Resource sovereignty in the global environmental order

Over the last two decades, the growth in the number of environmental regulations is influenced partly as a direct result of the obligations created under multilateral agreements. While a large number of regulations may be the outcome of the government priorities at the national and local level – not all of these laws represent national priorities. As the discussion in this chapter shows, other external factors certainly have an impact on the national environmental law making processes, affecting sustainable resource management. Noting that states are the primary actors in any investment contracts dealing with resource sectors (e.g. water, energy, biodiversity), the focus of this chapter is to identify and discuss these external factors rather than the internal factors such as political manifestos, economic agenda or emergency prevention. It assesses the level of influence external bodies have on the environmental policy making at the national and local level. While the chapter acknowledges that states play a central role in managing their resources, it attempts to highlight the influence of international law and non-state actors in managing resources at the national level.