Unit 14
The World Environmental Constitution (WEC)
Quote
“Conservation is like freedom. It can only be maintained
by constant vigilance.”
Prince Philip
Task 1. Before reading the text please discuss the following questions.
● Is it necessary to have the World Environmental Constitution?
● What issues should the WEC include?
● What are the aims of the WEC?
● Where should the WEC be adopted?
Task 2. Match the English words and word-combinations with their equivalents
Into Ukrainian.
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Task3.Match the words with their definitions on the left with the correct definitions
on the right.
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Task 4. Match the English words and word-combinations with their Ukrainian
equivalents. Use these words and word- combinations in the sentences of
your own.
sustainable development a) охорона природи
circumterrestrial space b) ініціатива
acknowledged norms c) старанно розроблений проект
conservation d) гарантований розвиток
to foresee the establishment e) загальноприйняті норми
to achieve a consensus f) навколоземний простір
civilization survival g) досягати одностайності (згоди)
initiative h) передбачати створення
elaborated project i) безпека навколишнього середовища
10) environmental safety j) виживання цивілізації
Task 5. Read and translate the text. Write down unknown words into your vocabulary.
TEXT 14.1. THE WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTITUTION (WEC)
THE LEGISLATIVE FOUNDATION OF GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL
SECURITY
We know that our environmental resources are immeasurable assets; they have direct impacts on our quality of life and our economy. Healthy ecosystem provide habitat for wildlife; they provide clean air, clean water and other ecological services such as stormwater control and carbon sequestration and they provide recreational and business opportunities. The environment is a source of wealth for all of us.
Like our natural heritage, our environmental community is strong. We are the birthplace of the environmental justice movement, a product of both our legacy of contamination and our determination to seek action through justice. We are home to thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations aiming to improve our region.
Although our assets are plentiful and our voices numerous, our region and its people have suffered through the despoiling of our environment and the fragmentation of our collective efforts. Our dwindling population, declining health, vacant and contaminated land, and faltering economy are proof of this. Although some progress has been made, much more is needed. At this time, we make a commitment to collaboratively increase our region′s environmental literacy, preserve its biodiversity, and ensure that our development is sustainable, our air is clean, our water drinkable, our fish edible, and our forests, farms, and gardens plentiful.
We should have a vision for our future. Together, we are committed to strengthening the work of our environmental community through collaboration and implementation. This includes long term, overarching goals as well as specific measurable actions that can be accomplished soon. We are determined to leave those who follow us a sustainable, thriving community where they can live healthfully, work productively, learn, teach, grow old, and choose their own path.
If more communities took a proactive stance to the natural beauty that surrounds them preservation efforts to keep it looking that way we would be one step closer to correcting environmental issues. We are resolved to work collaboratively to improve our environment and our regional international community.
The idea of the World Environmental Constitution was initiated at an international scientific conference in the Hofstra University (New York, 1992), and declared at the 19th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly where it was presented by the President of Ukraine and by chancellor of Germany on behalf of Brazil, Singapore and South African Republic (1997).
This idea had been intensively developed by scientists from Ukrainian National Forestry University with support in Ukraine and internationally. The Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko suggested creating the World Environmental Constitution as initiative that would become a basis for the new global environmental policy in the 21st century.
The aim of the WEC is the development of a main legal act for the environmental safety, sustainable development and civilization survival on an integral Earth ecosystem taking into account circumterrestrial space up to orbit height of Earth satellites. Therefore, it should be an international legal act of the environmental security of planet and society sustainable development which determines the allowable norms of the states′ economic activities in the boundaries of integral (regional and global) Earth ecosystem towards its conservation and sustainable management in the interest of present and future generations.
The idea of the WEC creating foresees the establishment of controlling bodies that are based on acknowledged norms of law in adherence with the economic activity of national and international manufacturing systems. The Environmental Security Council; the World Environmental Organization; the International Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement Council, the International Environmental Court; the World Environmental Bank or Global Environmental Fund, and other institutions should be established.
