World Summit on Sustainable Development. β International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), in collaboration with the Regional and International Networking Group (RING). β Johannesburg, 2002. β 2 p.
Barbara Gemmill Environment Liaison Centre International, Maria Ivanova Yale Center
for Environmental Law and Policy and Chee Yoke Ling Third World Network
The process of globalisation in the last decade has pointed to the increasing interdependence of the economies of the world and citizens of all nations. It has led to a growing recognition that countries need to find ways to work together to tackle shared challenges. Devised during the infancy of environmental awareness when problems were perceived as largely local, relatively distinct, and subject to technological fixes, the international environmental regime appears weak and fragmented and lacks adequate expertise, resources, authority, and legitimacy. The environmental challenges we now face, such as climate change, ozone depletion, ocean pollution, and natural resource exhaustion, clearly illustrate the extent of interdependence and interconnectedness of the fragile web of life that supports humanityβs existence, and that needs a supportive socio-economic environment to achieve sustainability.