ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the contribution made by existing sources of international law with respect to assisting in the enforcement of international environmental obligations. The record of implementation of multilateral environmental agreements has been and remains far from satisfactory should be of little surprise given the limits of international law's reach in relation to enforcement matters. Enforcement of international obligations at international level has been considered essentially in bilateral terms, namely as disputes to be settled between states. Rules of international law have been developed over the course of several years through custom and treaties to establish and refine the procedural and substantive ground rules to assist in the peaceable resolution of inter-statal disputes. It is a fundamental and well-established tenet of international law that states may be held to account by other states in respect of a violation of an international obligation owed to them.
