International environmental law
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International environmental law is the body of international law that concerns the protection of the global environment.
Originally associated with the principle that states must not permit the use of their territory in such a way as to injure the territory of other states, international environmental law has since been expanded by a plethora of legally-binding international agreements. These encompass a wide variety of issue-areas, from terrestrial, marine and atmospheric pollution through to wildlife and biodiversity protection.
The key constitutional moments in the development of international environmental law were the 1972 United Nations Convention on the Human Environment in Stockholm, and the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. The latter conference led to several important environmental texts including the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity. At the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Rio Summit only limited progress was attained towards stricter global regulation of human impacts upon the natural environment. Nonetheless the WSSD brought a renewed emphasis on the synergies between combatting poverty and improving the environment.
International environmental law is heavily influenced by a collection of organising principles. Some of these include:
- the precautionary principle
- the polluter pays principle
- the principle of sustainable development
- environmental procedural rights
Groups active in the area include the [Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide(E-LAW)] and the[Centre for International Environmental Law]
International environmental lawyers often receive specialized training in the form of an LL.M. degree after having a first law degree -- often in another country from where they got their first law degree. Notable programs include the [LL.M. in Environmental Law Program at the University of Oregon]
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