The practice of multilateral environmental regulation is an inescapable by-product of the age of multilateralism. It seeks to ensure that the sovereign states adopt the spirit of multilateralism and come together on a common platform to address some of the global problematique. It is also largely based on the premise that global problems need global solutions. In this context, there has been a transition in the attitude of the states from the era of “common heritage” to the “common concerns of humankind.” It is possible that the sheer identification of some of these common concerns could be colored by the promotion of the national interest of a state or a group of states, economic factors, technology control regimes, financial jugglery, or just a quest for engaging the key countries in the midst of their developmental journey. It is also noteworthy that, in this age of multilateral regulation, the processes are also influenced by scientific reports. As a result, this admixture produces unique products that are now popularly described as multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

One of the salient facets of MEAs is that they provide an institutionalized platform for sovereign states to engage in addressing a commonly identified problem. This platform in practice revolves around a regulatory framework of a sectoral environmental agreement. The mushrooming growth in the number of MEAs in the past four decades is a testimony to this process at work.