IGOs have been formed to manage the environmental problems facing the world

Environmental Governance

Environmental Issue	Strategy(ies)
Atmosphere	Montreal Protocol ● Banned the use of CFCs • cause damage to the ozone (discovered the problem in 1973) ● Negotiated over 14 yrs by the UN • agreement to phase out the production of CFCs ● The first universally ratified treaty came into place in 1989
	Climate change ● First raised as an important issue at the UN East Summit conference, 1992 ● Protocols introduced: ○ Kyoto ○ 2012 Paris agreement - Critics argue that agreements do not have strict enough consequences for failing to comply

| Biosphere | Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora (CITES)
● Successes • eg. Arabian oryx
● Failures • Illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn still occurs 'underground' | | Oceans | ● The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has been more successful than Climate Change agreements, resolving governmental disputes over sea rights
○ Seeks to manage navigational rights, offshore waters, sea bed resources and ocean areas
○ Also manages the rights of 42 land-locked states
- Led to increased tensions over disputes concerning new found islands which have untapped natural resources and military expansion opportunities |

| Rivers | ● UN Convention on the Protection & Use of Trans-boundary Watercourses and International Lakes (The Water Convention) seeks to protect and ensure by cooperation the quantity quality and sustainable use of trans-boundary water
○ The Helsinki Rules provide guidelines on the use of rivers and groundwaters that cross national boundaries. With rapid population growth and the rising demand for water, conflict between nations over who owns a river and how best to manage it escalates; so these rules mean that IGOs are effectively 'peacekeepers' between nations over transboundary water sources | | Environment | ● The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) monitors the state of the environment through studying ecosystems and reporting changes which are likely to have environmental and human impacts. |

| Antarctica | International cooperation in managing Antarctica as a continent of peace and science is perhaps the best example of successful IGO management of environmental issues
● Banned all forms of military activity, and made it a zone free of nuclear tests and disposal of radioactive waste
● Promoted international scientific research
● Set aside disputes over land on the continent
The Madrid protocol
● Banned mining activities in Antarctica unless it was for scientific research |