Government
Contenido
La discusión sobre la protección del medio ambiente a menudo se centra en el papel del gobierno, la legislación y la aplicación de la ley. Sin embargo, en su sentido más amplio, puede considerarse que la protección del medio ambiente es responsabilidad de todas las personas y no simplemente del gobierno. Las decisiones que impactan el medio ambiente idealmente involucrarán a una amplia gama de partes interesadas, incluidos la industria, los grupos indígenas, el grupo ambiental y los representantes de la comunidad. Gradualmente, los procesos de toma de decisiones ambientales están evolucionando para reflejar esta amplia base de partes interesadas y se están volviendo más colaborativos en muchos países.[7].
Muchas constituciones reconocen que Tanzania es reconocida por tener la mayor biodiversidad de cualquier país africano. Casi el 40% de la tierra se ha establecido en una red de áreas protegidas, incluidos varios parques nacionales.[8] Las preocupaciones por el medio ambiente natural incluyen el daño a los ecosistemas y la pérdida de hábitat como resultado del crecimiento de la población, la expansión de la agricultura de subsistencia, la contaminación, la extracción de madera y el uso significativo de la madera como combustible.[9].
La protección del medio ambiente en Tanzania comenzó durante la ocupación alemana de África Oriental (1884-1919): se promulgaron leyes de conservación coloniales para la protección de los juegos y los bosques, mediante las cuales se impusieron restricciones a las actividades indígenas tradicionales como la caza, la recolección de leña y el pastoreo de ganado.[10]
En el año 1948, Serengeti estableció oficialmente el primer parque nacional para gatos salvajes en el este de África. Desde 1983, se ha realizado un esfuerzo de mayor alcance para gestionar los problemas ambientales a nivel nacional, mediante el establecimiento del Consejo Nacional de Gestión Ambiental (NEMC) y el desarrollo de una ley ambiental. En 1998, el Environmental Improvement Trust (EIT) comenzó a trabajar para la protección del medio ambiente y los bosques en la India desde una pequeña ciudad de Sojat. El fundador de Environment Improvement Trust es CA Gajendra Kumar Jain, que trabaja con voluntarios.[11].
La división de la biosfera es el principal organismo gubernamental que supervisa la protección. Lo hace a través de la formulación de políticas, coordinando y monitoreando temas ambientales, planificación ambiental e investigación ambiental orientada a políticas. El Consejo Nacional de Gestión Ambiental (NEMC) es una institución que se inició cuando la Ley Nacional de Gestión Ambiental se introdujo por primera vez en el año 1983. Este consejo tiene el papel de asesorar a los gobiernos y a la comunidad internacional sobre una variedad de temas ambientales. El NEMC tiene los siguientes propósitos: proporcionar asesoramiento técnico; coordinar actividades técnicas; desarrollar pautas y procedimientos de ejecución; evaluar, monitorear y evaluar actividades que impactan el medio ambiente; promover y ayudar a la información y comunicación ambiental; y buscar el avance del conocimiento científico.[12].
La Política Nacional del Medio Ambiente de 1997 actúa como marco para la toma de decisiones ambientales en Tanzania. Los objetivos de la política son lograr lo siguiente:.
Tanzania es signataria de un número significativo de convenciones internacionales, incluida la Declaración de Río sobre Desarrollo y Medio Ambiente de 1992 y el Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica de 1996. La Ley de Gestión Ambiental, 2004, es el primer marco legal e institucional integral para guiar las decisiones de gestión ambiental. Las herramientas de política que forman parte de la ley incluyen el uso de evaluaciones de impacto ambiental, evaluaciones ambientales estratégicas e impuestos sobre la contaminación para industrias y productos específicos. La efectividad del cambio de esta ley solo se aclarará con el tiempo a medida que las preocupaciones con respecto a su implementación se hagan evidentes debido al hecho de que, históricamente, ha habido una falta de capacidad para hacer cumplir las leyes ambientales y la falta de herramientas de trabajo para brindar protección ambiental objetivos en práctica.
