In the last decades the impacts of humankind in the environment have been increasingly significant, transcending borders and reaching several populations, which contributed to its recognition as a fundamental human right by the United Nations, arguing that the preservation and conservation of this environment is intrinsic for the very safety of mankind and others species. Since then the States and other international actors have been pressured to adopt measures to include environmental issues in their agendas and discussions. It is important to note that this growing concern for the environment is recent and many of the first international agreements did not have this environmental variable. This is also applied for the first regional integration processes, which often gave greater weight to economic issues. It is worth noting that the recent intensification of regional integration processes has triggered movements of political and strategic nature of various orders and directions, and among it is included the environmental issues. Within this context, this article aims to analyze how the environment is treated in UNASUR, one of the latest regional integration projects in South America, which currently presents itself as an important space for the resolution of regional conflicts and establishment as a supranational institution to integrate the countries of the region. In this sense, the analysis begins with the UNASURs Constitutive Treaty, the principal legal system within the Union, to see how the environment is considered in this regional integration process.
The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the environment
1. THE UNION OF SOUTH AMERICAN NATIONS (UNASUR)
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
ISABELA BATTISTELLO ESPÍNDOLA
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF SÃO CARLOS (UFSCAR)
2. INTRODUCTION
▪ In the last decades the humankind impact in the environment has been
increasingly significant;
▪ Its transcends borders and reaches several populations around the world;
▪ The United Nations recognized the environment as a fundamental human
right;
▪ In others words, the preservation and conservation of the environment is
intrinsic for the very safety of mankind and other species;
▪ A healthy environment not just for some, but for everyone;
▪ States and other international actors have been pressured to adopt measures
to include environmental issues in their agendas and discussions;
3. INTRODUCTION
▪ But this growing concern for the environment is recent;
▪ Many of the first international agreements did not have this
environmental variable included;
▪ One example is that the first regional integration processes often gave
greater weight to economic issues;
▪ Now the recent regional integration processes includes some perspectives
related to the environmental issues;
▪ UNASUR and its Constitutive Treaty;
▪ How the environment is considered in this latest regional integration
process? It is described? It is protected? What says the Constitutive
Treaty?
4. INTRODUCTION
▪ Campos (2015) and Karg (2015) considers that the UNASUR is one of the
most important regional integration initiative, specially because it goes
beyond the traditional integration assumptions;
▪ UNASUR is worried not just with economics, but also with defense,
health, energy, science, technology and other things;
▪ So, for Costa (2009) UNASUR has a multilateral nature;
▪ It also seeks to strengthen development between its members;
▪ Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay,
Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela;
▪ UNASUR started only in 2008 (its Constitutive Treaty was sign);
5. INTRODUCTION
▪ South America is strategically placed in international politics because of its
environmental resources (Senhoras et al., 2009; Campos, 2015);
▪ It has huge mineral reserves, is one of the regions with the biggest water
reserve and has a high biodiversity rate;
▪ The region "has significant hydrocarbon reserves, 30% of freshwater
resources in the world and 8 million km2 of forests" (UNASUR, 2015);
▪ But according to CEPAL (2014) the UNASUR member countries have lost
more than 8.7% of its forests since 1990 and increased carbon dioxide
emissions by 7% from the Union's emergence in 2008;
▪ Environmental resources: indispensable tool for the region development
as well as a mean to ensure all fundamental rights to the region
population;
6. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
▪ The concern for the environment and its problems are supranational,
transcending national boundaries or governments (RIBEIRO, 2010;
LORENZETTI; CARRION, 2012);
▪ It is a growing demand but also a hard challenge (DOMINGUES, 2006;
ALTOMONTE; SÁNCHEZ, 2016), specially with the climate change
(CAMPOS, 2015);
▪ South America has suffer since the colonial period with the exploration of
its natural resources and today some of this primary and extractive
products are very important to the their economy;
▪ That is the reason why Culpi (2014) believes that there is a common
interest and concern for the environmental protection in this region;
7. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
▪ To Rodrigues (2013) it is also possible to see that the environmental issue
begins to gain importance and space in the UNASURs agenda, mostly
because some of its councils already presented some actions plains
related to the environment;
Council of Heads and
Heads of State and
Government (CCCEG)
South America
Council of Energy
(CES)
South American
Council of
Infrastructure and
Planning (COSIPLAN)
South American
Council of Economy
and Finance (CSEF)
8. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
UNASUR and its Constitutive Treaty
▪ The Constitutive Treaty is a guideline for all the Union’s State members;
▪ Preamble: first reference;
“Affirming their determination to build a South American identity and
citizenship and to develop an integrated regional space in the political,
economic, social, cultural, environmental, energy and infrastructure
dimensions, for the strengthening of Latin America and Caribbean unity”
(UNASUL, 2008, p.7).
