Category 18 · Environment & Ecology

International Environmental Governance and Conventions

24 micro topics in Environment & Ecology for UPSC Prelims, in book order: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); IUCN Red List and Birdlife International; and 22 more.

18.1

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority within the UN system. It was established in 1972 as a result of the Stockholm Conference, and has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, the…
18.2

IUCN Red List and Birdlife International

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), founded in 1948 at Fontainebleau, France, is the world's largest and oldest global environmental network, with governments, NGOs and experts as members; its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland,…
18.3

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), known as the World Wildlife Fund in the United States and Canada, is one of the world's largest independent conservation organisations. It was founded on 29 April 1961 at…
18.4

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environment-Related Indices

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 goals with 169 targets adopted by all UN member states in September 2015 in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to be achieved by 2030. They grew out of…
18.5

United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference, 1972)

The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm, Sweden from 5 to 16 June 1972, was the first major UN conference on international environmental issues. It was attended by delegates from 113 countries,…
18.6

Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Agreement

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted on 16 September 1987 under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) and entered into force on 1 January 1989.…
18.7

Earth Summit – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Rio de Janeiro, 1992

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), popularly known as the Earth Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3 to 14 June 1992, twenty years after Stockholm. It was attended by…
18.8

Global Environment Facility (GEF)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral financial mechanism that provides grants to developing countries and countries with economies in transition for projects that benefit the global environment. It was launched as a pilot programme…
18.9

Rio Declaration, 1992, and Agenda 21

The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992, is a short statement of 27 principles that guide states on how to reconcile economic development with environmental protection. Principle 1 places…
18.10

Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)

The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), established by the UN General Assembly in December 1992 (resolution 47/191) to follow up the Earth Summit and…
18.11

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. It grew from…
18.12

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1992

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the main international treaty on climate change. It was adopted on 9 May 1992 at the UN headquarters in New York, opened for signature at the…
18.13

Global Climate Finance Architecture

Climate finance refers to local, national or transnational financing, from public, private and alternative sources, that supports mitigation and adaptation actions. The UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement say that developed countries should provide financial resources to…
18.14

India's Position on Climate Change Policy

India's position in climate negotiations rests on equity and climate justice. India holds that the problem was caused mainly by the historical emissions of industrialised countries, that its per capita emissions are far below the world…
18.15

Observed Climate and Weather Changes in India

Observations show that India's climate is changing. The Ministry of Earth Sciences report Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region (2020), prepared by the Centre for Climate Change Research at IITM Pune, found that India's…
18.16

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and India's Climate Change Assessment

The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 30 June 2008 as India's first comprehensive plan to deal with climate change. It outlines existing and future policies and…
18.17

India's Policy Structure Relevant to GHG Emissions

India does not have a single climate law, but a set of policies, laws and institutions that shape its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At the top are the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change and the…
18.18

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the main international treaty on biodiversity. It was adopted in Nairobi on 22 May 1992, opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992, and entered into…
18.19

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement that aims to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology, which may…
18.20

Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (the Nagoya Protocol, or ABS Protocol) is the CBD's second…
18.21

Aichi Biodiversity Targets

The Aichi Biodiversity Targets are a set of 20 targets, under five strategic goals, adopted at the tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Japan, in October…
18.22

Marrakesh Climate Change Conference

The Marrakesh (or Marrakech) Climate Change Conference, held from 7 to 18 November 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco, was the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22) to the UNFCCC, the 12th meeting of the Parties to the…
18.23

Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage

The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM) was established at the 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) to the UNFCCC in Warsaw, Poland, in November 2013, to address loss…
18.24

Mission Innovation (Clean Energy Initiative)

Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of governments, launched on 30 November 2015 at the Paris climate conference (COP21), to accelerate clean energy innovation and make clean energy widely affordable. Twenty countries and the European…

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Frequently asked questions

Which topics are in International Environmental Governance and Conventions?

International Environmental Governance and Conventions has 24 micro topics in Environment & Ecology: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); IUCN Red List and Birdlife International; World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF); Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environment-Related Indices; United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference, 1972); Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Agreement; Earth Summit – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Rio de Janeiro, 1992; Global Environment Facility (GEF); Rio Declaration, 1992, and Agenda 21; Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD); United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD); United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1992; Global Climate Finance Architecture; India's Position on Climate Change Policy; Observed Climate and Weather Changes in India; National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and India's Climate Change Assessment; India's Policy Structure Relevant to GHG Emissions; Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing; Aichi Biodiversity Targets; Marrakesh Climate Change Conference; Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage; Mission Innovation (Clean Energy Initiative).

Is International Environmental Governance and Conventions important for UPSC Prelims?

International Environmental Governance and Conventions is a part of the UPSC Prelims Environment & Ecology syllabus map on MaargX UPSC. Each of its 24 published topics has key terms, a Mains angle and practice questions.