This is a list of notable events relating to the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

in 2012. They relate to

environmental law Environmental law is a collective term encompassing aspects of the law that provide protection to the environment. A related but distinct set of regulatory regimes, now strongly influenced by environmental legal principles, focus on the managem ...

, conservation,

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment (biophysical), environment, par ...

and

environmental issue Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

Events

*A list of the world's 100 most threatened species - a compilation of the most threatened animals, plants, and fungi - was published. *The first period emission reduction commitments under the

Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (par ...

expired at the end of 2012. A second commitment period was agreed to at the

2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference was the 18th yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 8th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP ...

January

*Armed commandos will be ordered to protect endangered

tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

in India's Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks. *The Guangxi cadmium spill contaminated the Guangxi Longjiang river and water supply.

February

*The

Atlantic sturgeon The Atlantic sturgeon (''Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus'') is a member of the family Acipenseridae and along with other sturgeon it is sometimes considered a living fossil. The Atlantic sturgeon is one of two subspecies of ''Acipenser oxyrinchu ...

is classified as an endangered species by the US

National Marine Fisheries Service The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), informally known as NOAA Fisheries, is a United States federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that is responsible for the ste ...

March

* Protests in Ecuador in opposition to the copper mining concessions in the province of Zamora-Chinchipe begin with a series of demonstrations by indigenous peoples. *As a result of

Deepwater Horizon litigation The civil and criminal proceedings stemming from the explosion of '' Deepwater Horizon'' and the resulting massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began shortly after the April 20, 2010 incident and have continued since then. They have inclu ...

BP agrees to pay out $7.8 billion to plaintiffs affected by the 2010

Deepwater Horizon oil spill The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered ...

. *The formation of

Limmen National Park Limmen National Park, announced in 2012, is the third largest national park in the Northern Territory, after Judbarra / Gregory National Park, with an area of approximately . Located about 600 km south-east of Darwin on the Gulf of Carpenta ...

in Australia's Northern Territory is announced.

April

*Protests are held at the site of the proposed Baram Dam in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. *The Sustainable Biofuels Bill, introduced into the New Zealand Parliament by the Green Party, was defeated on its second reading.

May

*The Mokihinui Hydro project in New Zealand is cancelled. There had been opposition on the basis that it would result in changes to recreation and flooding of historic sites and high value conservation land.

June

*The

United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio 2012, Rio+20 (), or Earth Summit 2012 was the third international conference on sustainable development aimed at reconciling the economic and environmental goal ...

is scheduled to be held 20–22 June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a follow-up to the ground-breaking 1992 Rio Summit. *The Jardim Gramacho landfill in the Brazilian city of Duque de Caxias closed after 34 years of operation. It was one of the largest landfills in the world. *"Lonesome George", possibly the last remaining Pinta Island tortoise, dies in captivity. It is thought to have lived for 100 years.

July

*Planning for the 2012 Summer Olympics has included environmental policies such as conservation measures, renewable energy options and biodegradable packaging. *The Qidong protest against a proposed waste water pipeline occurred in the Chinese city of Qidong, Jiangsu province. *The Shifang protest occurred in the southwestern Chinese city of Shifang, Sichuan province, against a copper plant that residents feared posed environmental and public health risks.

November

*At the

it was decided to extend the Kyoto Protocol though to 2020. Wording adopted by the conference incorporated for the first time the concept of "loss and damage", an agreement in principle that richer nations could be financially responsible to other nations for their failure to reduce

carbon emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and l ...

References

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