In the past few years, there have been a number of key meetings of about environmental issues. The ongoing discussions with regards to the fate of the soon-to-be extinct bluefin tuna illustrate the frustrations of trying to reach environmental agreements. Nations responsible for the management of the resource ignore scientific advice and pursue their own interests to the detriment of the common good, and resist any effort to change the practice (Gronewald, 2009). Other conferences trend along the same line -- small groups of nations meeting to hammer out specific policy details. The Environmental Law Roundtable of Australia and New Zealand is one such example. The UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) chemicals roundtable was a conference that discussed specific areas of concern with respect to chemical pollution.
There are many international agreements that govern the environment. The best-known is the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, an agreement between nearly 200 nations to curtail greenhouse...
Amount the other agreements are the Convention on Migratory Species, which recognizes that "states must be the protectors of the migratory species of wild animals that live within or pass through their national jurisdictional boundaries" (Convention on Migratory Species, 1979). The United Nations Convention to Combat Diversification is a regional agreement designed to help nations struggling with desertification, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Works Cited:
Roland, J. (1998). The meaning of "offenses against the law of nations." Constitution Society. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from http://www.constitution.org/cmt/law_of_nations.htm
Gronewold, N. (2009). Is the bluefin tuna an endangered species? Scientific American. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bluefin-tuna-stocks-threatened-cites-japan-monaco
No author. (1979). Convention on Migratory Species. CMS. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from http://www.cms.int/documents/convtxt/cms_convtxt.htm
