ABSTRACT

International Environmental Law and Development

By Charles E. Di Leva

This article discusses whether the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization are more effective in promoting international environmental treaties, in some cases, than many of the traditional sources of international environmental law. The author argues that there have been clear global and local environmental benefits emanating from a broad view of international environmental law and the actions of international organizations such as the World Bank and similar institutions. With these international institutions in the forefront, the author concludes that their policies are likely to be increasingly utilized by the private sector in developing countries, resulting in major environmental improvements over existing circumstances.

This article argues that the application of institutional environment-related policies has paved the way for increased prospects for procedural and substantive environmental improvements by all multilateral financial organizations. International institutions stand as one of the most important mechanisms to influence the development of international environmental law, given its significant financial and technical resources and its global links to both the public and private sectors.