Environmental Concerns in Global Politics
World politics encompasses various aspects of global affairs, including wars, treaties, state power, government relationships, and intergovernmental organizations. However, contemporary issues such as agricultural land loss, overgrazing, water depletion, and pollution are also part of world politics. These issues have political consequences, as no single government can fully address them.
The environment and natural resources are deeply political issues, as they raise the issue of who causes environmental degradation, pays the price, and is responsible for corrective action. The growing focus on environmental issues within global politics was consolidated at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Rio Summit produced conventions dealing with climate change, biodiversity, and forestry, and recommended a list of development practices called ‘Agenda 21’. However, there were considerable differences and difficulties, as some critics pointed out that Agenda 21 was biased in favor of economic growth rather than ensuring ecological conservation.
The Rio Summit produced a consensus on combining economic growth with ecological responsibility, known as ‘sustainable development’. However, the exact implementation of this approach remains a contentious issue in the global politics of environment.
Environment and Natural Resources| Class 12 Political Science Notes
Class 12 Political Science Notes Chapter 6 Environment and Natural Resources deals with the growing importance of environmental and resource issues in global politics. It analyzes some of the important environmental movements against the backdrop of the rising profile of environmentalism from the 1960s onwards. The chapter also introduces students to the concept of common property resources and the rights of indigenous people. It mentions the global commons and their relevance in contemporary world politics.
In this article, we will look into the topic of Environment and Natural Resources in detail. It is an important topic in Political Science Class 12. Students can go through this article to get comprehensive notes on Class 12 Political Science Chapter 6 Environment and Natural Resources.