Environment-Related Global Issues: Global and Regional Conventions and the Role of the Third World*

The nation-specificity of environmental issues is true for some resources, though ultimately all usable resources become global issues if they cross the national border. Globalization of the post-Second World War period has led to increasing trade-related conflicts between the developed and the developing countries. Environment-related trade restrictions imposed particularly by the developed market economies obstruct market access by the Third World Countries. This paper explains the apparently national environmental issues in the global context. The interventions by the regional and world bodies through conventions and rules on these issues help the countries to settle environment-related disputes. These interventions confirm coordinated action plans on national environmental problems that have a global impact. The preventive measures in the Third World countries supplement the solution process.