The Third World: Changing Attitudes Toward Environmental Protection

A revolution in Third World attitudes toward environmental protection has occurred since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm. Before then, most Third World leaders were convinced that their countries had no environmental problems—problems which they associated with industrialization and "pollution." But the Conference accelerated a change in attitude already under way as the result of a pioneering report on environment and economic development prepared especially for the meeting. Subsequently, the growing involvement of the U.N. Environment Program with their concerns has helped change perceptions of environmental problems in developing countries. Political leaders now see that industrial and agricultural development, the unplanned growth of cities, and burgeoning populations can have an adverse effect on the environment and the quality of life. Many developing countries are now implementing national environmental policies. Protection of the planet's environment is no longer the exclusive concern of the industrialized countries alone.