The draft of the World Environmental Constitution should be developed, later agreed to achieve a consensus among the nations, and finally adopted at the of UN General Assembly.The elaborated and agreed-upon project of the WEC should be approved at the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Although states face shared problems such as climate change and loss of
biological diversity, which require a collective response, they still have very different
interests and values. These differing interests and values in part account for the weak
commitment of states to constitutionalism and indeed even legalization. In
today’s world, at least in the environmental arena, sovereign states prefer to retain
significant flexibility, rather than precommit to constitutional constraints. They
remain far from developing the sense of community that underlies constitutional
governance.
Over the long haul, it is unclear whether this state-driven approach will be
sufficient to address international environmental problems. As it has been argued, addressing problems such as climate change will likely require the creation of international institutions with greater authority. Such a development could push international environmental law in the direction of greater constitutionalization, to address concerns about the legitimacy of new, more powerful institutions. But any transformation of this kind still lies in the future. For the moment, international environmental law remains a series of commitments by states, rather than a constitutional order.
Task 6. Answer the following questions.
Where was the idea of the World Environmental Constitution initiated?
Whom had the idea of WEC been developed by?
What did the Ukrainian President suggest?
What are the aims of the WEC?
What does the idea the WEC foresee?
What controlling bodies should be established?
Where should the WEC be adopted and approved?
What are the problems in creating of WEC?
Task 7. Find words in the text which mean the following.
1. the environment's global component providing the connection between the terrestrial biosphere and the Universe and protecting the planet's nature from harmful influences at the same time;
2. able to continue without causing damage to the environment;
3. the protection of natural things such as animals, plants, forests etc, to prevent them being spoiled or destroyed;
4. the state of continuing to live or exist;
5. things that are done to keep a person, building, or country safe from danger;
6. all the animals and plants in a particular area, and the way in which they are related to each other and to their environment;
7. concerning or affecting the air, land, or water on Earth;
8. an opinion that everyone in a group agrees with or accepts;
9. the process of gradually becoming bigger; better, stronger, or more advanced;
10. something that you hope to achieve in the future.
Task 8.Give the English equivalents for the following Ukrainian words and word-combinations.
Навколоземний простір, гарантований розвиток, збереження природи, виживання, екосистема, передбачати, навколишнє середовище, одностайність, суворе додержання, ухвалювати, старанно розроблений, проект, різноманітність.
Task 9. According to the text, are the following sentences TRUE or FALSE? If they are false, say why.
1.The idea of the World Environmental Constitution was initiated at an international
scientific conference in Ukrainian National Forestry University.
2. The WEC should be a Ukrainian legal act of the environmental security of planet
and society sustainable development.
3. The idea of the WEC creating doesn′t foresee the establishment of controlling
bodies.
4. The elaborated and agreed-upon project of the WEC should be approved at the
level of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
5. The Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko suggested creating the World
Environmental Constitution as initiative that would become a basis for the new
global environmental policy in the 21st century.
6. The draft of the World Environmental Constitution should be developed, later
agreed to achieve a consensus among the nations, and finally adopted at
International Scientific Conferences.
Task 10.Complete the following sentences.
The idea of the World Environmental Constitution was initiated…… .
The Ukrainian President suggested ……. .
The goal of the WEC …… .
The draft of the WEC should be adopted …… .
The idea of the WEC creating foresees….. .
Task 11. Translate the following into English.
Передбачається створення відповідних інституцій з контролю за дотриманням норм ЕКЗ. До такої структури мали б входити Рада Екологічної Безпеки, Світова Екологічна Організація, Міжнародна Служба Екологічного Моніторингу, Міжнародний Екологічний Суд та Міжнародний Екологічний Банк.
Зміст і структура ЕКЗ повинні бути укладені таким чином, щоб цей міжнародний акт не загрожував суверенітетові жодної країни, але зобов’язував кожну з них використовувати свої природні ресурси й довкілля так, щоб забезпечувати добробут як нинішнього, так і майбутніх поколінь.
Task 12. Discuss with your group mate the aim of creating the World
Environment Constitution.
Task 13. Think of the importance of mutual efforts aimed at working collaboratively to improve our environment and our regional international community. Prepare a short presentation on the main idea and the aims of the World Environmental Constitution.