XVIII. Comercio internacional y derecho ambiental.

International Commercial Law, since its origins, has been predicated upon the promotion of sustainable development, which includes the protection of the environment. Therefore, the construction of the legal system governing international commerce has included the obligation of States to effectively enforce their own environmental norms in addition to not reduce their standards of protection. In parallel, the many International Law instruments governing international commerce have established dispute settlement mechanisms encompassing breaches to these obligations, including the exercise of governmental prerogatives granted by internal legislation to States themselves. In this way, a complementary mechanism to those internal to each State has contributed to the efficacy of Environmental Law and is preventing its regression to lower standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]