International Scientific and Technological Cooperation for Environmental Protection

The paper deals with issues of international scientific and technological cooperation for environmental protection. The legal platform for cooperation in the field of science and technology (STC) between states is an international treaty. At the same time, the search for an optimal model of international STC requires considering the features of scientific and technological development at the present stage. The development of an international STC for environmental protection is linked to the task of finding the most promising and convenient forms of such cooperation. Along with international agreements on global scientific projects, STC for environmental protection is actively developing at the bilateral level. The paper defines the features of bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding in the development of scientific and technological cooperation for environmental protection. STC issues for optimal implementation of international environmental obligations are considered. Serious natural disasters present challenges when it is necessary to understand the scientific basis of decisions made by different countries and to improve the exchange of data and information. This determines the direction and activity of STC in relation to the prevention and overcoming of the consequences of environmental emergencies, which is emphasized in the paper. While STC between developed and developing countries has traditionally taken the form of technical assistance, there are now new motivations and opportunities to support scientific cooperation for development and research capacity-building, especially for developing countries in the sense of focusing on real partnership. STC for environmental protection between developed and developing countries is analyzed. In conclusion, a summary of the prospects for STC for environmental protection is presented.

scientific and technological cooperation, scientific and technological development, environmental protection, international treaty, Memorandum of Understanding, environmental emergencies, OECD, developed and developing countries, information exchange, scientific diplomacy

1. Kozheurov YaS, Teymurov ES. Ponyatie, priznaki i pravovaya priroda globalnoy issledovatelskoy infrastruktury [Concept, Features and Legal Nature of Global Research Infrastructure]. Aktualnye problemy rossiyskogo prava. 2019;(9):130-141. (In Russ.)

2. Chetverikov AO. Organizatsionno-pravovye formy bolshoy nauki (megasayens) v usloviyakh mezhdunarodnoy integratsii: sravnitelnoe issledovanie. Chast 2. Pravovye aspekty funktsionirovaniya megasayens v forme transnatsionalnykh i nadnatsionalnykh yuridicheskikh lits, mezhdunarodnykh konsortsiumov bez statusa yuridicheskogo litsa, evropeyskikh konsortsiumov issledovatelskoy infrastruktury. Dostoinstva i nedostatki raznykh organizatsionno-pravovykh form megasayens. Perspektivy Rossii i Evraziyskogo ekonomicheskogo soyuza [Legal forms of big science (megascience) in the context of international integration : Part I. Megascience as a scientific and legal phenomenon. Legal aspects of megascience in the form of international intergovernmental organizations and national legal entities]. Yuridicheskaya nauka [Legal Science]. 2018;1:13-27. (In Russ.)

3. Boisson de Chazournes L. Technical and financial assistance and compliance: The interplay. In: Beyerlin U, Stoll P-T, Wolfrum R, editors. Ensuring compliance with multilateral environmental agreements: A dialogue between practitioners and academia. Leiden/Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers; 2006. p. 273-300. (In Eng.)