ABSTRACT
It is indicative of the relatively recent emergence of international environmental law that the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, adopted in 1970, makes no reference to co-operation on environmental matters. Environmental protection might of course be included under the general heading of a duty to co-operate ‘in the various spheres of international relations, in order to maintain international peace and security and to promote international economic stability and progress [and] the general welfare of nations’, but the declaration’s emphasis on economic sovereignty and the promotion of economic growth suggests that environmental matters were not a priority concern of the drafters of this resolution.
