The current international environmental regime is outdated and needs to be replaced. The world has changed considerably since 1972 when UNEP was created. Economic interdependence is now a universally accepted reality shaping the national policies of sovereign states. Ecological interdependence is increasingly being realized as environmental problems transcend borders and span the globe. Yet, currently there does not exist any international forum where environmental concerns can be voiced and disputes resolved.
Fragmentation is a central weakness of the current environmental regime.
This fragmentation of responsibilities, funding, priorities, roles, actors, and geographic locales leads to responses that are less coherent, effective, and systematic than needed. The lack of coordination within governments, especially between environment ministries and other departments, further hampers efforts. Turf battles and staff inadequacies at the national and intergovernmental levels drain resources. Governments often lack the capability and incentives to respond to problems of global scale, and by doing so externalize costs onto neighboring states and the international system as a whole. This free-rider problem results in a race towards the bottom in environmental standards, a race in which each state is ultimately the loser.