ABSTRACT
The environmental crisis has several idiosyncrasies that necessitate implementation of a new vision of environmental protection-a vision transcending national boundaries and embracing the global collective. A cursory examination of the legal environmental systems of some developing countries lends credibility to the argument that nation states, particularly those of the developing world, cannot be relied upon to pursue environmental objectives beneficial to the global commons. It has been observed that the enforcement of environmental standards tended to be lax in developing countries. A survey of air and water pollution laws revealed that the failure of the legal system rose out of a lack of financial resources dedicated to legal enforcement, multiple agencies performing overlapping functions, and a general failure to implement laws.
