Human Saga

The Rio Earth Summit

3-14 June 1992·Environment & climate·Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Global)·
3-14 June 1992Date
Environment & climateCategory
3Empires active
Date
3-14 June 1992
Category
Environment & climate
Region
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Global)
Era
Contemporary
Significance

From 3 to 14 June 1992 the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), popularly the 'Earth Summit', convened in Rio de Janeiro, drawing delegations from 178 countries and over 100 heads of state in the largest environmental gathering held to that point.

The summit produced the Rio Declaration and its 27 principles, the non-binding forest principles, and Agenda 21, a sweeping blueprint for sustainable development. Most consequentially, it opened for signature two landmark treaties: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which created the legal architecture and annual 'Conference of the Parties' (COP) process that would govern all subsequent global climate negotiations, and the Convention on Biological Diversity, aimed at conserving species and ecosystems. By framing environmental degradation and economic development as inseparable global problems requiring coordinated state action, Rio established the institutions, vocabulary and diplomatic machinery through which climate change and biodiversity loss would be addressed for the next three decades.

See the world map in 3-14 June 1992 →More environment & climateThe Contemporary era

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Empires active in 3-14 June 1992

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Further reading

The wider story

A New Green History of the World

Clive Ponting

The classic accessible account of how environment and climate have shaped human history.

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