The International Development of Environmental Values

Abstract

In this chapter we outline the general framework which international law and European law provides in relation to domestic environmental law. Particular aspects of both international and European law will reappear in later chapters. Environmental law has a strong international dimension. Pollution is no respecter of national boundaries. Both pollution and deforestation increase the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere thereby contributing to global warming. The international community shares the resources of the high seas. The interests of biological diversity do not depend upon where species happen to reside and many species migrate between countries. Some landscapes are of international importance. International law also has to address the problem of social justice: the benefits of exploiting nature and the costs of protecting the environment do not fall equally between the rich and the poor. These factors mean that the traditional principle of state independence has limited application to environmental matters.