| Functional interdependence | Intentional politics of design and management | |
| Horizontal | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), ozone regimes | Joint funding mechanisms (e.g., Global Environment Fund (GEF)) |
| Vertical | Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), national forest regimes | Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), national air pollution regimes |
| Source: Young (2002) | ||