The United Nations Environmental Programme is an international organization that plays a significant role in the protection of the environment. Over the decades, the intensification of human activities led to the overexploitation of natural resources. As an organ of the United Nations, UNEP concentrates on the implementation of guidelines cultivating the restoration of the deprived habitat. One of the major environmental policies geared by the organization is the Sustainable Development Goals (Mavroeidis et al., 2017). It is essential to determine the interdependence and impact of poor disposal of effluents from different industries and the emerging trend in the increase in human population and technological advancements. An excellent example of interdependence includes the incorporation of strategies to reduce waste disposal to the environment to attain universality despite the dynamic increase in the human population (Rodić & Wilson, 2017). An addition in the level of activities by people reflects a rise in the volumes of harmful chemicals and materials. The current environmental issue of waste management will shape the future operations of UNEP under the gradient of recycling and use of biodegradable materials as the core sustainable initiative to eradicate the negative impact of human activities.
The ethical value of safeguarding habitat encompasses the dynamic issues that control the balance between human activities and aestheticism. The integral quality constitutes the management of waste, production of food, water reserves, the remediation and control of pollution rates, the protection of animals and plants, construction and emission activities, and mining (Tremblay-Huet, 2018). These elements variably influence the effectiveness of the principles of environmental law. UNEP enhanced the participation of the country towards adopting sustainable practices hence boosting the recovery of nature’s aesthetics through the policies. In this case, the proper utilization of the available resources promotes efficient public health.
Politics played a role in the emergence of overexploitation of natural resources mainly because of the states’ lack of defining various zones of human settlement. After the Second World War, governments focused on increasing the production of goods to enhance economic growth and compensate for the loss incurred during the war. Apart from the conflicts, another factor that fostered the intensification in operations and activities globally enshrines the advancement in technology. Politics became the determinant element influencing biodiversity protection, but the majority of the leaders focused on the essence of power. Ideally, the stakeholders, namely, various national governments, abandoned the environmental protection acts and allowed the exploitation of natural resources (Garmestani et al., 2019). An excellent example is the overfishing done by the Japanese government to satisfy the population with an adequate supply of seafood and maximize the exportation business. In essence, the politics enhanced the overexploitation of marine life to boost the country’s economic growth, a factor that led to the decrease in the inhabitants. UNEP encounters a profound challenge in the promotion of sustainable practices mainly because of the lack of ideal government support.
In a different scenario, the international relations and conventions sought to establish the short-term and long-term concept of protecting the environment under coordination by UNEP. The integration of dynamic, sustainable initiatives contributes to the efficient utilization of resources. Although the United Nations managed to determine specific regulations that enhance the practice of proper utilization of natural resources, such as the cap of CO2 emission, the disposal of waste in water bodies, some countries forged records to earn the green initiative position. Pegels et al. (2018) argue that a significant percentage of governments politicize sustainability to achieve individual interests. An excellent example is the poor disposal of chemical materials that optimally pollute the surroundings. The spill of waste exercise is a costly venture; therefore, some governments focus on invoking political attitudes across other countries to agree to the deal in providing a solution. As a result, politics become an emblem of the malpractice of unsustainability with environmental racism being experienced in various countries.
In essence, the implementation of sustainability ideals is a significant issue facing the global national governments under the mainframe of capitalism. Another excellent example involves the automobile companies’ adherence to the cap rule of CO2 emission. Sustainability poses an expensive endeavor mainly because of the regulation on the exploitation of natural resources (Mavroeidis et al., 2017). In this case, the automobile industry focused on incorporating technological advancements as the tool of increasing the efficiency level of motor vehicles. It is an adaptation that contributed to the adherence to the law without a profound political influence. Therefore, the institutionalization of sustainable practices geared the change initiative involving the poor disposal of waste materials. It is the primary objective for UNEP to implement policies that enhance the cooperation among the global nations in protecting the natural habitats.
In conclusion, environmental law principles encapsulate the core value of balancing human activities and nature’s value. The prominent issue that UNEP seeks to eradicate across the global human population enshrines the persistent conflict in the exploitation of resources. In this case, the international organization establishes governing policies that regulate the disposal of wastes and management of both the renewable and non-renewable elements. Therefore, the Sustainable Development Goals is a multidimensional phenomenon that gears UNEP’s operations and objectives in enhancing the protection of the environment.
References
Garmestani, A., Ruhl, J. B., Chaffin, B. C., Craig, R. K., van Rijswick, H. F., Angeler, D. G., Folke, C., Gunderson, L., Twidwell, D., & Allen, C. R. (2019). Untapped capacity for resilience in environmental law. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(40), 19899-19904. Web.
Mavroeidis, I., Gurban, G., Srour, A., Ferri, N., Backer, H., Stankiewicz, M.,… & Le Tellier, J. (2017). Ocean policies and institutional arrangements for cross-sectoral cooperation: Case studies for achieving sustainable development goals. UNEP Regional Seas Report and Studies No. 204, 9-10. Web.
Pegels, A., Vidican-Auktor, G., Lütkenhorst, W., & Altenburg, T. (2018). Politics of green energy policy. The Journal of Environment & Development, 27(1), 26-45. Web.
Rodić, L., & Wilson, D. C. (2017). Resolving governance issues to achieve priority sustainable development goals related to solid waste management in developing countries. Sustainability, 9(3), 404. Web.
Tremblay-Huet, S. (2018). Should environmental law learn from animal law? Compassion as a guiding principle for international environmental law instead of sustainable development. Journal of International Law, 1, 125-144. Web.