The end to the Cold War has brought about a thaw in international relations in the Arctic region. Recent environmental agreements among Arctic nations and their indigenous groups have had profoundly positive effects on the region as a whole. Improved cooperation has resulted in the formation of several key organizational forums.

• The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London - 1972) is the primary international agreement for regulating the dumping of wastes in the ocean. It has direct significance for several aspects of environmental protection of the Arctic, particularly in relation to radioactive waste disposal issues.
  
  
• The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, addresses the myriad problems associated with ship pollution from oil spills to chemicals, sewage, garbage, and transported hazardous substances.
  
  
• The Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) agreement signed in 1979 in Geneva, Switzerland represents the most appropriate instrument for addressing current components of the Arctic pollution problem. Current negotiations in LRTAP include efforts to establish a new protocol on photochemical pollution (Arctic haze), soil acidification and eutrophication; and to institute new policies on heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants.
  
  
• The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1985) set limits on the production of stratospheric ozone-depleting substances.
  
  
• In June 1991, the governments of the eight Arctic countries -- Canada, Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the United States, and the Russian Federation -- adopted the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) in Rovaniemi, Finland. The main goal of AEPS is to protect Arctic ecosystems and "to continue cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, with the involvement of the indigenous peoples and other Arctic residents, on common Arctic issues for the benefit of present and future generations."
  
  
• The 1991 Emergency, Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) provides a framework for future cooperation in responding to the threat of Arctic environmental emergencies.
  
  
• The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic, in 1992 (OSPAR) is currently one of the most applicable international agreements for addressing Arctic marine pollution from various sources.
  
  
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Rio de Janeiro -1992) provides an international framework to discuss greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. It includes provisions for the negotiation of binding agreements to reduce emissions.
  
  
• The Establishment of the Arctic Council in Ottawa, Canada, in September 1996 has also been a significant recent development. Among the Council's objectives is the promotion of sustainable, sensible development in the Arctic in close collaboration with indigenous peoples. With protection of the Arctic environment as the main theme, the Arctic Council seeks to provide the means for cooperation and coordination for a host of circumpolar Arctic tasks.The Inuit, the Saami, indigenous peoples of the Russian north and the Aleutians are all represented through their organizations.
  
  
• To meet AEPS objectives the 1996 Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) agreement compels Arctic nations to protect a minimum of 12 per cent of each Arctic ecozone and facilitates the exchange of information and the coordination of research on Arctic species and habitats.