What is the object or purpose of International Environmental Law, is it an ethical statement, deterrence or a socializing instrument? If it is an ethical statement, which many of the framework or agenda conventions seem to be, is it merely inspirational? If it is anticipated as deterrence, why are there not more international forums for dispute resolution, empowered to enforce agreements? If it is intended as a socialization method, is it working?[i] To address environmental issues that India and other countries face, it is essential and very important to commence action at all levels like global, regional, national, local, and community. It is not adequate to have international agreements and instruments on environmental issues and various problems but completion, implementation and enforcement of these policies and agreements to a large extent determine their impact and effectiveness.
[i] Lavanya Rajamani, ‘Public Interest Environmental Litigation in India: Exploring issues of access, participation, equity, effectiveness and sustainability’, Journal of Environmental Law (2007) at p. 293-321.
In this present paper, an effort has been made to momentarily outline the various Indian legislations and international treaties relating to the environment, which are mainly and more relevant to protect and improve the environment in India. The enforcement, scope and limit of these legislations has also been critically examined and evaluated in systematically manner.
