Environmental “norms” are generally accepted ideas about how international communities should think about and act upon environmental issues that concern everyone. There has been much discussion (and resulting policy) about how sovereign, or independent, states should govern their own resources and control internal and external pollution.
*An example of policy resulting from international discussion about environmental norms is “Agenda 21” from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. This document has become an important resource for nations to develop their own policy about environmental “best practice”; or the best ways to deal with environmental problems.
