Preserving the global environment: Compliance with international environment treaties is key.

Abstract

The thesis of this paper is that (1) the successful implementation of international environmental agreements depends on compliance issues in those agreements being effectively addressed; (2) this necessitates compliance issues being addressed both during the initial negotiation of such agreements, and in their subsequent implementation; (3) a number of innovative compliance mechanisms are available which appear to be well-suited to the environmental context, but they may require some refinement. The paper explores the concept of compliance and the theoretical and practical aspects of obtaining compliance with international law. It then utilizes a case study of the Framework Convention on Climate Change to illustrate how the theoretical and practical research described earlier in the paper can be translated into concrete results in environmental treaties. The analysis undertaken in the paper suggests that compliance-related problems are significant in international environment treaties. but not insurmountable. The widest array of compliance techniques possible must be integrated into such treaties--both at the time of their negotiation, and during their implementation--if a sustainable future is to be attained for the planet.