DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES United Nations Conference on the Environment, Stockholm 1972 (1) Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a qual- ity which permits a life of dignity and well-being, and bears a solemn responsibility to protect and improve the environ- ment for present and future generations. In this respect, policies promoting or perpetuating apartheid, racial segrega- tion, discrimination, colonial and other forms of oppression and foreign domination stand condemned and must be elimi- nated. (2) 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 planning or management as appropriate. (3) The capacity of earth to produce vital renewable resources must be maintained and wherever practicable re- stored and improved. (4) Man has a special responsibility to safeguard and wisely manage the heritage of wildlife and its habitat which are now gravely imperiled by a combination of adverse fac- tors. Nature conservation including wildlife must therefore receive importance in planning for economic developments. (5) The nonrenewable resources of the earth must be em- ployed in such a way as to guard against the danger of their future exhaustion and to insure that benefits from such em- ployment are shared by all mankind. (6) The discharge of toxic substances or of other sub- stances and the release of heat, in such quantities or concen- trations as to exceed the capacity of the environment to render them harmless, must be halted in order to insure that serious or irreversible damage is not inflicted upon ecosys- tems. The just struggle of the peoples of all countries against pollution should be supported. (7) 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. (8) Economic and social development is essential for in- suring a favorable living and working environment for man and for creating conditions on earth that are necessary for the improvement of the quality of life. (9) Environmental deficiencies generated by the condi- tions of underdevelopment and the natural disasters pose grave problems and can be remedied by accelerated develop- ment through the transfer of substantial assistance as a sup- plement to the domestic effort of the developing countries and such timely assistance as may be required. (10) For the developing countries, stability of prices and adequate earnings for primary commodities and raw mate- rials are essential to environment management since eco- nomic factors as well as ecological processes must be taken into account. (11) The environmental policies of all states should en- hance and not adversely affect the present or future develop- ment potential of developing countries, nor should they ham- per the attainment of better living conditions for all, and appropriate steps should be taken by states and international organizations with a view to reaching agreement on meeting the possible national and international economic conse- quences resulting from the application of environmental measures. (12) Resources should be made available to preserve and improve the environment, taking into account the circum- stances and particular requirements of developing countries and any costs which may emanate from their incorporating environmental safeguards into their development planning and the need for making available to them, upon their re- quest, additional international technical and financial assist- ance for this purpose. (13) In order to achieve a more rational management of resources and thus to improve the environment, states should adopt an integrated and coordinated approach to their devel- opment planning so as to insure that development is compati- ble with the need to protect and improve the human environ- ment for the benefit of their population. (14) Rational planning constitutes an essential tool for rec- onciling any conflict between the needs of development and the need to protect and improve the environment. (15) Planning must be applied to human settlements and urbanization with a view to avoiding adverse effects on the environment and on obtaining maximum social, economic and environmental benefits for all. In this respect projects which are designed for colonialist and racist domination must be abandoned. (16) Demographic policies which are without prejudice to basic human rights, and which are deemed appropriate by governments concerned should be applied in those regions where the rate of population growth or excessive population concentrations are likely to have adverse effects in the envi- ronment or development, or where low population density may prevent improvement of the human environment and impede development. (17) Appropriate national institutions must be entrusted with the task of planning, managing or controlling the envi- ronmental resources of states with the view to enhancing en- vironmental quality. (18) Science and technology, as part of their contribution to economic and social development, must be applied to the identification, avoidance and control of environmental risks and the solution of environmental problems and for the com- mon good of mankind. (19) Education in environmental matters, for the younger generation as well as adults, giving due consideration to the underprivileged, is essential in order to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individ- uals, enterprises and communities in protecting and improv- ing the environment in its full human dimension. It is essen- tial that mass media of communications avoid contributing to the deterioration of the environment, but, on the contrary, disseminate information of an educational nature on the need to protect and improve the environment in order to enable man to develop in every respect. (20) Scientific research and development in the context of environmental problems, both national and multinational, must be promoted in all countries, especially the developing countries. In this connection, the free flow of up-to-date scientific information and experience must be supported and assisted, to facilitate the solution of environmental problems: environmental technologies should be made available to de- veloping countries on terms which would encourage their wide dissemination without constituting an economic burden on the developing countries. (21) 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 policies, and the responsibility to in- sure 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. (22) States shall cooperate to develop further the interna- ational law regarding liability and compensation for the victim of pollution and other environmental damage caused by ac- tivities within the jurisdiction or control of such states to areas beyond their jurisdiction. (23) Without prejudice to such general principles as may be agreed upon by the international community, or to the criteria and minimum levels which will have to be deter- mined nationally, it will be essential in all classes to consider the systems of values prevailing in each country, and the ex- tent 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. (24) International matters concerning the protection and improvement of the environment should be handled in a co- operative spirit by all countries, big or small, on an equal footing. Cooperation through multilateral or bilateral ar- rangements or other appropriate means is essential to pre- vent, eliminate or reduce and effectively control adverse en- vironmental effects resulting from activities conducted in all spheres, in such a way that due account is taken of the sover- eignty and interests of all states. (25) States shall insure that international organizations play a coordinated, efficient and dynamic role for the protec- tion and improvement of the environment. (26) Man and his environment must be spared the effects of nuclear weapons and all other means of mass destruction. States must strive to reach prompt agreement, in the relevant international organs, on the elimination and complete de- struction of such weapons. - - - - - - - - - - Who we are :: Personal Accomplishment, Nature, and Nurture. What we are :: We all are made of tiny bits of space from various locations connected by Energy. Why we are :: We were intended to be as wise and helpful as ever there were, but not as powerful so that we would not be very destructive. "The Entire Universe Is An Experiment In Attraction" - GOD Assuming that the world is going to end at some date or some point is a mistake. "It extends Eternally" - GOD "I have surprises for everyone from here to Eternity" - GOD - - - - - - - - - -