Science for University Students. Part II. Translations. Сологуб Л.И. - 24 стр.

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Text 10
Sustainable Future for Planet Earth
Participants at the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) to be held in Rio de Janeiro on 1 to 12 June 2006 will
attempt to address many issues fundamental to achieving sustainable
development. What of substance will be achieved is not now clear. The meeting
will bring together representatives (perhaps heads of state) of about 150
countries, many of them with differing resources, needs, aspirations, and
priorities. However, in view of growing global concern about environmental
matters, the occasion will certainly be a great media event.
One of the reasons for questioning the likelihood of a substantive
achievement at UNCED is the breadth of its projected agenda. A United Nations
brochure lists topics that the conference will address, and these are paraphrased
below:
● Protection of the atmosphere (climate change, depletion of the ozone
layer, and transboundary air pollution); land resources (combating deforestation,
soil loss, desertification, and drought); fresh water resources; and oceans, seas,
and coastal areas and the rational use and development of their living resources.
● Conservation of biological diversity.
● Environmentally sound management of biotechnology and hazardous
wastes (including toxic chemicals).
● Prevention of illegal traffic in toxic products and wastes.
● Improvement in the quality of life and human health and living and
working conditions of the poor by eradicating poverty and stopping
environmental degradation.
The U.N. agenda provided a stimulus for many disparate groups to hold
meetings in advance of Rio. These included distinguished interfaith religious
leaders, organized broadcast groups, and scientists and engineers. Examples
follow:
On 20 June, the AAAS directorates for International Programs and for
Science and Policy Programs hosted a 1-day symposium on UNCED. Speakers
from the United Nations, the State Department, the International Council of
Scientific Unions, and other organizations discussed the UNCED agenda and the
role of nongovernmental organizations in preparing for the Rio meeting.
A “2006 Forum on Global Change and the Human Prospect” is planned for 16
to 18 November and will be held near Washington, D.C. Sigma Xi is the primary
sponsoring scientific society. Co-sponsors include AAAS and about 40 other
scientific and engineering societies whose total membership is about 1 million. The
three plenary sessions are titled, respectively, “What Kind of a World Do We
Have?”; “What Kind of a World Do We Want?”; and “What Must We Do to Get
There?”. Workshop sessions will facilitate participation by attendees. The banquet
speaker will be Maurice Strong, who heads the influential Secretariat of UNCED.
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