Conditions for State environmental liability under international law
Environmental responsibility and international regulation

In theory, in the event of environmental damage, two types of international state liability may be incurred, depending on whether or not the damage was caused by a violation of the state's international obligations (figure 1 ). A distinction is thus made between "no-fault" or objective liability, where the damage results from dangerous but not prohibited activities (in English, liability), and liability for damage resulting from violations of international law (in English, responsibility).