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International Environmental Law Research Guide

Introduction

Growth of international environmental law as a separate area of public international law began in the 1970s with the Stockholm Conference on the Environment in 1972. Since then interest has steadily increased and it is one of the fastest growing areas of international law. Current issues of international concern covered by environmental law include ozone layer depletion and global warming, desertification, destruction of tropical rain forests, marine plastics pollution from ships, international trade in endangered species (i.e. ivory trade), shipment of hazardous wastes to Third World countries, deforestation of Brazil and the Philippines, protection of wetlands, oil spills, transboundary nuclear air pollution (i.e. Chernobyl), dumping of hazardous wastes, groundwater depletion, international trade in pesticides, and acid rain. Environmental law is also cutting across other areas of international law, such as commercial/business law, trade, and human rights.

International cooperation in the form of treaties, agreements and resolutions created by intergovernmental organizations as well as national laws and regulations are being used to protect the environment. The researcher is usually looking for documents from the major organizations concerned with protection of the environment such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the European Union, the OECD, and the Council of Europe. Since ultimate responsibility for the protection of the environment remains at the national and local level, municipal laws and regulations related to the environment are increasingly being sought after.

This is an in-depth guide to researching international environmental law. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Wolff Library reference desk at 202-662-4195 or by email: intlref@law.georgetown.edu. You may also submit your question via this online form.

Getting Started

There are many international environmental treatises and this section only highlights some publications that can provide a good introduction. To search for other books or more specific subject, try keyword searching such as < montreal protocol > or < pre-cautionary principles > in the library catalog (try our new catalog interface).

  • Documents in International Environmental Law, INTL K3583.D63 2004
    This is a representative selection of essential international environmental treaties and documents.
  • European Environmental Law INTL KJE6242.J36 2008
    Begins with the development of EU environmental law and the legal basis. Includes brief summaries of dozens of EU legislation.
  • Guide to International Environmental Law K3585.4.K5695 2007
    A brief overview of international law with a focus on how international environmental law was formed as well as an analysis of newer topics such as environmental protection as a human right.
  • International Courts and Environmental Protection K3585 .S74 2009
    Useful overview of various courts with jurisdiction over international environmental law, including discussion of cases and the ongoing challenges facing the courts.
  • International Environmental law in a Nutshell INTL Reserve K3585.6.G87 2007
    A good introductory source that covers all the major areas.
  • International Law & the Environment INTL K3585.4 B57 2009
    Examines treaty regimes, arbitration, and international case law along with chapters specifically on climate change, nuclear energy, ecosystems, conservation, trade, and much more.
  • Oxford Handbook of International Environmental Law INTLREF K3585.O94 2007
    This non-circulating publication provides 40 chapters grouped by general issues, analytical tools, basic issues, normative development, key concepts, institutions, and implementation & enforcement.

Treaties

Treaties govern many aspects of international environmental law. This section lists many of the most common multilateral treaties and indicates sources for locating treaties generally. There is also an online Glossary of Terms for Negotiators of Multilateral Environmental Agreements which is also in print at the Wolff Library. For more detailed information on researching treaties -- including treaty indexes, status, updating and ratification information -- see our Treaty Research guide.

There is another genre of international environmental agreements called soft law. The Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law INTL REF KZ1161 .P35 2009 defines soft law as "A term used to refer to non-binding instruments or documents which have the appearance of law....While not legally binding, soft law can be politically influential in setting down objectives and aspirations." Documents constituting soft law can often be located on the websites of individual organizations. Examples of key soft law documents in international environmental law include Agenda 21: Programme of Action for Sustainable Development, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Forest Principles.

Selected Environmental Treaties and Agreements

This list highlights some of the most frequently cited multilateral agreements related to the environment as there are many, many environmental treaties. See EISIL's International Environmental Law page for links to additional agreements.

Treaty Collections

The following resources offer collections of environmental treaties.

