logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
8m 59s

The world's first environment conference

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The first international conference on the problems of the environment took place in Stockholm in 1972. It didn't concentrate on climate change but on the damage that was being done to animals and forests by the encroachment of humans and industry. It also highlighted some of the splits between rich and poor nations over who should make the greatest changes to save the planet. Maurice Strong, who organised the gathering, spoke to Claire Bowes about why it was so difficult to get the countries of the world to agree on change.

Photo: Maurice Strong (right) shakes hands with Brazilian indigenous chief Kanhok Caiapo. AFP/Getty.

Up next
Yesterday
How BRICS got its name
In 2001, a few months after 9/11, economist Jim O’Neill was working at Goldman Sachs when he wrote a report about which countries might become big players in the world economy. That’s when he came up with the name BRIC - short for Brazil, Russia, India and China. At first, nothin ... Show More
9m 55s
Oct 9
Japan surrenders in Beijing
Eighty years ago, in the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire.The one in China was held at the Forbidden City in Beijing bringing an end to eight years of occupation. Thousands of people watched the incredible moment Japanese gen ... Show More
10m 12s
Oct 8
The remote island that was evacuated to 10,000km away
On 10 October 1961, a volcanic eruption threatened the population of Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, and all 264 islanders were evacuated to the UK. Two years later, the majority voted to return. In an interview she gave to the BBC in 1961, M ... Show More
10m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
The child environmental activist of the 1990s
To mark the start of the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, taking place in Glasgow in the UK, we’re looking back at the history of our awareness of climate change with some of the scientists and activists who have been trying to solve this global crisis in recent decades. W ... Show More
50m 11s
Dec 2021
The Story Behind the Summit: Leading A Global Climate Change Fight Into 2022
The COP26 Summit, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last month brought together people from all over the world. And everyone had stories of how climate change is already affecting their lives. But, did the conference accomplish what it set out to do? Al ... Show More
12m 21s
Nov 2021
Can COP26 deliver on climate change?
The science is unequivocal: human-made climate change is leading the world into an environmental crisis, and time is running out to prevent permanent damage to ecosystems and make the planet uninhabitable for many of us humans. As communities around the world increasingly experie ... Show More
39m 53s
Sep 2023
BBC OS Conversations: Climate change in Africa
Africa causes little damage to the climate but tends to feel the brunt of changing weather patterns. That was the debate in recent days as Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, hosted Africa’s first-ever climate summit. More than a dozen African leaders discussed the continent's increasing e ... Show More
24 m
Nov 2022
Daunting challenges for UN climate conference
Delegates are gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for the COP27 UN climate change conference beginning on Sunday 6 November. But a lot has changed in the 12 months since attendees of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow promised bold action to tackle global warming. Russia invaded Ukrai ... Show More
48m 55s
Dec 2023
Did Africa win or lose at COP 28?
“The words ‘fossil fuels’ have never (before) made it into a COP decision. We’re finally naming the elephant in the room. The genie is never going back in the bottle again.”So the talking is over and the weary delegates have headed home. This year’s climate conference, COP28 – wh ... Show More
15m 32s
Dec 2022
Who Pays the Bill for Climate Change?
Last month at COP27, the U.N. climate change conference, a yearslong campaign ended in an agreement. The rich nations of the world — the ones primarily responsible for the emissions that have caused climate change — agreed to pay into a fund to help poorer nations that bear the b ... Show More
45m 40s
Jun 2023
The fight to shake up global climate finance
The calls for change are being led by the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley. Her country wants the IMF and the World Bank to be able to help developing nations invest in clean energy and improve their resilience to the impacts of climate change. Also on the programme; with ... Show More
50m 1s
Jul 2021
Climate change: the financial fight
When it comes to climate change, what is the world of finance doing? Manuela Saragosa speaks to Jan Erik Saugestad, executive vice president of Norwegian asset managers Storebrand, whose investments must meet certain environmental, social and governance standards. This week also ... Show More
18m 11s