INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AS A COMPLEX SYSTEM: CHARACTERISTICS, METHODOLOGIES AND INSTRUMENTS

The understanding of international environmental problems demands a comprehension of international environmental law as a complex system, in which the interaction between actors and processes offers its own dynamic. The remarkable elements of the international environmental law and the theory of complex systems show the importance of the interpretation that is not reductionist or linear. It is possible to achieve gains of understanding this field of law through methodologies and tools associated with the complex systems. Therefore, the essay has been divides into two main sections. The first aims to present the basic concepts of the theory of complex systems, in order to allow the following analysis of the international environmental law conducted in the second part. The relevance and originality of the paper can be assessed from the context of complexity that has been verified. Despite the theoretical nature of the paper, it intends to contribute to further studies that aim to deal with the subject in all its complexity, as well as the development of most appropriate tools to handle with them.