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Environmental pollution is a global problem and a matter of vital importance for all. Concern over environmental questions is an international task, particularly for highly developed, industrialised countries. To be effective in policy-planning and, most of all, in preventing further environmental disasters, we must acknowledge our individual and social responsibilities towards the environment and all forms of life on our planet.

Environmental protection involves confronting conflicting interests. The integration of environmental dimensions in all major policy areas is a key factor in overcoming this problem. Environmental protection targets can only be achieved by involving those policy areas causing environmental deterioration. Only by replacing the command-and-control approach with shared responsibility between the various actors, (governments, industry and the public) can commitment to agreed measures be achieved. International environmental legislation and "bio-legislation" are a crucial element in the implementation of such policy.

The integration of the environment into all aspects of international legislation and policy is a priority. Normative regulations must take full account of environmental liability, both locally and globally. Concerns for environmental justice and bio-legislation should guide decision-making on all levels. After well-documented environmental disasters, such legislation is not a mere aspiration but indeed a necessity.

Bios Rights - International Court of the Environment
The protection of “bios rights,” a concept of pivotal importance to the defence of the rights of future generations, is a priority for B.I.O. since 1985. Many enlightened leaders have contributed articles on bio-legislation to the volumes of proceedings from our international conferences, and several issues of BioNews feature information and editorials on various aspects of environmental legislation. B.I.O. is also involved in an international initiative concerning the establishment of an “International Court of the Environment,” along with eminent legislators, judges, academics, members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and other personalities. A major B.I.O. international conference on the importance of the creations of an International Court of the Environment was held in Athens, in January 2001. A comprehensive volume on “Bio-Legislation” is published in Bio-Syllabus for European Environmental Education, an 880-page textbook available in print and electronically (CD-Rom). Based on this pioneering material is B.I.O.’s e-learning course on “Environmental Legislation,” which will soon be available online as part of our e-learning programme in environmental education. Moreover, a training manual on “European and International Environmental Law and Legislation” was prepared by B.I.O. the within the framework of the European Union’s Phare, TEMPUS, and Leonardo da Vinci Training Programmes. This educational material was used in vocational training activities in Europe and in EU accession countries.