Faragó Tibor

Imperiling and Saving our Planetary Home

WILL WE FINALLY ELIMINATE THE USE OF TOXIC HEAVY METALS?

It is an outstanding achievement in terms of international environmental cooperation that policy programs and agreements have been formulated to control human activities responsible for the serious harms caused by toxic heavy metals based on extensive observations and the increasingly evident results of scientific research. However, the adequacy of such policy or legal instruments for achieving the ultimate objective of the significant reduction or even complete cessation of these harms can only be judged on the basis of the provisions contained therein, such as the specific goals, actions, means of implementation, their exact phrasings reflecting compromises, the possibilities for exceptions, and binding or voluntary requirements/commitments, etc. This approach is commonly referred to as the evaluation of the environmental or ecological effectiveness of the pertinent instruments. In other words, this also means the matching of the set of concrete goals, policies, and measures contained in the document approved by consensus with the scientific knowledge revealed about the extent and severity of the adverse implications, their causal relations, and the science-based recommendations for the necessary interventions. The institutional and legal effectiveness of such international programs/agreements, based on the assessment of their (f)actual realization, can be assessed (only) in comparison to the former: i.e., of their provisions, what was de facto fulfilled (first of all, the approved requirements/commitments) and the knowledge of whether their specific goals were fully or at least partially achieved. We will begin by addressing these latter aspects of effectiveness (1.4.1, 1.4.2).

Imperiling and Saving our Planetary Home

Tartalomjegyzék

Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2025

ISBN: 978 963 664 165 8

Környezettudomány

Our common planetary home is affected by hazardous environmental processes stemming from human activities. These have gradually reached a global scale during the past century, especially concerning the environmental releases of toxic heavy metals, hazardous chemicals, and waste, the emissions of ozone-depleting substances, and greenhouse gases. All these are directly or indirectly related to the accelerated utilization of a multitude of natural resources and in the broadest sense, to unsustainable production and consumption patterns. These significantly influence the living conditions of present and future generations. The chapters of this book present the emergence, globalization, and escalation of the above-mentioned environmental processes, the history of the recognition of their unintended harmful impacts, the development of the associated international scientific and political cooperation.

The author of this book has been working on this topic for decades, including through his involvement in the work of several international organizations. He has a detailed understanding not only of the natural laws governing planetary environmental processes (that fundamentally determine the life of human societies) but also of the highly complex regulatory affairs concerning human activities that significantly affect the state of the natural environment. Four human-induced environmental problems are explored in this book – their historical antecedents and current situation – which have become particularly critical on a global scale. I recommend this thought-provoking and readable book to those who are interested in the most important environmental problems of our time and the process of their international management. László Bozó

The book is an invaluable source document of all the efforts made by international community over the past fifty years to preserve the health of our planet. It could be written only by someone who has closely observed these efforts. It should be compulsory reading for everyone involved in international issues and cooperation concerning environment protection, including representatives of relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations. It might not be an exaggeration to say that officials and experts at the international institutions in this field would also benefit from studying this book, to avoid repeating past mistakes and gain valuable insights from their colleagues’ experiences. I commend the author and recommended the publication of this book with professional conviction and sincere pleasure. Sándor Kerekes

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/farago-imperiling-and-saving-our-planetary-home//

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