Global Environmental Problems and International Environmental Agreements

The ozone layer is threatened by chemical emissions, the climate is endangered from fossil fuels and deforestation, and global biodiversity is being lost by reason of thousands of years of habitat conversions. Global environmental problems arise out of the accumulated impacts from many years' and many countries' economic development. In order to address these problems the states of the world must cooperate to manage their development processes together - this is what an international agreement must do. But can the world's countries cooperate successfully to manage global development? How should they manage it? Who should pay for the process, as well as for the underlying problems?;This work presents an examination of both the problem and the process underlying international environmental law-making: the recognition of international interdependence, the negotiation of international agreements and the evolution of international resource management. It examines the general problem of global resource management by means of general principles and case studies and by looking at how and why specific negotiations and agreements have failed to achieve their targets.;This book is designed as an introductory text for those studying global environmental policy making and institution building. It is also of interest to practitioners, policy makers and scholars in the areas of environmental economics and law.