) are
regarded as well. Differences in development
and welfare among the countries of the world
hardly changed since the conference at Rio. In
order to mitigate the above the Plan of
Implementation of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development at Johannesburg contained some programme points.
• Rich countries should have transferred 0.7% of
their national income to the developing countries as aid. This was not performed by any of
the countries although some of them paid some
support, however, less than the 0.7%.
• In order to add to the aids the establishment of
a solidarity fund was planned in order to meet
the demands of fighting against poverty to
which countries can transfer money voluntarily. This field shows even less success.
• Considering water supply and public health,
the aim was to reduce to half the number of
people without healthy drinking water supply and have to do without public health services by 2015. The goal was partly achieved
as water supply was improved globally but
still 2.4 billion people have no access to
hygienic toilet.
• To enable poor countries to receive a share of
the benefits of globalisation. (As until the date
of the conference, mostly the disadvantages of
globalisation were received by them.) The situation of developing countries was improved
significantly and globalisation had its share in
it. Especially the development of China was
rapid and the economy of India grew significantly as well. On the other hand, numerous
African countries did not have a share or only
in a small extent of the economic growth of
the last 10–15 years.
More or less parallel to the action plan of the
World Summit on Sustainable Development at
Johannesburg another, even more comprehensive
programme, the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG) was launched also by the UN. This programme targets primarily the reduction of global
social problems by 2015 to which financial support was planned as well. Although the programme did hardly reach any results initially, the
situation did improve somewhat as the target date
was approaching. According to evaluations from
UN forums most goals were implemented. This,
however, did not mean that the global social
problems were solved; they were only relieved.
In 2012 on another UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (UNCSD) another
document entitled “Future We Want” (FWW)
was accepted. The goals in this document did not
reflect comprehensive strategic views therefore
no significant results can be expected from them.
UN officials responsible for the global problems
1.3 From the Brundtland Report to Sustainable Development
achieving only a slowdown in the increase of
global emissions. It is not surprising that environmental protection regulations are generally classified as soft law.
Most experts consider taking measures in
order to reduce anthropogenic climate change
increasingly urgent. Ratification of the Kyoto
Report in more countries is now not enough.
Even stricter emission limits are required. This
was targeted at the climate conference in Paris
(December 2015) where the wording of the new
convention was accepted in agreement and it
became effective rather soon (in 2016). The fact
that the two greatest greenhouse gas emitters,
China and the USA also joined the new convention boosted it significantly. However, the new
president of the latter announced in 2017 that the
USA would leave the convention.
In theory, international conventions that are
ratified are similarly obligatory law as national
law but their ignorance seems to be more frequent than that of national rules.
What is the situation with sustainable development in the twenty-first century? No specific
tasks for particular countries were listed in the
Plan of Implementation agreed by UN at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development at
Johannesburg in 2002.
The efficiency of international conventions
and agreements is moderate and the achieved
results until the turn of the millennium were few.
The situation is even worse if the rest of the factors of sustainable development (economic and
social conditions, institutes regulating those) are
regarded as well. Differences in development
and welfare among the countries of the world
hardly changed since the conference at Rio. In
order to mitigate the above the Plan of
Implementation of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development at Johannesburg contained some programme points.
• Rich countries should have transferred 0.7% of
their national income to the developing countries as aid. This was not performed by any of
the countries although some of them paid some
support, however, less than the 0.7%.
• In order to add to the aids the establishment of
a solidarity fund was planned in order to meet
the demands of fighting against poverty to
which countries can transfer money voluntarily. This field shows even less success.
• Considering water supply and public health,
the aim was to reduce to half the number of
people without healthy drinking water supply and have to do without public health services by 2015. The goal was partly achieved
as water supply was improved globally but
still 2.4 billion people have no access to
hygienic toilet.
• To enable poor countries to receive a share of
the benefits of globalisation. (As until the date
of the conference, mostly the disadvantages of
globalisation were received by them.) The situation of developing countries was improved
significantly and globalisation had its share in
it. Especially the development of China was
rapid and the economy of India grew significantly as well. On the other hand, numerous
African countries did not have a share or only
in a small extent of the economic growth of
the last 10–15 years.
More or less parallel to the action plan of the
World Summit on Sustainable Development at
Johannesburg another, even more comprehensive
programme, the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG) was launched also by the UN. This programme targets primarily the reduction of global
social problems by 2015 to which financial support was planned as well. Although the programme did hardly reach any results initially, the
situation did improve somewhat as the target date
was approaching. According to evaluations from
UN forums most goals were implemented. This,
however, did not mean that the global social
problems were solved; they were only relieved.
In 2012 on another UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (UNCSD) another
document entitled “Future We Want” (FWW)
was accepted. The goals in this document did not
reflect comprehensive strategic views therefore
no significant results can be expected from them.
UN officials responsible for the global problems
1.3 From the Brundtland Report to Sustainable Development