Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

Figure 10.3. 
Shipwreck 
of the tanker Amoco 
Cadiz off the coast of 
Brittany (France) on 16 
March 1978

---

10. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 209
 10.3. 
 Institutions involved in international 
environmental protection
In accordance with the principal theoretical concepts concerning 
international relations, states undertake international cooperation 
only if there is any prospective benefit for their countries otherwise 
unachievable. In fact, countries desire to reap maximum benefit from 
international cooperation compared to other countries irrespective 
of their status in the international convention of countries. On 
individual occasions states can hope for some indirect benefit, for 
example, by promoting good international relations with other 
countries. However, a higher level of socialisation and friendliness 
are highly appreciated, which makes it possible to claim a larger 
portion of the common world reserves. Sometimes countries, in the 
name of their interests, make rather blatant attempts at a profitable 
bargain,  even  at  the  expense  of  other  countries  –  by  asking  an 
inflated  price  for  their  participation,  inadequate  compared  to  the 
real potential of the respective state.
Different  conceptual  approaches,  national  interests,  the  level 
of  own  responsibility  and  abilities,  as  well  as  the  efficiency  of 
work become essential elements in the development, adoption and 
implementation of multilateral international agreements.
Governments establish various executive institutions, including 
environ mental  agencies.  They  are  exposed  to  different  kinds  of 
pressure from the local entrepreneurs or businesses who would like 
to  enjoy  certain  privileges  or  benefits  related  to  the  exploitation 
of  natural  resources  or  environ mental  pollution.  At  times  these 
pressures make a government present itself in the international 
arena less as an environ mental problem solver but more as a 
petitioner, which can leave a considerable impact on the environ-
mental efforts of other countries, to the point of rejecting otherwise 
necessary solutions.
In many cases, individual ministries or even agencies represent 
their countries in international work groups or meetings, and on 
certain  issues  they  may  hold  views  that  differ  from  those  of  the 
country.  Sometimes  the  official  state  delegations  find  themselves 
under  pressure  –  on  the  basis  of  their  democratic  rights,  local 
interest groups (producers or active environ mentalists) seek to attain 
an internationally binding decision that would benefit them. Besides, 
decision-makers need to consider general public sentiments as well.
States  of  the  world  are  very  different,  have  different  historical 
heritage, environ mental conditions and natural resource reserves. 
Some countries can be considered advocates of the modern environ-
mental protection ideas. They include Europe’s Nordic countries, which 
pursue strict demands in the sphere of international environ mental 
The number of 
institutions and persons 
involved in international 
environmental protection 
is very large; however, 
by an attempt to 
group them, the most 
significant units are:
 
Œ states,
 
Œ international 
environmental 
organisations,
 
Œ global environmental 
movements,
 
Œ industry and business,
 
Œ experts,
 
Œ society at large,
 
Œ individual talented 
personalities.
Of all the above‑
mentioned, it is only 
govern ments, or states 
they represent, that have 
the right to take inter‑
nationally binding deci‑
sions. Only governments 
of sovereign states can 
ensure participation 
of their citizens in the 
implementation of 
international regulations. 
It is the states that 
manage the use of their 
resources for economic 
de velopment or military 
aims; moreover, by using 
their political rights, they 
ensure that the welfare 
and social goals of their 
people are attained.

---

210 
ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
management and protection, call on other states to participate in dis-
cussions and even take on unilateral additional obligations to en cou-
rage other countries and peoples to follow suit.
The European Union also supports a more rigorous inter national 
management of environ ment by allotting considerable funds for this 
aim. However, with the EU expansion, differences in the opinions on 
the future perspective can be observed among member states.
The position of the USA on environ mental problems of global signi-
ficance, especially on restricting climate change and a tougher inter-
national management of environ ment, has been severely criticised.
Nevertheless, several blocks of similarly thinking countries have 
formed. The ‘northern’ block includes the industrialised welfare 
states of North America, Europe and other continents. The ‘southern’ 
block  is  larger,  represented  by  the  developing  countries  of  Asia, 
South  America  and  Africa.  The  former  Second  World  (socialist) 
countries  together  with  the  South-East  Asian  countries  form  the 
block of the developing countries. The situation in the ‘Fourth World’ 
countries  (mostly  African)  is  the  gravest.  These  states  suffer  from 
extreme poverty, wars, unrests, diseases, lack of food and social care. 
The block of developing countries has grown from 77 states (G77) 
to  130 states,  and  it  has  a  significant  proportion  of  say  in  making 
international decisions.
The ‘northern’ block focuses more on such environ mental 
problems as climate change and ozone depletion, whereas the 
priorities of the ‘southern’ block are the lack of drinking water and 
desertification.
Of great importance are the funds that have been used to 
attain the aims of environ mental policy. Individual countries have 
a significant influence on which problems are raised for discussion, 
on negotiations and making political decisions, signing conventions 
and protocols. Sometimes a group of countries united by common 
interests, international organisations or even talented and purpose-
driven individuals assume the role of the leader in negotiations. 
Leaders should be distinctly positive to be able to steer countries 
towards adopting more rigorous demands for the preservation of the 
global environ ment. There are also countries which, due to different 
reasons, oppose the treatment of a particular environ 
mental 
issue; several countries which share such a stand can form a ‘veto 
coalition’ and sometimes achieve that the issue is removed from the 
international environ mental political agenda. 
A  situation  like  this  has  developed  around  the  preparation  of 
an international document concerning the protection of whales: 
Iceland, Norway and Japan are strictly against imposing a 
moratorium on whale hunt. Similarly, the exporting countries of 
genetically modified corn – Canada, the USA, Argentina – weakened 

---

10. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 211
the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological 
Diversity, which came into force in 2003.
However, sometimes groups of countries can achieve imposition 
of stricter demands, like in the case of the Basel Convention, when 
African  countries  called  for  a  total  ban  on  transporting  toxic 
waste from the countries of the ‘northern’ block to the countries of 
the  ‘southern’  block.  African  countries  had  the  crucial  role  in  the 
development of the Convention to Combat Desertification.