Final answer:
The Rio +20 conference highlights the pivotal role of the UNEP and multilateral environmental agreements in coordinating a global environmental agenda. The UN's Sustainable Development Goals established post-2015 aim to tackle major global challenges including environmental protection. International efforts include policies, agreements, and standards to promote sustainability and address shared environmental concerns.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Rio +20 conference held in June 2012, which was a continuation of efforts made since the Earth Summit in 1992, focused on strengthening the role of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and emphasized the work done by multilateral environmental agreements. The commitment to these agreements, including the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions, highlights the need for policy coherence, efficiency, and enhanced coordination among environmental agreements and the UN system.
Subsequently, after 2015, the United Nations advanced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a comprehensive set of objectives encapsulated in the '2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'. These goals seek to end poverty, protect the planet, and improve the lives and prospects of all individuals globally. Various nations and international bodies, such as the European Union, the United States, and UNFCCC, have been working to develop policies and agreements like the 2015 Paris Agreement to address these global issues.
Environmental protection plays a crucial role in key industries of many countries, leading to the establishment of environmental standards and treaties. Consumer pressure, reinforced by product labeling and international treaties, supports environmentalist values. These collaborative efforts reach beyond individual countries, often involving multiple nations that work together to address environmental concerns through agreements on air and water rights and other key issues affecting the global community.