The Global Agenda Countries cannot work alone to effectively address environmental concerns. The ozone layer, international waters, clean energy and biodiversity are all issues of global concern. The Global Environment Facility uses its funds to make up the added costs of making planned projects environmentally friendly. It works in four main areas: biodiversity; climate change; international waters; and protection of the ozone layer. http://www.gefweb.org/ Each year hundreds of millions of tonnes of waste is produced worldwide. The Basel Convention is an international treaty on hazardous waste. This treaty regulates the movements of hazardous wastes and ensures they are disposed of in an environmentally sound way. http://www.basel.int/ The Convention on Biological Diversity is concerned with genetic resources, species, and ecosystems. The objectives are to conserve biological diversity through sustainable use, and to ensure that all people share in the benefits of genetic resources. http://www.biodiv.org/ Other important international conventions include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention Combatting Desertification, RAMSAR (wetlands) and the Montreal Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Information on these conventions can be found through the United Nations environment program website (http://www.unep.org/) Contents Case Studies Environment facts Background Australian response to the environment in development Other useful resources More links   © Commonwealth of Australia