The first volume of the International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy includes an important discussion on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals that are the basis for the post-2015 development agenda up to the year 2030; the Yearbook focuses in particular on Goal 15, which includes achieving a "land degradation-neutral world." It also provides a comprehensive and highly informative overview of the latest developments at the international level, important cross-disciplinary issues and different approaches in national legislation. The book is divided into four sections. Forewords by internationally renowned academics and politicians are followed by an analysis of the content and structure of the Sustainable Development Goals with regard to soil and land as well as the scientific methods for their implementation. In addition, all relevant international regimes are discussed, including the latest developments, such as the decisions made at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The next section deals with cross-disciplinary issues relevant to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals like the right to food, land tenure, migration and the "Economics of Land Degradation" initiative. The last section gathers reports on the development of national legislation from various nations and supra-national entities, including Brazil, China, the European Union, Mongolia, Namibia and the United States. Addressing this broad range of key topics, the book offers an indispensible tool for all academics, legislators and policymakers working in this field. The "International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy" is a book series that discusses the central questions of law and politics with regard to the protection and sustainable management of soil and land - at the international, national and regional level.

Jan Beermann addresses persistent research gaps in urban climate governance and North-South cooperation. He compares the form, processes and outcomes of four local climate protection projects conducted as part of German-Indian urban cooperation and explores the conditions associated with the success and/or failure in these initiatives. The study concludes that North-South city partnerships struggle to fully realise their potential to foster global climate protection efforts, specifically in terms of post-project sustainability, multi-level governance coordination, and mutuality. On the basis of these findings, practical policy recommendations on how to maximise the outcomes and broaden the scope of urban climate cooperation are provided.

This book explains, compares and assesses the legal implications of Dieselgate within a range of selected jurisdictions and at the EU, international and comparative law level.The book analyses the US EPA-VW $14.7 billion dollar settlement of 2016, one of the largest civil settlements in the history of environmental law. As it shows, the Dieselgate affair has raised a host of issues concerning corporate and social responsibility, tort liability, environmental liability, contractual defective products, warranty, and false environmental claims in a range of jurisdictions. Issues like repurchasing or retrofitting cars from consumers and making direct payments to consumers through car buy-backs and compensation are analysed. Further, the book relates how Dieselgate has also contributed to the discussion about the introduction of more effective collective measures of redress for consumers, such as class actions, in Germany, France, Italy and the UK.The book subsequently reviews the criminal offences Volkswagen is currently confronted with in Germany, France and Italy, i.e. fraud and manipulation of capital markets (by belatedly providing shareholders with essential information relevant for the share value), and, potentially, environmental crimes. It demonstrates how Dieselgate has sparked new debates in Germany, Italy, France and the UK about the need to introduce enterprise liability for organised crimes, lack of compliance and control structures, and intentional violations of the law.Lastly, the book discusses how EU law has sought to respond to Dieselgate and thus investigates the controversial EU Regulation No. 2016/646 introducing a "temporary conformity factor" of 2.1 (equivalent to a 110% increase on the current limit) to be applied for NOx in the new RDE testing cycle, and the works of the EU committee of inquiry into Emissions Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS).

Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples offers the most comprehensive resource for advancing our understanding of one of the least coherently developed of climate change policy realms - legal protection of vulnerable indigenous populations. The first part of the book provides a tremendously useful background on the cultural, policy, and legal context of indigenous peoples, with special emphasis on developing general principles for climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions. The remainder of the volume then carefully and thoroughly works through how those general principles play out for different regional indigenous populations around the globe. All of the contributions to the volume are by leading experts who bring their insights and innovative thinking to bear on a truly complex subject. Whether as a novice s starting point or expert's desktop reference, I cannot think of a more useful resource for anyone interested in climate policy for indigenous peoples.' - J.B. Ruhl, Vanderbilt University Law School, USThis timely volume explores the ways in which indigenous peoples across the world are challenged by climate change impacts, and discusses the legal resources available to confront those challenges. Indigenous peoples occupy a unique niche within the climate justice movement, as many indigenous communities live subsistence lifestyles that are severely disrupted by the effects of climate change. Additionally, in many parts of the world, domestic law is applied differently to indigenous peoples than it is to their non-indigenous peers, further complicating the quest for legal remedies. The contributors to this book bring a range of expert legal perspectives to this complex discussion, offering both a comprehensive explanation of climate change-related problems faced by indigenous communities and a breakdown of various real world attempts to devise workable legal solutions. Regions covered include North and South America (Brazil, Canada, the US and the Arctic), the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Tuvalu and the Federated States of Micronesia), Australia and New Zealand, Asia (China and Nepal) and Africa (Kenya). This comprehensive volume will appeal to professors and students of environmental law, indigenous law and international law, as well as practitioners and policymakers with an interest in indigenous legal issues and environmental justice. Contributors: R.S. Abate, D. Badrinarayana, K. Boom, M. Burkett, J.M. Cha, E. Charles-Newton, L.A. Crippa, M. Davis, P. Dong, N. Johnstone, P. Kameri-Mbote, P. Kebec, S. Krakoff, E.A. Kronk, J.-D. Lavallee, J. Liu, A. Long, L.A. Miranda, C.Y. Mulalap, E. Nyukuri, H. Osofsky, J.V. Royster, I.L. Stoyanova, V. Sutton, E.J. Techera, S. Theriault, R. Tsosie, P. Van Tuyn, W. Yu

This volume is an inspiring and breakthrough piece of academic scholarship and the first of its kind featuring a comprehensive reader-friendly approach to teach the intricacies of the various aspects of international farm animal, wildlife conservation, food safety and environmental protection law. The selected focus areas are grouped in sections, such as agrobiodiversity, fishing and aquaculture, pollinators and pesticides, soil management, industrial animal production and transportation, and international food trade. Farm animal welfare, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and food safety are the core of the selected chapters. Every chapter provides real-world examples to make the complex field easy to understand. With its systematic approach, this book is devoted to anyone interested in the subject, becomes a valuable resource for professionals working in food regulation, and provides a solid foundation for courses and master's programs in animal law, environmental policy, food and agriculture law, and regulation of these subjects around the world. Through its emphasis on sustainable food production, this work offers a cutting-edge selection of evolving topics at the heart of the pertinent discourse. As one of its highlights, this books also provides "Tools for Change," a unique compilation and analysis of laws from the major farm animal product trading nations. With these tools, practitioners, advocates, policy makers and other state-holders are equipped with information to start work toward improving farm animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and food safety through the use of law and policy.

