Implementation of International Environmental Law

Abstract

International environmental law is a key governance instrument for the protection of the environment. Countries take on a range of obligations when they join multilateral environmental agreements. This chapter presents a comparative assessment of the implementation of international environmental law in 13 countries for four agreements dealing with pollution and conservation. It offers an empirical assessment based on the Environmental Conventions Index (ECI) developed at the Center for Governance and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and compares performance across four key categories: regulation, management, information, and technical measures. The analysis establishes a baseline for assessing the implementation of international environmental law and explaining the impact of national characteristics, policies, and actions on the fulfillment and effectiveness of international environmental agreements.

Assessing the Gap between Environmental Legislation and Effective Implementation: A Study and Guidelines for Enhancing the Implementation Performance of Environmental Laws

“…These legal signs offer stakeholders with accurate insights into regulation enforcement, helping in decision-making and stopping regressions in environmental rules. Ivanova et al (2021) provide a comparative analysis of the implementation of worldwide environmental regulation across thirteen countries, that specialize in four agreements addressing pollution and conservation. Their study utilizes the Environmental Conventions Index (ECI) advanced at the Center for Governance and Sustainability on the University of Massachusetts, Boston.…”