Overcoming Obstacles to the Effective Implementation of International Environmental Agreements

Abstract

Since the 1970's, there has been an explosion of environmental treaties geared toward protecting the global commons and regulating international environmental issues. However, the obstacles to effectively implementing these treaties reduces many of them to mere paperwork with good intentions while environmental degradation continues unabated. This paper identifies and proposes measures to ameliorate the effects of such obstacles in a range of international environmental agreements.

Keywords: environmental agreement, treaty, wildlife, CITES, biodiversity, Rio Conference, tropical timber, environmental protection, Montreal Protocol, Basel Convention

JEL Classification: K33