Ingeniously organized in a life cycle format, the Handbook covers environmental taxation concepts, design, acceptance, implementation, and impact. The universal themes discussed in each area will appeal to a broad range of readers.' - Larry Kreiser, Cleveland State University, US'This book is a smart and useful reader's guide providing analytical tools for a full comprehension of environmental taxes, with an interdisciplinary approach that looks at all the different phases of environmental taxation: from the design to the implementation, the political acceptance and the impact on the economy. The authors' effort is very successful in endowing academicians, policy makers and the general public with an excellent proof of the effectiveness of environmental taxes and green tax reforms.' - Alberto Majocchi, University of Pavia, Italy 'Putting the words 'environment' next to 'taxation' might not always be the flavour of the month, but no modern society can ignore the value of the natural environment and the need to maintain its good quality and no competitive economy can prosper without the necessary tax revenues to function. Environmental taxation offers the prospect of moving towards a more resource-efficient economy, where preference is given to tax more what we burn, less what we earn. I welcome this contribution to the literature.' - Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, European Commission 'The Milne and Andersen volume provides a splendid treatment of environmental taxation that encompasses the basic conceptual issues, problems of tax design and implementation, and several insightful case studies that show how environmental taxes actually work in practice. It is the best overall treatment of environmental taxation available: comprehensive, rigorous, and readable.' - Wallace Oates, University of Maryland, College Park US The Handbook of Research on Environmental Taxation captures the state of the art of research on environmental taxation. Written by 36 specialists in environmental taxation from 16 countries, it takes an interdisciplinary and international approach, focusing on issues that are universal to using taxation to achieve environmental goals. The Handbook explores the conceptual foundations of environmental taxation, essential elements for designing environmental tax measures, factors that influence the acceptance of environmental taxation, the variety of ways to implement environmental taxes, their environmental and economic impact and, finally, the larger question of the role of taxation among other policy approaches to environmental protection. Intermixing theory with case studies, the Handbook offers readers lessons that can be applied around the world. It identifies key bodies of research for people who are already working in the field or entering the field and highlights issues that call for more research in the future. With systematic analysis of key issues in environmental taxation, this book will appeal to researchers, governments, think tanks, NGOs, and academics in law, economics, political science and public finance, as well as students specializing in environmental taxation and other market-based instruments. Contributors include: M.S. Andersen, H. Ashiabor, J.-P. Barde, N.A. Braathen, N.J. Chalifour, P. Ekins, M.G. Faure, O. Godard, P.M. Herrera, M. Jaccard, W.K. Jaeger, A. Loefgren, M. Mehling, J.E. Milne, A. Muller, H.O. Nielsen, B.E. Olsen, T. Palmer-Tous, J. Pavel, P. Preiss, A. Riera-Font, M. Rodi, M.A.G. Ruiz, R. Sairinen, K. Schlegelmilch, C.D. Soares, S. Speck, T. Sterner, P. Thalmann, E. Traversa, L. Vitek, H. Vollebergh, H. Vos, S.E. Weishaar, Y. Xu

In this book the author examines the illegal wildlife trade from multiple perspectives: the historical context, the impact on the environment, the scope of the problem internationally, the sociocultural demand for illegal products, the legal efforts to combat it, and several case studies from inside the trade. The illegal wildlife trade has become a global criminal enterprise, following in the footsteps of drugs and weapons. Beyond the environmental impact, financial profits from the illegal wildlife trade often fund organized crime groups and violent gangs that threaten public safety and security in myriad ways. This innovative volume covers several key questions surrounding the wildlife trade: why is there a demand for illegal wildlife products, which actors are involved in the trade, how is the business organized, and what are the harmful consequences. The author performed ethnographic fieldwork in three key markets: Russia, Morocco, and China, and has constructed a detailed picture of how the wildlife trade operates in these areas. Conversations with informants directly involved in the illegal business ensure unique insights into this lively black market. In the course of his journey the author follows the route of the illegal wildlife trade from poor poaching areas to rich business districts where corrupt officials, legally registered companies, wildlife farms and sophisticated criminal organizations all have a share. A fascinating look inside the world of poachers, smugglers and traders.

Divided into three sections, this book explores the three main pillars of sustainable development, namely economy, environment and society, and their interlinkages at the regional level. The first section, Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for sustainable development, focuses on international agreements and national legislation, as well as the challenges in implementing ABS in e.g. India. In turn, the second section examines the process of forming Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the Local Self Government (LSG) level to promote environmental sustainability, highlighting local and community-level conservation initiatives that have led to the conservation of habitats and species. The third section addresses poverty eradication and food security. The case studies included demonstrate how the combination of traditional knowledge and modern techniques can enhance the productivity of traditional crop varieties, yielding greater benefits for communities. The aim of this volume is to disseminate the lessons learned from these case studies, as well as the findings from projects already in place, which can offer recommendations that can be applied to similar problems elsewhere in an attempt to find environmental solutions for sustainable development. Further, it introduces readers to new approaches to inclusive development, demonstrating that participation and grass root empowerment are key drivers of equitable and sustainable development.

