For 20 years, the international community has been seriously concerned about the environmental situation. Therefore, quite naturally in the framework of international law, the branch of "international environmental law" was formed. Intergovernmental organizations have developed a whole list of legislative acts that determined the beginning of development, the institutions for protecting nature from the results of human activities. Therefore, one should carefully understand this section of international relations.
Definition and principles of international environmental law
This industry should be considered as a combination of norms and principles, the observance of which ensures the preservation of the environment, moreover, it allows the effective implementation of methods to improve its condition by legal entities.
Why does international environmental law appear so acute and important? The answer may lie in the fact that, since the fifties of the last century, the rapid growth of industry has led to global pollution of nature. In addition, the ever-expanding number of transnational corporations has led to the development of a unified approach to environmental standards. In this regard, certain principles of international environmental law were developed. They became:
1. the principle of globality - can be disclosed as follows - if an environmental problem arises, its solution is the responsibility of the entire world community. And this principle is widely applied. It is enough to recall agreements on the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere or the fight against the consequences of oil spills in one of the water areas. In addition, this principle is closely related to the conservation of biological diversity;
2. The principle of the common human heritage of natural resources located outside the territories of countries. It is expressed in the fact that no state has the right to claim minerals if they are located outside its territory;
3. the principles of freedom of study and exploitation of natural resources, the principle of international cooperation in environmental research can be attributed to this;
4. The principle of rationality in the exploitation of natural resources;
5. The principle of preventing damage in general and as a result of hostilities in particular and / or its elimination;
6. The principle of liability for environmental violations.
These principles are only a specific part of the totality, including, in particular, the general principles of international law.
The binding effect of these principles is based on the sources on the basis of which the institute in question functions.
Sources of international environmental law
There is no single approach to the forms of expression of this right. Some authors divide them into three categories:
1. agreements not directly related to the law in question;
2. contracts containing separate provisions;
3. treaties directly aimed at international environmental law.
Others highlight the usual norms and provisions of international treaties. We are interested in the basic sources of international environmental law. Differentiate two types: declarations and conventions. The first should include the 1972 Declaration on the problems of the human environment, on which all further cooperation was built. The second is the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, developed in 1979, the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, approved in Vienna (Austria) in 1985, and other regulating individual parts of nature.
Thus, today international environmental law is a significant institution aimed at maintaining global equilibrium in nature, as well as preserving the global ecosystem for future generations.