News Analysis
Canada’s pursuit of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals has made headlines in recent months, but the roots of its participation go back 50 years. Beyond the better-known aspects, such as reducing carbon emissions, are a wide range of social and economic goals lumped together with environmental ones.
The United Nations first brought international attention to the environment and economy at its Conference on the Human Environment in 1972. Canada’s National Task Force on Environment and Economy was launched in 1986, and its recommendations led to formation of Canada’s Green Plan in 1990. The U.N.’s Agenda 21, the first comprehensive global blueprint for sustainable development, was adopted by over 178 countries including Canada at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit, in Brazil in 1992….