International Environmental Law
International environmental law encompasses the body of rules agreed to by countries aimed at protecting various aspects of the global natural environment.
Two non-binding instruments adopted by the international community at UN Conferences have played important roles in the modern development of international environmental law. The 1972 Stockholm Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment marked the beginning of increased international action on environmental issues, and this focus was reinforced by the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. As well as contributing to the momentum that has given rise to the many multilateral environmental agreements adopted in subsequent years, the general principles espoused in these non-binding instruments appear throughout the subsequent agreements. Some of the most significant environmental agreements are set out below.
Biodiversity
- 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
- 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
- 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
- 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
- 1979 Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
- 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, and its 2000 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
Atmosphere
- 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, and its 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
- 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and its 1997 Kyoto Protocol
Pollution/hazardous substances
- 1972 London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, and its 1996 Protocol
- 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, as modified by its 1978 Protocol (MARPOL)
- 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
- 1989 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
- 1992 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage
- 1992 International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, and its 2003 Protocol
- 1998 Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (PIC)
- 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS)