Blackwell Reference Online

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Comment on this article   Our twenty-first century has been characterized by a growth of “global consciousness” ( Iriye 2002 ). The phenomenon of our “international society” ( Bull 1997 ) has been reflected in the rise of intergovernmental organizations and transnational advocacy networks, as well as in the remarkable growth of international cooperation, especially in the field of the environment. International environmental cooperation has been spurred through various new international environmental institutions and programs, and a dramatic strengthening of international environmental law-making. Indeed, there has been a major burst in environmental treaty-making from the 1970s onwards. Based on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Register of International Treaties and Other Agreements in the Field of the Environment , the number of international environmental agreements (IEAs) adopted by the international community in fact doubled from the 1960s to the 1970s, commensurate with an increase in global environmental concern and an intensified willingness to cooperate for international environmental protection. The corpus of international environmental law (IEL) now includes significant IEAs in the sphere of climate change, ozone layer depletion, biodiversity, marine pollution, fauna and flora protection, hazardous wastes, fisheries, environmental impact assessment (EIA), ... log in or subscribe to read full text