China
Formal environmental protection at China House was first encouraged at the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden. After this, they began to establish environmental protection agencies and put controls on some of their industrial waste. China was one of the first developing countries to implement a sustainable development strategy. In 1983, the State Council announced that environmental protection would be one of China's basic national policies, and in 1984 the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) was established. After the severe floods of the Yangtze River basin in 1998, NEPA was upgraded to the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), meaning that environmental protection is now being implemented at the ministerial level. In 2008, SEPA became known by its current name of "Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China" (MEP).[13].
Environmental pollution and ecological degradation have resulted in economic losses for China. In 2005, economic losses (mainly from air pollution) were estimated at 7.7% of China's GDP. This grew to 10.3% in 2002 and the economic loss from water pollution (6.1%) began to exceed that caused by air pollution.[14] China has been one of the best performing countries in terms of GDP growth (9.64% over the last ten years). However, high economic growth has put great pressure on its environment and the environmental challenges China faces are greater than most countries. In 2010, China ranked 121st out of 163 countries in the Environmental Performance Index.
China has taken initiatives to increase its environmental protection and combat environmental degradation:
Rapid GDP growth has been China's main goal for the past three decades with a dominant development model of inefficient resource use and high pollution to achieve high GDP. For China to develop sustainably, environmental protection must be treated as an integral part of its economic policies.[16].
Quote from Shengxian Zhou, head of the MEP (2009): "A good economic policy is a good environmental policy and the nature of the environmental problem is the economic structure, the form of production and the development model."[15].
European Union
Environmental protection has become an important task for the institutions of the European Community after the Maastricht Treaty for the ratification of the European Union by all its Member States. The EU is active in the field of environmental policy, issuing directives such as those on environmental impact assessment and access to environmental information for citizens of the Member States.
Ireland
The Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland (EPA) The EPA has a wide range of functions to protect the environment, with its main responsibilities including:[17].
Middle East
Middle Eastern countries become part of joint Islamic environmental action, which began in 2002 in Jeddah. Within the framework of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, member states join the Islamic Environment Ministers' Conference every two years, focusing on the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development. Arab countries also receive the title of best environmental management in the Islamic world.[18].
In August 2019, the Sultanate of Oman won the award for 2018-19 in Saudi Arabia, citing its project 'Verification of the age and growth of small spotted spots on the northwest coast of the Sea of Oman'.[19].
Russia
In Russia, environmental protection is considered an integral part of national security. There is an authorized state body, the Federal Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology. However, there are many environmental problems in Russia.
Latin America
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has identified 17 megadiverse countries. The list includes six Latin American countries: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Mexico and Brazil stand out from the rest because they have the largest area, population and number of species. These countries represent a major concern for environmental protection because they have high rates of deforestation, ecosystem loss, pollution, and population growth.
Brazil has the largest amount of tropical forests in the world, 4,105,401 km² (48.1% of the country's surface), concentrated in the Amazon region.[20] Brazil is home to great biological diversity: it is the first among the megadiverse countries in the world, as it has between 15% and 20% of the million and a half species described on a global scale.[21].
The organization in charge of environmental protection is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (Portuguese: Ministério do Meio Ambiente, MMA).[22] It was first created in 1973 under the name Secretaria Especial de Medio Ambiente (Special Secretariat of the Environment), changing its name several times and adopting the final name in 1999. The Ministry is responsible for addressing the following problems:.
In 2011, Amazon protected areas covered 2,197,485 km² (an area larger than Greenland), with conservation units, such as national parks, representing just over half (50.6%) and indigenous territories representing the remaining 49.4%.[23].
With more than 200,000 different species, Mexico is home to 10 to 12% of the world's biodiversity, ranking first in reptile biodiversity and second in mammal biodiversity[24]. One estimate indicates that more than 50% of all animal and plant species live in Mexico.[25]
The history of environmental policy in Mexico began in the 1940s with the enactment of the Soil and Water Conservation Law. Three decades later, in the early 1970s, the Environmental Pollution Prevention and Control Law (Law to Prevent and Control Environmental Pollution) was created.
