International Environmental Law

Although international environmental law developed as a sub-field of public international law, it has developed its own distinctive doctrines such as the precautionary principle and the doctrine of common but differentiated responsibility, its own distinctive processes such as the framework convention/protocol approach and expedited amendment procedures, and its own distinctive institutions such as the annual conferences of the parties established by many multilateral environmental agreements. This chapter focuses on these distinctive features of international environmental law. It begins by considering the standard-setting process, focusing in particular on the negotiation of international agreements and on the emergence and role of more general doctrines such as the duty to prevent transboundary harm. Next, it considers the implementation and compliance processes. It concludes by surveying the main international institutions relevant to the development and application of international environmental law. This edition first published 2013