ABSTRACT
At the international level, the primary actors recognised by public international law are States, although it is now widely accepted that States are no longer the only subjects of international law and that international law governs the activities of bodies which are not States such as international or inter-governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), multinational or transnational corporations and individuals (Sands (1992) 103). Despite this expansion in the number and types of subjects of international law, international legal rules are generally framed in terms of obligations entered into by States and the international legal framework regulating, for example, pollution and nature conservation is in practice based on State-to-State relations, either at the bilateral or multilateral levels. A short description of the generally accepted sources of international environmental law follows. However, before this discussion is entered into, it is important to stress that in principle States incur obligations under international law, including international environmental law, only when they have consented to such obligations.
