Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior Laws are

made by governments, specifically by their legislatures. The formation of laws themselves may be influenced by a constitution (written or unwritten) and the rights encoded therein. The law shapes politics, economics and society in countless ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people.

Policy is a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is an intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol.

A law can compel or prohibit behavior, policy merely guides actions toward those that are most likely to achieve a desired outcome.

is a collective term describing international treaties (conventions),statutes, regulations, and common law or national legislation (where applicable) that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity.

Statute- is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that commands or prohibits something

May focused on the following aspects: 1. pollution control and remediation 2. resource conservation and individual exhaustion

is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on humans

Pollution, scarce resources, wild animals and plants do not respect political boundaries, making international law an important aspect of environmental law. Numerous legally binding international agreements now encompass a wide variety of issue-areas, from terrestrial, marine and atmospheric pollution through to wildlife and biodiversity protection.

General

Aarhus Convention Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decisionmaking and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, Aarhus, 1998 Espoo Convention Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, Espoo, 1991

The Three Pillars (AARUS) Access to information: any citizen should have the right to get a wide and easy access to environmental information. Public authorities must provide all the information required and collect and disseminate them and in a timely and transparent manner. Public participation in decision making: the public must be informed over all the relevant projects and it has to have the chance to participate during the decision-making and legislative process. Decision makers can take advantage from people's knowledge and expertise; this contribution is a strong opportunity to improve the quality of the environmental decisions, outcomes and to guarantee procedural legitimacy Access to justice: the public has the right to judicial or administrative recourse procedures in case a Party violates or fails to adhere to environmental law and the convention's principles.

Atmosphere Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution(LRTAP), Geneva, 1979. Environmental Protection: Aircraft Engine Emissions Annex 16, vol. 2 to the 1944 Chicago Convention on Civil Aviation, Montreal, 1981. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), New York, 1992, including the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, Vienna, 1985, including the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, Montreal 1987.

Freshwater resources Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (ECE Water Convention), Helsinki, 1992.

Hazardous substances Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, Basel, 1989. Convention on Civil Liability for Damage Caused during Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, Rail, and Inland Navigation Vessels (CRTD), Geneva, 1989. Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, Helsinki, 1992. Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, Rotterdam, 1998.

Marine environment global conventions Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention), London, 1972. International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78), London 1973 and 1978. International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, London 1954, 1962 and 1969. International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC), Brussels, 1969, 1976,1984 and 1992. International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage(FUND)1971 and 1992, Brussels, 1971/1992.

Marine living resources Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), Canberra, 1980.

International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas(ICCAT), Rio de Janeiro, 1966. International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), Washington, 1946.

Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora[1] Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals[2] Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources[3] Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

Nature conservation and terrestrial living resources Antarctic Treaty, Washington DC, 1959. World Heritage Convention Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Paris, 1972. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Nairobi, 1992. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), Bonn, 1979. Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, (CITES), Washington DC, 1973. Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), Paris, 1994.

Nuclear safety Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty 1996 Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (Assistance Convention), Vienna, 1986. Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident(Notification Convention), Vienna, 1986. Convention on Nuclear Safety, Vienna, 1994. Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, Vienna, 1963.

International environmental law's development has included the statement and adoption of a number of important guiding principles. As with all international law, international environmental law brings up questions of sovereignty, legal reciprocity ("comity") and even perhaps the Golden Rule. Other guiding principles include the polluter pays principle, the precautionary principle, the principle ofsustainable development, environmental procedural rights, common but differentiated responsibilities, intragenerational andintergenerational equity, "common concern of humankind", and common heritage.

Protocol is generally a treaty or international agreement that supplements a previous treaty or international agreement. A protocol can amend the previous treaty, or add additional provisions. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established a framework for the development of binding greenhouse gas emission limits, while the Kyoto Protocol contained the specific provisions and regulations later agreed upon.

create an International Organization, Institution or Body that implements the agreement. Major examples are the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

These are the norms and rules that countries follow as a matter of custom and they are so prevalent that they bind all states in the world. EX: the duty to warn other states promptly about icons of an environmental nature and environmental damages to which another state or states may be exposed, and Principle 21 of the Stockholm Declaration ('good neighbourliness' or sic utere).

Principle 21 States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.

Principle 24 International matters concerning the protection and improvement of the environment should be handled in a cooperative spirit by all countries, big and small, on an equal footing. Cooperation through multilateral or bilateral arrangements or other appropriate means is essential to effectively control, prevent, reduce and eliminate adverse environmental effects resulting from activities conducted in all spheres, in such a way that due account is taken of the sovereignty and interests of all States.