International environmental policy is built upon global summits that translated ecological concerns into actionable principles of state responsibility.
1. Stockholm Conference (1972)
The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm in June 1972, represents the watershed moment for international environmental law.
- Stockholm Declaration: Established 26 principles. Notably, Principle 21 declared that States have the sovereign right to exploit their own resources, but also the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction do not cause damage to the environment of other States.
- UNEP: Led directly to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- Domestic Impact: Inspired India's 42nd Amendment (1976) and the passage of the Air, Water, and Environment Protection Acts.
2. Rio Earth Summit (1992)
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, institutionalized the concept of sustainable development.
Core Outputs of Rio Summit:
- Rio Declaration on Environment and Development: Consisted of 27 principles, popularizing the Precautionary Principle and the Polluter Pays Principle globally.
- Agenda 21: A comprehensive global blueprint and action plan for sustainable development.
- Key Conventions: Led to the opening of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (which subsequently birthed the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement).