The lecture reviewed how international environmental negotiations evolved from a concern for local problems in the industrialized world, to cover transnational issues and global issues. The two UN Conferences on Environment, in Stockholm (1972) and Rio de Janeiro (1992), were taken as the two poles in this evolution. The policy instruments used evolved from remedial actions to preventive measures and the use of economic instruments. These shifts signify that environmental negotiations have changed from being a peripheral issue in international politics to a core issue.