ABSTRACT
The environment and its protection were not part of the United Nations original charter. This is important inasmuch as the UN lacks statutory authority to deal with energy regulation and environmental issues. The UNs involvement on environmental issues was preceded by repeated calls by authors and scientists who warned of the destructive effects of acid rain and global warming well before the first Earth Day in 1970. There were also individual battles, like those to save the African elephant and rhinoceros, but the results were rather limited. In mid-1992 Brazil hosted a global meeting of political leaders to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Stockholm conference. The Copenhagen circus has been the first tournament between reborn imperial China and superpower America; and the game ended 1-0 in the formers favour. The weak hand played by President Barack Obama against a shrewd and calculating opponent ended badly.
