ABSTRACT
The interdependence of elements of the natural environment is a global phenomenon, yet most of our past actions to protect the environment have focused on ‘local’ problems. The 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment gave legitimacy to environmental policy as a universal concern among nations. This chapter will cover the history of international environmental law and how it became a new branch of international law, in an attempt to protect a steadily degraded environment. Essentially, international environmental law is the application of public international law to environmental issues. It is a product of awareness that the environment does not respect political boundaries.
