ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: INTRODUCTION

II. TIMELINE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Year Milestone
1940s • Start of the global initiatives to protect the environment
• The International Union for the Protection of Nature is
founded
1950s • Harrison Brown publishes “The Challenges of Man’s Future”
• Minamata Tragedy
• the UN started to draft conventions/agreement on
environmental protection
• Rachel Carson publishes the “Silent Spring” and is
considered as the turning point in our understanding of the
interconnections between the environment, economy and
social being
1960s • Involvement of NGOs and the importance of social protection
• The UN General Assembly authorizes the convention for the
Human Environment to be held in 1972
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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: INTRODUCTION

II. TIMELINE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Year Milestone
1970s • First Earth Day is proclaimed
• Greenpeace begins operation with an agenda to stop
environmental damage through civil protests.
• The UN Conference on the Human Environment is held in
Stockholm which leads to the establishment of the
numerous national environmental protection agencies and
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
1980s • The International Union for Conservation of Nature
publishes the “World Conservation Strategy”
• The World Health Assembly of the World Health
Organizations adopt a global strategy for Health for All by
the year 2000
• The Antarctic Ozone hole is discovered
• Greenhouse Gases
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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: INTRODUCTION

II. TIMELINE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Year Milestone
1980s • The World Commission on Environment and Development
publishes “Our Common Future” also known as the Brundtland
Report and popularizes the “SUSTAINable DEVELOPMENT”
• IPCC is established

1990s • The International Institute for Sustainable Development is

established
• Creation of the Global Environment Facility
• The United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development is held in Rio de Janeiro and agreements are
reached on Agenda 21, the Convention on Biological Diversity,
the Framework Convention on Climate Change
• The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development is
established
• 1 Signing of Kyoto Protocol
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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: INTRODUCTION

II. TIMELINE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Year Milestone
2000s • World Summit on Sustainable Development which promotes
“Partnerships” as a non-negotiated approach to sustainability
• The UN General Assembly endorsed the UN Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development
• Millennium Development Goals
• Kyoto Protocol enters into force (2005)
• IPCC fourth assessment report (2007)
• Sustainable Development Goals

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