Tímarit lögfræðinga - 01.12.1989, Side 10

Another outstanding contribution to the protection of the environ-
ment is the Report of 1987 of the World Commission on Environment
and Development — the so-called Brundtland Report, entitled Our
Common Future. Let me also draw attention to a third brilliant and
thorough contribution: the World Watch Institute Report of 1989.
II
1. I shall attempt to define the prevailing principles of international
law, with regard to the management and protection of our globe
against the threats of poisoning of our environment by pollution. I
shall not dwell too deeply on the factual situation with which our
generation and future generations are faced in this respect but confine
myself to two quotations. My first quotation is from the Brundtland
Report, which focuses on the dangers to which our planet is exposed
through the ruthless poisoning of our environment by manmade
activities. The Report states on pages 1—3:
“There are .. . environmental trends that threaten to radically
alter the planet, that threaten the lives of many species upon it,
including the human species. Each year another 6 million hectares
of productive dryland turns into worthless desert. Over three
decades, this would amount to an area roughly as large as Saudi
Arabia. More than 11 million hectares of forests are destroyed
yearly, and this, over three decades, would equal an area about
the size of India. Much of this forest is converted to low-gi’ade
farmland unable to support the farmes who settle it. In Europe,
acid precipitation kills forests and lakes and damages the artistic
and architectural heritage of nations; it may have acidified vast
tracts of soil beyond reasonable hope of repair. The burning of
fossil fuels puts into the atmosphere carbon dioxide, which is
causing gradual global warming. This ‘greenhouse effect’ may
by early next century have increased average global temperatures
enough to shift agricultural production areas, raise sea levels to
flood coastal cities, and disrupt national economies. Other
industrial gases threaten to deplete the planet’s protective ozone
shield to such an extent that the number of human and animal
cancers would rise sharply and the oceans’ food chain would be
disrupted. Industry and agriculture put toxic substances into the
human food chain and into underground water tables beyond
reach of cleansing.”
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