  • ECOLEX
    Free database from FAO includes treaties, national legislation and court decisions. Use the advanced search option to search by jurisdiction.
  • EISIL
    This website is produced by the American Society of International Law and pulls together international law by topic. The environmental section is a comprehensive collection of treaties and includes bluebook citations under "more information" for each treaty.
  • Environmental Law Instruments (UNEP)
    This list includes treaties from 1933 with many in pdf format.
  • Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI)
    We can't tell if this database is updated, but it does offer useful search capabilities such as by date, number of signatories, year of entry into force and many more. Click on Treaty Locator on the left side to access it.
  • Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA)
    A draft map divides the world's waters into regions. By clicking on the region, you can see the major international agreements, actors, research, state of the environment and other useful information. Good place to start when you need to know which agreements govern which areas.
  • International Environmental Law : Multilateral Treaties INTL K3583.A1 I575 1974
    This nine volume print looseleaf (updated regularly) is a comprehensive collection of treaties and "soft law."
  • International Environmental Soft Law: Collection of Relevant Instruments INTL K3583.I58 1993
    While this set has ceased updating, it offers a great collection of soft law documents.
  • International Freshwater Treaties Databases
    This resource has nearly 450 treaties from 1820-2002. Full text is included and often citation information is provided. There are other databases (water events, water atlas, etc) available from the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database home page.
  • International Protection of the Environment: Conservation in Sustainable Development INTL K3585.4.I58 1995
    This multi-volume looseleaf set is updated regularly and offers a huge collection of international environmental documents including treaties, statements, declarations, resolutions from multiple bodies, and much more. Also has "soft law" documents.

The general treaty collections below can be very useful when you need to cite to an official source.

Foreign Statutes and Regulations

Locating foreign statutes can be challenging. While many foreign governments provide their legislation on the internet, very few provide English translations. Fortunately, there are many great sources for foreign environmental law. The Wolff Library has several codes in print. Try searching the online catalog using terms such as < environmental code germany > to get useful results. The sources listed below have good collections of laws and have been useful in the past. For more detailed information on foreign law research, see our Foreign & Comparative Law Research Guide.

  • Compendium of Environmental Laws of African Countries INTL KQC705.C65 1996 (infrequently updated)
    Some of this information is dated, but still a good resource for African environmental law. Also on Google books with ( Benin-Lesotho & Mali-Tunisia) previews of full text.
  • ECOLEX
    Great, free database from FAO includes national legislation (some translations). Use the advanced search option to search by jurisdiction.
  • Foreign Law Guide database (Georgetown Law Only)
    The best source for locating the law for many foreign jurisdictions. It provides the researcher with relevant information on sources of foreign law, including complete bibliographic citations to legislation, the existence of English translations whenever possible, and selected references to secondary sources in English. Each jurisdiction also has an Internet Sources section.
  • International Encyclopedia of Laws : Environmental Law Online
    This database provides extensive background information on the environmental law of individual countries. Useful for finding citations and summaries of statutes and regulations. It does not have translations of foreign statutes.
  • International Protection of the Environment : Conservation in Sustainable Development INTL K3585.4.I58 1995 (updated regularly)
  • Library Databases (Georgetown Law Only)
    We subscribe to legal databases for the following countries: India (Manupatra), China (iSinolaw and ChinaLawInfo), Vietnam, and Uganda.
  • World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII)
    The wealth of information here is maintained by several legal research institutes around the world. We suggest clicking on "All Countries" on the left side and then selecting your jurisdiction. For many countries, there are legislation and case law databases, but also try links listed under subject or legislation. Worldlii has legal information from 86 countries.

Foreign and International Case Law

Access to court decisions varies among jurisdictions. Many courts provide jurisprudence on court websites and they are often searchable. Again, English translations are rarely provided. When available, we have included specialized reports that have only environmental cases. Remember, sometimes periodical literature is a good source for citations or the text of national and international case law.

  • ELAW (Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide)
    The Legal and Scientific Resources section includes some court decisions. You will need to select a region and then a country to see a list of available materials. Coverage varies between countries.
  • Canadian Environmental Law Reports INTL KE3612.C37
    Features cases from Canada with annotations.
  • Environmental Law Reports INTL KJE6242.A7 E5
    Covers annotated cases from the United Kingdom and the European Union. Also available on Westlaw (ENV-RPTS).
  • International Environmental Law Reports INTL K3584.53.I58 1999
    This multi volume set (volume 5 published in 2007) includes coverage of international and national tribunals. Volume 1 covers very early decisions and volume 4 covers national courts.
  • ECOLEX
    This database has some court decisions. We suggest selecting "court decisions" and then entering a country name.
  • Library Databases (Georgetown Law Only)
    We subscribe to legal databases for the following countries: India (Manupatra), China (iSinolaw and ChinaLawInfo), and Uganda that include court decisions.
  • World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII)
    We suggest clicking on "All Countries" on the left side and then selecting your jurisdiction. For many countries, there are legislation and case law databases, but also try links listed "Courts & Case-Law".

