ABSTRACT
The present chapter considers three multilateral treaties that have sought to address different types of harm related to the protection of the atmosphere. It concerns the prevention of transboundary air pollution as regulated by the 1979 Air Pollution Convention negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The chapter lays down general principles of international cooperation for air pollution abatement which have been furthered by eight regulatory protocols. Beyond the transboundary or regional impact of air pollution, the degradation of the global atmosphere has been the focus of more recent international regulation. It reproduces the instruments that address the depletion of the ozone layer. The 1985 Ozone Convention commits governments to protect the ozone layer and to cooperate in scientific research. The chapter focuses on the international legal framework to combat global warming. It includes novel implementation mechanisms such as joint fulfilment of commitments and implementation, the clean development mechanism (CDM) and emissions trading.
