International Environmental Agreements (IEA) include efforts to regulate human interactions with the environment that involve legally binding commitments ("agreements") among governments ("international") that have environmental protection as a primary objective ("environmental").The IEAs include:
- instruments designated as convention, treaty, agreement, accord, or their non-English equivalents, and protocols and amendments to such instruments;
- instruments, regardless of designation, establishing intergovernmental commissions;
- instruments, regardless of designation, identified as binding by reliable sources (e.g., by a secretariat, UNEP, or published legal analysis); or
- instruments, regardless of designation, whose texts fit accepted terminologies of legally-binding agreements.
Intergovernmental "soft laws," such as action plans, agreed measures, codes of conduct, declarations, resolutions, and similar policies that are not binding are excluded. European Union (EU) directives are also excluded due to their unique status.
| Dataset type: | Time-Series |
| Dataset level: | Country |
(Mitchell, 2020)
(Mitchell et al.,
2020)
The number of international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols that entered into force for the first time (before any withdrawals), in the recorded year.
More about this variableThe number of international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols that entered into force after the first withdrawal, in the recorded year.
More about this variableThe number of international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols that entered into force after the second withdrawal, in the recorded year.
More about this variableThe number of international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols in force, including international environmental agreements that have been terminated.
More about this variableThe number of international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols in force, not counting terminated international environmental agreements.
More about this variableThe number of international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols ratified in the recorded year. The users are encouraged to use "entry into force" instead of signatures and ratifications.
More about this variableThe number of international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols signed in the recorded year. The data on signatures are incomplete. Signatures are fewer than ratifications or entry into force because secretariats, e.g., the UN Treaty Series, often do not keep track of signatures. The users are encouraged to use "entry into force" instead of signatures and ratifications.
More about this variableThe number of international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols terminated in the recorded year.
More about this variableThe number of first-time withdrawals from international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols in the recorded year.
More about this variableThe number of second-time withdrawals from international environmental agreements, amendments, and protocols in the recorded year.
More about this variable