Periodical Literature

Journal articles are a good way to obtain background information, locate a citation or even the text of a foreign law. Westlaw and Lexis provide excellent coverage of U.S. law reviews, but you should consider expanding your research to include foreign journals and indexes for more comprehensive and global coverage. For detailed information on all our journal databases and how to search them, see our Using Articles for Legal and Non-Legal Research guide.

If you already have an article citation, but need to locate it in electronic format, just search the journal title (not article title) in the online catalog. The results will provide information on both print and electronic availability.

  • Academic Search Premier (Georgetown Only)
    International environmental research can be interdisciplinary and this is a great resource for non-legal academic literature. Provides full text for over 4,600 publications on social sciences, humanities, education, and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. Coverage: 1975 – present.
  • Cambridge University Press (Georgetown Only)
    Full text access to legal and other journals published by Cambridge University Press. Search by title, abstract, or by full text.
  • Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (Georgetown Law Only)
    This database is an index and doesn't include the full text. However, it is the best source for locating foreign law journal articles. Search in English, but results will include articles in many languages besides English. You can then locate the full text by searching for the journal title in the library catalog.
  • Oxford University Press (Georgetown Only)
    Online access to journals covering legal, regional affairs, social sciences, and other subjects. Search by title, abstract, or by full text.
  • Kluwer Law International Journals (Georgetown Only)
    Also known as KLI Journals Online. Somewhat business-related, but covers EU developments. Note: the Library does not subscribe to all titles that are listed on the Kluwer web site.

Current Awareness

These sources are useful for keeping up to date on recent events in this field and for selecting a paper topic. Some even offer RSS feeds or email notifications.

  • Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide blog
    ELAW is a worldwide partnership organization among environmental advocates promoting the environmental movement around the world. This open blog includes information on current issues and policies.
  • Greenwire (Georgetown Law Only)
    A daily news service reporting on the latest environmental & energy politics and policy at state, national and international levels. Summarizes from various print, broadcast and online sources.
  • IISD Linkages
    Daily news source for coverage of international environmental meetings. Publishes the current awareness tools, Earth Negotiations Bulletin and Your Meeting Bulletin which promise to be neutral, authoritative records of ongoing meetings of various environmental topics. View the Upcoming Meetings section to monitor international meetings.
  • International Environment Reporter (Georgetown Law Only)
    This biweekly BNA publication covers international environmental law and policy in the major industrialized and developing nations. Also in print in the Wolff Library.

Organizations

  • European Union - Environment
    The EU has an active environmental program and this link will provide access to legislation, reports, and publications. This is a good place to begin your EU environmental research. Be sure to visit the European Commission Environment Directorate-General site for additional resources. The European Environment Agency was established by an EU regulation and assists EU institutions and EEA members in making decisions and policies about the environment. Locate useful information under "Environmental Topics" and "Data and Maps."
  • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
    In addition to Ecolex, FAO offers FAOLex, WaterLex and FishLex databases.
  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
    This scientific body reviews and evaluates information produced about climate change. There are meeting documents and publications available.
  • OECD Environment
    There is useful information here organized under tabs such as Publications, Statistics, and a handy tab of Information by Country.
  • United Nations Environment Programme
    Main UNEP web page with full text publications. The United Nations Environment Programme in Geneva offers handy links to specific UNEP programs headquartered in Geneva.

Additional Resources

  • CIEL - The Center for International Environmental Law
    CIEL is a nonprofit organization working to use international law and institutions to protect the environment, promote human health, and ensure a just and sustainable society. CIEL's publications page links to scholarly papers on the following topics: biodiversity and wildlife, chemicals, climate change, human rights & the environment, trade & sustainable development, and more.
  • Social Science Research Network (Georgetown Law Only)
    SSRN is a database of working papers and articles accepted for publication (some have since been published) on various subjects including international environmental law. Working papers are available for downloading. Journal articles will need to be accessed from HeinOnline, Westlaw or Lexis.

Other Research Guides

Want more information about international environmental law? These other research guides may help.

Revised 10/10 (mms)
Links 8/08 (ras)
Updated 5/08 (mms)

Page last saved 23-Sep-2011