Tímarit lögfræðinga - 01.12.1989, Page 9

In the Final Report of the Stockholm Conference of 16 June 1972,
called the Stockholm Declaration, a series of basic principles were
spelt out.
Thus Principle 1 provides, inter alia:
“Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and
adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that
permits a life of dignity and well-being, and he beai’s a solemn
responsibility to protect and improve the environment for present
and future generations.”
Principle 2 expresses another principal rule of international law
relating to the environment:
“The natural resources of the earth including the air, water,
land, flora and fauna and especially representative samples of
natural ecosystems must be safeguarded for the benefit of present
and future generations ... .”
Principle 3 in the Declaration is equally central to the protection
and management of the environment. It provides:
“The capacity of the earth to produce vital renewable resources
must be maintained and, wherever practicable, restored or im-
proved.”
Principle 4 lays down a special responsibility for mankind to “safe-
guard and wisely manage the heritage of wildlife and its habitat”.
Principles 6 and 7 are concerned with the increasing threat of pollution
of our environment. Principle 6 is a central provision:
“The discharge of toxic substances or of other substances and
the release of heat, in such quantities or concentrations as to
exceed the capacity of the environment to render them harmless,
must be halted in order to ensure that serious or irreversible
damage is not inflicted upon ecosystems.”
Equally important as an expression of prevailing principles of
international law is Principle 7 to the effect that:
“States shall take all possible steps to prevent pollution of the
seas by substances that are liable to create hazards to human
health, to harm living resources and marine life, to damage
amenities or to interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea.”
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