“Convinced that the South American integration and South American unity
are necessary to promote the sustainable development and wellbeing of
our peoples” (UNASUL, 2008, p.7).
9. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
▪ The next mention is on the second objective, which clarifies that UNASUR
looks forward to building a space of integration that prioritizes the
environment:
“Article 2 Objective - The objective of the South American Union of Nations
is to build, in a participatory and consensual manner, an integration and
union among its peoples in the cultural, social, economic and political fields,
prioritizing political dialogue, social policies, education, energy,
infrastructure, financing and the environment, among others, with a view
to eliminating socioeconomic inequality, in order to achieve social inclusion
and participation of civil society, to strengthen democracy and reduce
asymmetries within the framework of strengthening the sovereignty and
independence of the States”. (UNASUL, 2008, p.7).
10. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
▪ Another reference is exposed in the specific objectives (UNASUL, 2008,
p.10).
“Article 3 Specific Objectives - The South American Union of Nations has the
following objectives: (…) (d) Energy integration for the integral and
sustainable use of the resources of the region, in a spirit of solidarity; (g)
The protection of biodiversity, water resources and ecosystems, as well as
cooperation in the prevention of catastrophes and in combating the causes
and effects of climate change”
▪ With this mentions we can infer that the UNASUR States considers that
the environment is fundamental to accelerate and expand the integration
process in the region as well as achieving the dreamed regional
development;
11. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
▪ However the Constitutive Treaty does not specific mention the
environmental protection;
▪ It does not establish which are the basic and needed steps to preserve
the environment, and it does not present any legal environmental
standards to ensure the protection of nature and any penalty for
violations and infringements;
▪ To Ventura e Baraldi (2008 apud COSTA, 2010) the Union commits a
mistake for not clarifying how its institutions will work according to what
is planned, as well as for not explaining how all of the objective listed in
the Constitutive Treaty will be achieved.
▪ But it is really this?
12. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
▪ The Constitutive Treaty consider the environmental preservation as
central to the integration process;
▪ Therefore, the environment is presented as a concern connected to its
preservation and related to a more efficient use of the natural resources
found in the region;
▪ It is really hard to know for sure the reasons behind the inclusion of the
environmental as something essential to achieve the integration and
development objectives of the EU member states;
▪ Regardless of the reasons, UNASUR was responsible for changes regarding
the environmental in its members, specially with the increase of projects
related to cross-border resources.
13. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The legal protection of the environment in the member States of UNASUR
▪ According to Oliveira (2010) the first standards have emerged to regulate
the use of natural resources in the region and thus not aimed at
environmental protection;
▪ After RIO-92 we started to see to changes in their environmental
legislation, as they turn specifically to the protection and conservation of
the environment;
▪ All the UNASUR members counts with specific laws and regulations
related to environmental protection and in the last 25 years, almost all the
UNASUR members enacted new constitutions containing specific chapters
that includes the environment.
14. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1 – Environmental laws in UNASURs State Members. Source: adapted from HERNÁNDEZ (2015)
Country Law
Argentina Ley General del Ambiente Ley Nº 25.675
Bolivia
Ley 1333 General del Medio Ambiente promulgada el 27 de abril de 1992 y publicada en la Gaceta Oficial de Bolivia el 15 de
Junio 1992 y su Reglamentación
Brazil
Lei nº 6.938, de 31 de Agosto de 1981: Política Nacional do Meio Ambiente, seus fins e mecanismos de formulação e
aplicação, e dá outras providências
Chile Ley sobre Bases Generales del Medio Ambiente Ley Nº 19.300 publicada en el Diario Oficial del 9 de marzo de 1994
Colombia
Ley General Ambiental de Colombia Ley 99 de 1993. Diario Oficial Nº 41.146, del 22 de diciembre de 1993
Código Nacional de Recursos Naturales Renovables y de Protección al Medio
Ambiente. Decreto 28 11 del 18 de diciembre de 1974
Ecuador
Texto Unificado de la Legislación Ambiental Secundaria
Decreto Presidencial Nº 3516, 31 de marzo de 2003, Edición Especial Nº 2 del Registro Oficial
Guyana The Environment Protection Act, 1996
Paraguay
Ley Nº 816, que adopta medidas de defensa de los recursos naturales
Ley 1095 que amplía la Ley Nº 816, que adopta medidas de defensa de los recursos naturales
Ley Nº 1561/00 que crea el sistema nacional del ambiente, el consejo nacional del ambiente y la secretaria del ambiente
Peru Ley General del Ambiente, Septiembre 2005
Suriname Nature Conservation Act (1954)
Uruguay Ley General de Protección Ambiental Nº 17.283. Publicada D.O. 12 dic/000 - Nº 25663
Venezuela Ley Orgánica del Ambiente (2006)
15. CONCLUSION
▪ UNASUR recognizes that the environmental preservations is critical to the
very maintenance of life and the development of its member States;
▪ The region still lacks a multidisciplinary, inclusive and adaptive environmental
program focused on the development of a true environmental governance
among countries.
▪ However, UNASUR turns to be a legal space to develop relevant issues on the
international environmental agenda, fundamental to the evolution of the
integration process at the regional level.
▪ That is the reason why it is so important and urgent to build a legal structure
inside UNASUR, one that in addition to seeking to protect the environment, is
also able to ensure the equal participation of the member States in decisions,
development of policies, laws and environmental regulations.
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19. THANK YOU!
▪ Funding:
- To São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) for the financial support to the
research project nº 2015/16633-8.
▪ Support:
-To Prof. Dr. Celso Maran de Oliveira for the guidelines and advices;
-To the Environmental Sciences Department (DCam) from the Federal
University of São Carlos (UFSCAR) for development space of this research.
Editor's Notes
HUMAN RIGHTS - are the rights that all people have by virtue of being human; It is defined as the supreme inherent and inalienable rights to life, to dignity and to self development; Some of its characteristics are related to being universal, internationally guaranteed, legally protected, equal and indivisible, protects individual and groups, and it cannot be taken away; It is split between 5 categories: civil, political, economic, social and cultural; Along the social human rights it is placed the right to a clean environment. But it is not just that…The environmental rights protects a broad range of natural rights, as the right to clean air, right to safe drinking water, right to natural food, freedom from pollution and the preservation of unique sites;
But why UNASUR and not other regional integration process? And why study South America?
Reasons to study UNASUR. And why to study South America?
Reasons to study South America
The CCCEG approved an action plan for the protection and defense of biodiversity and regional natural resources, thus demonstrating that this natural wealth is strategic and indispensable for the South American region.
However, Campos (2015) argues that there is still a lack of common policies for the countries of UNASUR aimed at the protection, preservation and use of resources in South America, like the related regulations and pricing of products or services originated these shared environments
This article aimed to examine the inclusion of the environment in the construction of UNASUR, one of the most recent processes of integration in South America, covering their representation to member countries and setbacks for the preservation of the environment facing the search for regional development .