Stockholm and the Birth of Environmental Diplomacy

This briefing describes the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, as the foundational event for modern environmental diplomacy. It details the conference's origins, the tensions between developed and developing nations, the resulting Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan, and the subsequent establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

• The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm was a landmark event, being the first UN conference to include "environment" in its title and the first to support the participation of civil society, with 250 non-governmental organizations attending.
• The conference was preceded by a series of global environmental disasters in the 1960s, including a 1962 air pollution event in London that killed 750 people, a 1966 coal mine waste collapse in Aberfan, Wales, that killed 144 people, and mercury poisoning in Minamata Bay, Japan, which caused 2,265 deaths.
• The conference faced significant geopolitical tensions, including a boycott by the Soviet bloc because East Germany was excluded under the "Vienna formula." Additionally, developing countries, represented by figures like Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, feared that environmental concerns would be used by Northern powers to restrict their economic development.
• The Stockholm Declaration established the first global set of principles for international environmental cooperation, influencing later agreements like the 1992 Rio Declaration. Key principles included intergenerational obligations, the concept of "additionality" in development assistance, and the sovereign right of states to exploit their own resources provided they do not damage other states' environments.
• The conference led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which serves as the UN focal point for environmental issues. After a dispute over location—where industrialized nations preferred Geneva—UNEP was established in Nairobi, Kenya, to ensure the body was located outside the industrialized world.
• Beyond the creation of UNEP, the Stockholm process catalyzed several global treaties and initiatives, including the London Convention (1972) and MARPOL (1973) on marine pollution, the World Heritage Convention, CITES, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

APA

Chasek, P. (2020). Stockholm and the Birth of Environmental Diplomacy. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-09/still-one-earth-stockholm-diplomacy_0.pdf

Chicago

Chasek, Pamela. Stockholm and the Birth of Environmental Diplomacy. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-09/still-one-earth-stockholm-diplomacy_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chasek |first1=Pamela |title=Stockholm and the Birth of Environmental Diplomacy |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=September 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-09/still-one-earth-stockholm-diplomacy_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chasek2020stockholm, author = {Chasek, Pamela}, title = {{Stockholm and the Birth of Environmental Diplomacy}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-09/still-one-earth-stockholm-diplomacy_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }