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IX.

18.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND PUBLIC AWARENESS

82. State and local governments are responsible for most formal education programmes in the United States. Nonetheless, the national communication describes several programmes that the federal Government is implementing to increase public awareness and provide education about the climate change issue and the team felt that the national communication did respect the reporting guidelines in this area.

83. Many of the educational programmes described in the national communication are closely linkod with scientific research programmes on climate change. This linkage has been developed out of necessity. While the United States Government can produce and distribute selentifie information that can be used by advoentes, The United States government produces and distributes scientific and technical Information that can be used in the public sector, although it is prohibited by law fro acting as an advocate for a particular goal. United States law does not permit the Government to be a public advocate on the climate change issuc. The team noted that this situation does not prevail in all OECD countries.

84. During its visit the team was told that one of the major educational initiatives described in the national communication, the GLOBE programme (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment), was likely to have its funding significantly cut back by the United States Congress.

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Acknowledging that change in the Earth's climate and its adverse effects are
a common concern of humankind,

Concerned that human activities have been substantially increasing the
atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, that these increases enhance
the natural greenhouse effect, and that this will result on average in an
additional warming of the Earth's surface and atmosphere and may adversely
affect natural ecosystems and humankind,

Noting that the largest share of historical and current global emissions
of greenhouse gases has originated in developed countries, that per capita
emissions in developing countries are still relatively low and that the share of
global emissions originating in developing countries will grow to meet their
social and development needs,

Aware of the role and importance in terrestrial and marine ecosystems of
sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases,

Noting that there are many uncertainties in predictions of climate change,
particularly with regard to the timing, magnitude and regional patterns thereof,

Acknowledging that the global nature of climate change calls for the widest
possible cooperation by all countries and their participation in an effective and
appropriate international response, In accordance with their common but
differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and their social and
economic conditions,

Recalling the pertinent provisions of the Declaration of the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment, adopted at Stockholm on
16 June 1972,

Becalling also that States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United
Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit
their own resources pursuant to their own environmental and developmental
policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction
or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas
beyond the limits of national jurisdiction,

Reaffirming the principle of sovereignty of States in international
cooperation to address climate change,

Recognizing that States should enact effective environmental legislation,
that environmental standards, management objectives and priorities should
reflect the environmental and developmental context to which they apply,
and that standards applied by some countries may be inappropriate and of
unwarranted economic and social cost to other countries, in particular
developing countries,

Recalling the provisions of General Assembly resolution 44/228 of
22 December 1989 on the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development, and resolutions 43/53 of 6 December 1988, 44/207 of
22 December 1989, 45/212 of 21 December 1990 and 46/169 of

19 December 1991 on protection of global climate for present and future
generations of mankind,

Recalling also the provisions of General Assembly resolution 44/206 of
22 December 1989 on the possible adverse effects of sea-level rise on islands
and coastal areas, particularly low-lying coastal areas and the pertinent
provisions of General Assembly resolution 44/172 of 19 December 1989 on
the implementation of the Plan of Action to Combat Desertification,

Recalling further the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone
Layer, 1985, and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer, 1987, as adjusted and amended on 29 June 1990,

Noting the Ministerial Declaration of the Second World Climate Conference
adopted on 7 November 1990,

Conscious of the valuable analytical work being conducted by many
States on climate change and of the important contributions of the World
Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme and
other organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, as well as
other International and Intergovernmental bodies, to the exchange of results of
scientific research and the coordination of research,

Recognizing that steps required to understand and address climate change
will be environmentally, socially and economically most effective if they are
based on relevant scientific, technical and economic considerations and
continually re-evaluated in the light of new findings in these areas,

Recognizing that various actions to address climate change can be
justified economically in their own right and can also help in solving other
environmental problems,

Recognizing also the need for developed countries to take immediate action
In a flexible manner on the basis of clear priorities, as a first step towards
comprehensive response strategies at the global, national and, where agreed,
regional levels that take into account all greenhouse gases, with due
consideration of their relative contributions to the enhancement of the
greenhouse effect,

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Recognizing further that low-lying and other small island countries,⚫
countries with low-lying coastal, arid and semi-arid areas or areas liable to
floods, drought and desertification, and developing countries with fragile
mountainous ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of
climate change,

Recognizing the special difficulties of those countries, especially developing
countries, whose economies are particularly dependent on fossil fuel production,
use and exportation, as a consequence of action taken on limiting greenhouse
gas emissions,

Affirming that responses to climate change should be coordinated with
social and economic development in an integrated manner with a view to
avoiding adverse impacts on the latter, taking into full account the legitimate
priority needs of developing countries for the achievement of sustained
economic growth and the eradication of poverty,

Recognizing that all countries, especially developing countries, need access
to resources required to achieve sustainable social and economic development
and that, in order for developing countries to progress towards that goal, their
energy consumption will need to grow taking into account the possibilities for
achieving greater energy efficiency and for controlling greenhouse gas emissions
in general, including through the application of new technologies on terms
which make such an application economically and socially beneficial,
Determined to protect the climate system for present and future
generations,

Have agreed as follows:

2. "Climate change" means a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.

3. "Climate system" means the totality of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, blosphere and geosphere and their interactions.

4. "Emissions" means the release of greenhouse gases and/or their precursors
Into the atmosphere over a specified area and period of time.

5. "Greenhouse gases" means those gaseous constituents of the atmosphere,
both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and re-emit Infrared radiation.
6. "Regional economic integration organization" means an organization
constituted by sovereign States of a given region which has competence in
respect of matters governed by this Convention or its protocols and has
.been duly authorized, in accordance with its internal procedures, to sign,
ratify, accept, approve or accede to the instruments concerned.

7. "Reservoir" means a component or components of the climate system where
a greenhouse gas or a precursor of a greenhouse gas is stored.

8. "Sink" means any process, activity or mechanism which removes a
greenhouse gas, an aerosol or a precursor of a greenhouse gas from the
atmosphere.

9. "Source" means any process or activity which releases a greenhouse gas,
an aerosol or a precursor of a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

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1. "Adverse effects of climate change" means changes in the physical
environment or blota resulting from climate change which have significant
deleterious effects on the composition, resilience or productivity of natural
and managed ecosystems or on the operation of socio-economic systems or
on human health and welfare.

• Titles of articles are included solely to assist the reader.

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