British Government Panel on sustainable development : second report, January 1996.

  • Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Date:
1996
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: British Government Panel on sustainable development : second report, January 1996. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Depletion of fish stocks “The Panel recommends that the Government review the scope and procedures, and extend the funding of its decommissioning scheme.” [para.29 of the Panel’s First Report] “The Panel recommends that the Government take steps to promote the establishment of an Intergovernmental Panel on the Oceans. ... One target would be to formulate and implement by the year 2000 a convention to secure the sustainability of the marine environment.” [para.31] “The Panel recommends that the Government act rather than react to events by giving a lead at home, within the European Union, and internationally in promoting long-term policies for conservation of fisheries and protection of the marine environment generally.” [para.32] Over the past year the depletion of fish stocks has generated considerable international tension between certain governments. It remains a combustible issue. There have been one or two positive developments including an Agreement in August 1995 amplifying the Convention on the Law of the Sea with respect to the management of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks. But fundamental problems remain unchanged. Depletion of fish stocks has continued at an accelerating rate. There is also significant waste. Substantial quantities of fish caught continue to be discarded. Massive subsidies continue to go to fishing fleets. There is still no prospect of a rational and sustainable use of fish resources. on the oceans in November/December 1995 and welcomes its conclusion that existing organizations and mechanisms should be better coordinated. These issues are to be taken forward at the 1996 session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The Panel continues to support the idea of an Intergovernmental Panel on the Oceans, comparable to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to examine the science, assess the human impact, and suggest a framework for responsible management of the oceans. Such a Panel could draw upon the multiplicity of existing organizations and bring their work more effectively together. Ozone depletion “The Panel recommends that the Government should seek to ensure that sufficient attention is given internationally to [breaches of the Montreal Protocol].” [para.34 of the Panel's First Report] “The Panel recommends that the Government put more effort into coordination of monitoring, and publish periodic assessments of [the effects of increased UVB radiation at ground level which] could be a major hazard to human health and the environment generally.” [para.35]
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