Specialized agencies also are a part of the system. For example, the World Bank and the regional development banks consider environmental criteria in their lending practices. Examples of such international cooperation are the well-known Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the International Convention For the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, and the International Convention For the Regulation of Whaling. No organization has the authority or political strength to serve as a central clearinghouse or coordinator, nor does any organization have the mission of establishing broad GATT-like principles as the basis for norms in international environmental relations. The current international chaos in the environmental area undermines the prospects for making sustained progress in international rule-making, both with regards to improved standards and their effective enforcement.
Environmental policy is very much an institutional orphan in comparison.
The GEO Mandate A comprehensive international environmental institution, a GEO, would serve to coordinate global environmental efforts and to focus political interest and public policy debates on the environmental agenda. This would include both multilateral efforts directed at global commons problems, as well as encouraging good environmental stewardship in national programs where the environmental effects are principally local in nature. Through focused rule-making and joint action, a GEO would contribute to international harmony on environmental issues. In practical terms, the role of the GEO would be to promote sustainable development. This raises some potential institutional complexities that are not readily apparent.