STOCKHOLM DECLARATION, 1972

In 1968-1969, the General Assembly, by Resolutions 2398 and 2581 decided to conduct the
conference. The Stockholm Convention was held in Sweden from June 5-16, 1972. The
object behind this convention was to “create a basis for comprehensive consideration within
the United Nations of the problems of the human environment,” and to “focus the attention
of Governments and public opinion in various countries on the importance of the problem.”
The main principle of the Stockholm declaration was “to serve as a practical means to
encourage and to provide guidelines to protect and improve the human environment and to
remedy and prevent its impairment”.
The proposal of the Stockholm Conference was made in 1968 in Sweden and contended that
the United Nation must hold an International conference to examine environmental issues
that required International cooperation to solve the problems related to environmental
pollution. The Stockholm Conference was attended by 114 government delegations. At the
time of the Stockholm Declaration, 26 principles were broadly declared to recognize the
human impact on the environment, and that was for the first time in history that the
environmental issues had been recognised publicly on a global scale. The conference came
up with several frameworks for environmental actions, an action plan containing 109
recommendations related to human settlements, development, natural resource management,
educational and social aspects of the environment, pollution and International organizations.
Stockholm declaration
The Stockholm Declaration of 1972 broadly recognizes global issues and has eventually
come up with 26 principles and with some frameworks as well to bind all the countries
together to deal with these environmental issues. The conference has created history in the
world by addressing environmental issues at the global level. The Stockholm Declaration
accentuated the needs of the nations to design development plans with the combination of
science and technology in order to lessen air, land and water pollution and human impact on
the environment. The main purpose of the Stockholm Declaration was to save the world
from all the evils that were destroying the environment, to preserve natural resources, to
control the pollution and to protect from several other environmental issues. In other words,
we could say that the main purpose was to save the earth, there even is a slogan of the
Stockholm Declaration, 1972 i.e., “Only One Earth”.
The Declaration urges every country to create regulations for protecting wildlife and natural
resources that are available in that country and suggests that every country create national
population policies since overpopulation is also one of the major causes why we are left with
limited natural resources today.
Important Provisions
The Stockholm Declaration, 1972 comprises the proclamation of 26 principles and several
other submissions of recommendations. Every principle which is laid down in the Stockholm
declaration is an important provision of the declaration. These 26 principles are as follows:
Principle 1: Right to Protect Environment
Article 21 of the Indian Constitution which talks about Right to life includes Right to a
healthy environment as well, It is the human right of a man to live in a healthy environment
and to protect the environment and the human can take any legal action against the one who
is destroying the environment, as the right to a healthy environment is a fundamental right of
a person.
Principle 2: Management of Natural Resources
The human must manage the natural resources available on earth and it applies to all the
natural resources which include air, water, land and samples of the natural ecosystem so that
the upcoming generations would also be able to enjoy the natural resources. But this requires
accurate planning and management and this would happen only if we safeguard our natural
resources today, only then we could achieve our goals and save the natural resources for
future generation.
Principle 3: Management of Renewable Resources
In the war of saving our resources, the human community needs to come up as one unit to
maintain the capacity of the earth to produce vital renewable resources.
Principle 4: Conservation of Wildlife
The humans shall take it as a responsibility to safeguard and manage the heritage of wildlife
and its habitat, which are now in danger because of the acts done by them. Everyone has to
come up as one unit for working effectively to protect our nature including wildlife and must
understand the importance of nature in planning for economic development.
Principle 5: Management of Non-Renewable Resources
As we all are aware of the fact that we are today left with very limited non-renewable
resources, we must contribute in order to save our non-renewable resources which are
available on earth and must employ them in a way to guard against the danger of their future
exhaustion and must ensure their benefits are shared with the whole mankind.
Principle 6: Pollution Control
The main causes of pollution are the gases, liquid substances, toxic substances or other
substances which industries or mills discharge and such quantities of harmful substances
pollute the environment in which we live. Every person should put their possible efforts and
should protect the environment from pollution. Everyone has to struggle a bit to control the
pollution on the earth so that everyone enjoys nature without pollution.
Principle 7: Prevention of Pollution of Seas
The State government shall take some major actions to protect the seas from pollution,
especially from the industries that are polluting the rivers by discharging hazardous
chemicals in it and from the tourists who throw plastic in rivers and other substances that are
hazardous to human health and to living resources as well.
Principle 8: Economic and Social Development
Economic and Social development is essential for ensuring a comfortable living but the act
done by humans shall not affect the environment. The working environment of men is
necessary for the improvement of the quality of life but the act shall be in such a way that
our environment does not suffer due to that and we would be able to live in a pollution-free
environment.
Principle 9: Underdevelopment and Natural Disaster
Environmental deficiencies generated by the conditions of underdevelopment and natural
disasters can best be remedied by investing in substantial amounts of financial and
technological assistance.
