ABSTRACT

The complexities of the debates around environmental issues are well known around the world, and Latin America is not an exception. In grassroots world conferences and global organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and its associated agencies, discussions about disasters have led to declarations and treaties. The Stockholm and Rio Declarations are the results of the first and second global environmental conferences. These are, respectively, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, 5–16 June 1972, and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, 3–14 June 1992 (Handl, 2012). Adopted 20 years apart, they represent major milestones in the evolution of international environmental law, bracketing what has been called the modern era of international environmental law (Handl, 2012). This author considers that the most important provisions of both declarations related to the prevention of environmental harm. The other major World Conference was held in Johannesburg on Sustainable Development, where the commitment to sustainable development and to build a humane, equitable and caring global society, cognisant of the need for human dignity for all was reaffirmed (United Nations, 2002). The UN celebrated another conference on sustainable development, Rio + 20, at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 2012. The document resulted from the conference contained clear and practical measures for implementing sustainable development for 20 years (United Nations, 2012).