The first part of Section V "Framework for action and follow-up" Point A.104 states the objective for the conference is primarily to "secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, as well as to address the themes of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and the institutional framework for sustainable development." This statement sets a benchmark for what the conference is trying to achieve and it doesn't aim very high. The conference is not meant to enhance concrete commitments that have already been made. It is to secure renewed political commitment. Of course this needs to be done within the three days the delegates attend the conference while they are supposed to be using the time to further sustainable development.
References to Concrete Action
Point 163 commits to taking "action to reduce the incidence and impacts of such pollution on marine ecosystems, including through the effective implementation of relevant conventions adopted in the framework of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the follow-up of the relevant intiatives such as the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities, as well as the adoption of coordinated strategies to this end. We further commit to take action to, by 2025, based on collected scientific data, achieve significant reductions in marine debris to prevent harm to the coastal and marine environment."
In Point 255 the Parties "agree to establish an intergovernmental process under the auspices of the General Assembly, with technical support from the United Nations system and in open and broad consultation with relevant international and regional financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders. The process will assess financing needs, consider the effectiveness, consistency and synergies of existing instruments and frameworks, and evaluate additional initiatives, with a view to preparing a report proposing options on an effective sustainable development financing strategy to facilitate the mobilization of resources and their effective use in achieving sustainable development objectives." Point 256 further states, "An intergovernmental committee, comprising 30 experts nominated by regional groups, with equitable geographical representation, will implement this process, concluding its work by 2014."
Concrete Actions
There were no further concrete actions taken at the Conference.
Important Criticism
Point 247 states, "We also underscore that sustainable development goals should be action oriented,
concise and easy to communicate, limited in number, aspirational, global
in nature and universally applicable to all countries while taking into account
different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting
national policies and priorities." This is an enormous mistake. If this rule is followed plans for sustainable development can not be action oriented they can only espouse goals for what we would like to see. Action oriented goals have to be tailored to every region or locality or they are meaningless. The problems one area may face, drought, will be different from what another area will, increase in disease vectors. This necessitates individual planning, which if done at the state level will look like an enormous and complicated plan on a level that has never been witnessed.
This is not only necessary it should have already happened. I think it is nice to believe that climate change can be mitigated by independent actors slowly making concessions and building new infrastructure over time but that is not the case. It has to be done now. As the Arctic is warming and releasing methane we are sitting on the precipice of a disaster. (See my previous post on Arctic Methane as a Driver of Climate.) Regulation with teeth needs to be put in place to ensure that all actors are cutting emissions, not just those who think it is a good idea.
Conclusion
The purpose of these annual meetings is to further the creation of sustainable development policy and methods for ensuring compliance. Specific plans should be created at these meetings while the maintenance of them should be carried out throughout the year in technical conferences. At Rio all work seemed to be put off until later. No specific plans for how any of the affirmations would be implemented were put forth. No enforcement mechanisms were discussed. The process has no urgency behind it. Even if recommendations are to be sent to the General Assembly for further review an outline of the vision for the plan should be in the outcome documents.
In future posts I'm going to go over the various action plans that were listed in "Future we Want" to decipher what actions are being taken as a result of the UNCSD talks.
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