Equality Among Unequals in International Environmental Law

Equality Among Unequals in International Environmental Law: Differential Treatment for Developing Countries

INTRODUCTION

To deal effectively with global environmental problems, such as climate change, we need global cooperation. Yet all too many developing countries lack the economics, infrastructures, and technical capacity to tackle these problems; therefore, developing countries need to be accorded differential treatment in the international environmental law agreements adopted to prevent or mitigate the problems, if these agreements are to succeed.. This study addresses a very current, cutting-edge, and controversial issue of great importance to international environmental law and its success in protecting a livable planet.

In an attempt to get beyond words to action, this book looks at global environmental problems from the perspective of getting developing countries more involved in solving these problems. How can they best be brought into the realm of international environmental regulation and gotten onto the pathway to sustainable development? The idea is that the new trend of using incentives to promote developing country participation in international environmental agreements – in effect, giving them differential treatment – must continue and become part of the framework of international environment