The ''Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB)'' is a reporting service providing daily coverage on a variety of global environmental and sustainable development negotiations.
The team of environmental negotiations specialists document efforts by the United Nations, national governments, civil society organizations, and other actors to respond to pressing global challenges, such as
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
,
biodiversity loss
Biodiversity loss happens when plant or animal species disappear completely from Earth (extinction) or when there is a decrease or disappearance of species in a specific area. Biodiversity loss means that there is a reduction in Biodiversity, b ...
, land management, over pollution, widening inequality, chemicals and wastes management, trade in endangered species,
deep sea mining, and ocean management.
ENB publishes daily reports and summaries in print and online, distributing news through web, email, and social media feeds. Their outputs are also distributed at meeting venues during
conferences of the parties to
multilateral environmental agreements.
ENB is a division of the
International Institute for Sustainable Development
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an independent think tank founded in 1990 working to shape and inform international policy on sustainable development governance. The institute has three offices in Canada - Winni ...
.
History
The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (originally titled the Earth Summit Bulletin) began as the joint initiative of three individuals from the NGO community, who were publishing a daily bulletin at the
in 1992. Namely, Johannah Bernstein, an environmental lawyer and Director of the Canadian Participatory Committee for UNCED,
Pamela Chasek, a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University's
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and Langston James Goree VI "Kimo", a former
UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
programme officer and NGO activist from the Western Amazon.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) approached the three founders with an offer to continue publishing the Earth Summit Bulletin at follow-up negotiations to the Earth Summit. In November 1992, the Earth Summit Bulletin was renamed the Earth Negotiations Bulletin. Since 1993, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin has covered over 30 negotiating processes within the United Nations system.
Personnel
Many writers join the team while in graduate school and eventually move on to careers in international organizations. Conversely, retired career diplomats from the United States, Russia, and China have also brought their experience to the team.
Coverage
The ''ENB'' covers a range of topics in sustainability. Core coverage areas include:
*
Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...
, including the
Commission on Sustainable Development
The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was a body under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) tasked with overseeing the outcomes of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development/Earth Summit. I ...
*
Climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...
and
Atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
, including the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to "provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies". The World Met ...
, and
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 ...
*
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
and
Wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...
, including the
Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its ...
,
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is an intergovernmental body that addresses issues specifically related to the conservation and sustainable use of b ...
,
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
Convention may refer to:
* Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct
** Treaty, an agreement in international law
** Convention (political norm), uncodified legal or political tradition
* Convention (meeting ...
,
Convention on Migratory Species, and
(formerly the
International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity)
*
Forests
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological functio ...
,
Deserts
A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the l ...
and
Land
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land sur ...
, including the
United Nations Forum on Forests
The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is a high-level intergovernmental policy forum. The forum includes all United Nations member states and permanent observers, the UNFF Secretariat, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, Regional Org ...
,
International Tropical Timber Organization Council, and
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...
Committee on Forestry
*Chemicals Management, including the
Basel Convention
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known as the Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations ...
,
Rotterdam Convention
The Rotterdam Convention (formally, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade) is a multilateral treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relatio ...
and
Stockholm Convention
*
Human Development Human development may refer to:
* Development of the human body
** This includes physical developments such as growth, and also development of the brain
* Developmental psychology
* Development theory
* Human development (economics)
* Human Develo ...
, including
UN-HABITAT
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1977 as an outcome of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settleme ...
*
Organizations
An organization or organisation ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is an entity—such as a company, or corporation or an institution (formal organization), or an association—comprising one or more people and having a par ...
, including the
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
* Trade and Investment, including the
Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (P ...
*
Water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
,
Oceans
The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic/Southern, and ...
and
Wetlands
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
, including the
World Water Forum
The World Water Forum is one of the largest water-related gathering and conference that is jointly organized by the World Water Council and a co-host city that takes place every three years.
Aim
World Water Forum aims to:
:* Raise awarenes ...
, Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts and Islands, the Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the
Law of the Sea
Law of the sea (or ocean law) is a body of international law governing the rights and duties of State (polity), states in Ocean, maritime environments. It concerns matters such as navigational rights, sea mineral claims, and coastal waters juris ...
, the
Straddling Fish Stocks Agreement, the Working Group on Marine Biodiversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction, and the
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Reporting teams are also sent to a variety of conferences on sustainability that fall outside the confines of the list above, under agreements with conference organizers. These conferences include regional negotiations, conferences dealing with sustainability in specific industries such as the
International Hydropower Association
The International Hydropower Association (IHA) is an international lobby group and membership association representing the global hydropower sector.
IHA has members in more than 120 countries, including over 100 corporate and affiliate members ...
World Congress on Sustainable Hydropower, and special-interest days within larger conferences, such as "Business Day" during UN Climate Change conferences.
References
External links
*{{Official website, https://enb.iisd.org/, including archives
IISD’s Innovative Earth Negotiations Bulletin Website.(2021, February 25). ''Convention on Biological Diversity.''
*Cicin-Sian, Biliana (1996). “Earth Summit implementation: progress since Rio”. ''Marine Policy.'' 20(2). 123–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-597X(96)00002-4
*Jinnah, S. & Jungcurt, S. (2009). “Could Access Requirements Stifle Your Research?”. ''Science.'' 323(5913). 464–465.
*Chasek, Pamela (2005). Environmental Organizations and Multilateral Diplomacy: A Case Study of Earth Negotiations Bulletin. In P. Muldoon, Jr., J. (2005). ''Multilateral Diplomacy and the United Nations Today'' (2nd ed.). Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429494949
*Chasek, Pamela (2001). ''Earth negotiations: Analyzing thirty years of environmental diplomacy.'' United Nations University Press.
*Chasek, P. & Wagner, L. (2012). ''The roads from Rio: Lessons learned from twenty years of multilateral environmental negotiations.'' Routledge.
Environmental magazines
American environmental websites
Environmental conferences
International environmental law
Magazines established in 1992
International environmental organizations
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Magazines published in New York City