This survey analyzes the last 25 years of international negotiation on environmental issues. Covering the Stockholm Conference of 1972 and the subsequent establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme, it describes conferences, negotiations and agreements to the present day. The author examines the key forces at work - such as national self-interest and industrial and NGO concerns - in such negotiations as the North Sea Agreements and EC environmental co-operation. The text concludes with a review of the prospects for meaningful future agreements.