ABSTRACT
The development of global environmental regimes generally involves five interrelated processes or stages: agenda setting and issue definition, fact finding, bargaining on regime creation, regime implementation, and regime review and strengthening. This chapter discusses the ozone, hazardous waste, toxic chemicals, and climate regimes. The ozone layer absorbs all of the deadly UV-C radiation and most of the harmful UV-B radiation emitted by the sun. Therefore, destruction of the ozone layer would be catastrophic, and significant depletion would be very harmful. The ozone regime is widely considered the most successful global environmental regime. The protocol currently mandates the elimination of ninety-six chemicals. The ozone regime has eliminated nearly all production and use of new Chlorofluorocarbons, halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform. Hazardous wastes are discarded materials that can damage human health or the environment. Climate change is the prototype of a global commons issue.