In 1972, it was the first direct response from the federal government to address the eminent health effects of environmental problems. Established the administrative organization of the Secretariat for Environmental Improvement (Undersecretariat for Environmental Improvement) in the Department of Health and Welfare.
The Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y SERVICIOS Naturales, SEMARNAT[26]) is the Secretariat of the Environment of Mexico. The Ministry is responsible for addressing the following issues:.
In November 2000 there were 127 protected areas; There are currently 174, covering an area of 25,384,818 hectares, increasing federally protected areas from 8.6% to 12.85% of their land area.[27].
Oceania
In 2008, there were 98,487,116 ha of protected terrestrial area, covering 12.8% of Australia's land area.[28] The 2002 figures of 10.1% of terrestrial area and 64,615,554 ha of marine protected area[29] were found to poorly represent about half of Australia's 85 bioregions.[30]
Environmental protection in Australia could be seen as the beginning of the formation of the first national park, the Royal National Park, in 1879.[31] More progressive environmental protection began in the 1960s and 1970s with major international programs such as the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, the OECD Environment Committee in 1970, and the United Nations Environment Program in 1972.[32] These events laid the foundations. by increasing public awareness and support for regulation. State environmental legislation was patchy and poor until the Australian Environment Council (AEC) and the Council of Nature Conservation Ministers (CONCOM) were established in 1972 and 1974, creating a forum to help coordinate environmental and conservation policies between the states and neighboring countries.[33] These councils have since been replaced by the Australia and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) in 1991 and finally the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) in 2001.[34].
At a national level, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999* is the main environmental protection legislation of the Commonwealth of Australia. It deals with issues of national and international environmental importance in relation to flora, fauna, ecological communities and cultural heritage.[35] It also has jurisdiction over any activity carried out by or affecting the Commonwealth that has a significant environmental impact.[36] The law covers eight main areas:[37].
There are a number of Commonwealth lands protected due to associations with traditional native owners, such as Kakadu National Park, extraordinary biodiversity such as Christmas Island National Park), or managed cooperatively due to interstate location, such as the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves.
At the state level, most environmental protection issues are left to the state or territory.[33][36] Each state in Australia has its own environmental protection legislation and corresponding agencies. Their jurisdiction is similar and covers pollution from point sources, such as industrial or commercial activities, land/water use, and waste management. Most protected lands are managed by states and territories[38] with state legislation creating different grades and definitions of protected areas such as wilderness areas, terrestrial and marine national parks, state forests and conservation areas. States also create regulations to limit and provide general protection against air, water, and noise pollution.
At local level, each city or regional council has responsibility for matters not covered by state or national legislation. This includes non-point sources or diffuse pollution, such as sediment contamination from construction sites.
Swiss
Environmental protection in Switzerland is mainly based on the measures to be taken against global warming. Pollution in Switzerland is mainly pollution caused by vehicles and tourist litter.
USA
Since 1969, the United States Environmental Protection Agency "Environmental Protection Agency (United States)") (EPA) has been working to protect the environment and human health.[46].
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent public body under the auspices of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment established under the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992.
All states in the United States have their own state-level environmental protection departments,[47] which can issue stricter regulations than federal ones.
In January 2010, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson published her "*Seven Priorities for the Future of EPA" via the EPA's official blog, which were (in the order originally listed):
As of 2019, it is unclear whether these still represent the agency's active priorities, as Jackson departed in February 2013, and the page has not been updated in the interim.
India
The Constitution of India has a number of provisions that delineate the responsibility of the central and state governments towards the protection of the environment. The responsibility of the state towards the protection of the environment has been established under Article 48-A of our constitution which states that.
Protection of the environment has become a fundamental duty of all citizens of India under Article 51-A (g) of the constitution which says:.
Article 21 of the constitution is a fundamental right that establishes that:.