2.6 Environmental Regulations — International
Most developed and many developing countries have enacted remediation laws, some of which are more far-reaching than CERCLA and RCRA. In addition, international environmental law has evolved to address the interdependence of ecosystems that traverse political boundaries. For environmental law in the world of sovereign states, the challenge is to reconcile the fundamental independence of each state with the inherent interdependence of ecosystems. Accordingly, the role of nonstate actors and international organizations has expanded. For example, in 2004, the European Union enacted a broad directive aimed at preventing environmental damage by requiring industrial polluters to pay prevention and remediation costs. In addition, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal is the most comprehensive global environmental agreement on hazardous and other wastes and has 183 member parties. Levels of enforcement of environmental laws vary widely among different countries.
In Latin America, as a result of rapid industrialization, population growth, increased economic power, and complex environmental and natural resource challenges, environmental law has evolved to stronger laws, greater enforcement, and increased liability. For example, because of pressure from local citizen groups and nongovernmental organizations to address environmental challenges, enforcement of environmental laws in Latin America is trending upward. The enforcement efforts are often high profile, widely reported in the news media, and intended to set examples through high penalty assessments and criminal convictions.