The primary objective of the International environmental law is the protection and steps to preservation of the global environment. It was originally related with the idea that countries and states should not allow the use of any territory for such a purpose which might or will harm the territory of the neighboring countries or states. Now this environmental law has come a long way to become a wide range of official international agreements. The International environmental law covers all issues pertaining to terrestrial, oceanic and atmospheric contamination along with subjects like wildlife and biodiversity protection.

The International environmental law has originated from around four sources such as:

-different agreements between the different countries including treaties, international legal instruments, conventions, pacts, covenants and protocols
-customary laws
-general principles of laws
-several new sources such as court decisions on historic cases certain, resolutions, doctrine, recommendations and declarations given by different world organizations

The global environmental laws based on the agreements pertaining to the same can either be regional, multilateral or bilateral in nature. The MEAs or the multilateral environmental agreements have come to being in the last decade. Laws based on the treaties have been the most common source of these environmental laws. At present there are more than 1000 environmental treaties in function across the globe. The conventions, declarations, recommendations are specific to a certain issue which deal directly with environmental issues.

Protocols are gaining immense importance pertaining to International environmental laws. These are small agreement and a part of main environmental treaties. Protocols have become a part of numerous international laws especially in the environmental issues. It is also being used to upgrade the scientific knowledge required for environmental protection. The protocols are easier to create as they are flexible. One of the most widely known environmental protocols is the Kyoto Protocol.