Principle 10: Stability of Prices of Primary Commodities
The stability of prices and adequate earnings for primary commodities and raw materials are
essential for environmental management in the developing countries.
Principle 11: Environmental Policies
The government should introduce some environmental policies for controlling pollution and
for the development of countries so that pollution does not affect the present and future
generations. The State should adopt an integrated and coordinated approach to developing
such plans.
Principle 12: Environment Protection Education
Humans need to be educated about environmental protection to make them much aware
about the issue. It is essential and it should be communicated to humans by conducting skits
or through media or any other medium to make people aware of the environmental crisis so
that people would work effectively to control the pollution by putting their efforts.
Principle 13: Rational Management of Resources
It is essential for every State to adopt an integrated and coordinated approach for the
development of the country and every plan must work in an effective way. The purpose
behind is to achieve the rational management of resources.
Principle 14: Rational Planning
Rational planning is an essential tool for confirming any clashes between the needs of
development and the need to protect and improve the environment.
Principle 15: Human Settlement
The settlement of the human community must be planned and organised well for the purpose
of avoiding the effects on the environment.
Principle 16: Human Population
The government has to introduce some policies for controlling the population and must work
according to such policies, with the view for controlling the population on the earth as it is
one of the major issues of the earth and we should work effectively to control it. Today most
of the countries have a large population and increasing population growth has adverse effects
on the environment.
Principle 17: Setting of Environmental Pollution Control Agencies at National Level
For the purpose of saving the environment, the government must establish Environmental
Pollution Agencies at national level and shall grant them the power to control the pollution at
the national level. The agency must be established with proper planning and management to
control the pollution and protect the resources.
Principle 18: Use of Science and Technology
In this generation Science and technology have developed completely and it is suggested that
the government should take some help of science and technology to control the pollution and
save the environment for a better tomorrow. Science and technology must work in a manner
to control environmental problems and must come up with new research and innovations.
Principle 19: Education in Environmental Matters
The earth is suffering from pollution and it is essential to educate humans about
environmental matters to make people aware of the issues of the environment, so that every
individual, enterprise and community could put their joint efforts for protecting and
improving the environment in its full human dimension.
Principle 20: Further Scientific Research
The government must promote new scientific research and innovations for the development
in the context of environmental problems in all the countries, especially in the developing
countries.
Principle 21: Rights and Responsibility of Sovereign Nation
It is the right of the Sovereign Nations to exploit their own resources in pursuit of their own
environmental policies. The sovereign nations must look towards the activities of their nation
and must take care that it would not affect the environment in their jurisdiction and shall not
cause damage to the environment of other states or areas beyond the limits of their national
jurisdiction.
Principle 22: Development of International Law
It is important that every State should cooperate to develop International law regarding
liability and compensation for the ones who are polluting our environment, as we all have to
fight as one unit to protect our environment against the pollution.
Principle 23: Implementation of Agenda by Every Country
Without prejudice to such criteria as may be agreed upon by the international community, or
to standards which will have to be determined nationally, it will be essential in all cases to
consider the system of values prevailing in each country, and the context of the applicability
of standards which are valid for the most advanced countries but which may be inappropriate
and of unwarranted social cost for the developing countries.
Principle 24: International Cooperation
Every country on the earth should contribute on an equal level towards the International law
for protecting our environment and our natural resources. For the improvement of the
environment it must be handled in a cooperative spirit by all the countries as a union.
Principle 25: Coordinated and Dynamic Role
The International organisations play an efficient and dynamic role for safeguarding and
improving the environment and every state must ensure that to every human.
Principle 26: Ban on Nuclear Weapons
No country should use the nuclear weapon against any country, nuclear weapons must be
eliminated by every country.
Effects of the convention:
The Stockholm convention paved the way for other international conventions on the
preservation of the environment such as the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, 1973. In the same line, the Parliament of India
passed the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Water (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 to give effect to the
Stockholm convention.
The Stockholm convention was the first convention to discuss environmental issues on a
global scale. The declaration proclaims truths relating to man and the environment such as
man is the creator and moulder of his surroundings.
The declaration also reiterates the importance of preservation of the environment. It urges
citizens to come together and protect the environment. The declaration recognizes humans as
the greatest threat to the environment. Humans are responsible for almost all of the
environmental destruction. Humans have altered the human environment also.
The declaration discusses in detail the role of underdeveloped nations in environmental
problems and urges them to reduce their negative impact on the environment. The industrial
countries are not free from problems, but their problems relate to industrialization and
technological development.
The significance of humans and their contributions to the environment are also discussed in
detail. The declaration recognizes the capability of humans to make strides in social progress
and the use of science to make a better environment. Individuals have the responsibility to
exercise care and precaution. Ignorant and careless actions lead to the destruction and
deterioration of the environment. To take careful action, better awareness, and education
about the protection of the environment are required.
Governments are directed to control their internal actions by enacting and enforcing
environmental laws and to coordinate with other nations and international agencies to
mitigate the damage caused by pollution.