The WROCLAW COMMENTARIES address legal questions as well as political consequences related to freedom of, and access to, the arts and (old/new) media; questions of religious and language rights; the protection of minorities and other vulnerable groups; safeguarding cultural diversity and heritage; and further pertinent issues. Specialists from all over Europe and the world summarise and comment on core messages of legal instruments, the essence of case-law as well as prevailing and important dissenting opinions in the literature, with the aim of providing a user-friendly tool for the daily needs of decision or law-makers at different juridical, administrative and political levels as well as others working in the field of culture and human rights.

This book presents an extensive review of the context and an analysis of the market for clean energy technologies, with batteries as the primary case study. The focus of this book is on clean energy technology and in particular, on renewable energy and portable, mobile and stationary battery and energy supply. The authors examine how effectively countries with large and advanced economies are building and coaxing the markets needed to effectively mitigate environmental risk. The analysis takes a country-level perspective of some of the largest and most technologically advanced economies in the world including China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. The authors explore the measures being taken to foster markets that effectively reduce environmental risk, increase its resilience and even its recovery. In the concluding chapter, the authors suggest that while the market for environmental risk mitigation remains nascent, the possibility for its rapid development is high. A number of market coaxing mechanisms to promote its more rapid development are proposed. The book will be of interest to researchers, policy makers, business strategists, and academics in the fields of political science and business management.

This book presents peer-reviewed texts from the International Peace Research Association's Ecology and Peace Commission: M.I. Abazie-Humphrey (Nigeria) reviews "Nigeria's Home-Grown DDR Programme"; C. Christian and H. Speight (USA) analyse "Water, Cooperation, and Peace in the Palestinian West Bank"; T. Galaviz (Mexico) discusses "The Peace Process Mediation Network between the Colombian Government and the April 19th Movement"; S.E. Serrano Oswald (Mexico) examines "Social Resilience and Intangible Cultural Heritage: Case Study in Mexico"; A. F. Rashid (Pakistan) and F. Feng (China) focus on "Community Perceptions of Ecological Disturbances Caused During Terrorists Invasion and Counter-insurgency Operations in Swat, Pakistan"; M. Yoshii (Japan) examines "Structure of Discrimination in Japan's Nuclear Export" and finally, S. Takemine (Japan) discusses "'Global Hibakusha' and the Invisible Victims of US Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands".

By the end of the 1970s, contaminated sites had emerged as one of the most complex and urgent environmental issues affecting industrialized countries. The authors show that small and prosperous Switzerland is no exception to the pervasive problem of sites contamination, the legacy of past practices in waste management having left some 38,000 contaminated sites throughout the country. This book outlines the problem, offering evidence that open and polycentric environmental decision-making that includes civil society actors is valuable. They propose an understanding of environmental management of contaminated sites as a political process in which institutions frame interactions between strategic actors pursuing sometimes conflicting interests. In the opening chapter, the authors describe the influences of politics and the power relationships between actors involved in decision-making in contaminated sites management, which they term a "wicked problem." Chapter Two offers a theoretical framework for understanding institutions and the environmental management of contaminated sites. The next five chapters present a detailed case study on environmental management and contaminated sites in Switzerland, focused on the Bonfol Chemical Landfill. The study and analysis covers the establishment of the landfill under the first generation of environmental regulations, its closure and early remediation efforts, and the gambling on the remediation objectives, methods and funding in the first decade of the 21st Century. The concluding chapter discusses the question of whether the strength of environmental regulations, and the type of interactions between public, private, and civil society actors can explain the environmental choices in contaminated sites management. Drawing lessons from research, the authors debate the value of institutional flexibility for dealing with environmental issues such as contaminated sites.

Does extinction have to be forever? As the global extinction crisis accelerates, conservationists and policy-makers increasingly use advanced biotechnologies such as reproductive cloning, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bioinformatics in the urgent effort to save species. Mendel's Ark considers the ethical, cultural and social implications of using these tools for wildlife conservation. Drawing upon sources ranging from science to science fiction, it focuses on the stories we tell about extinction and the meanings we ascribe to nature and technology. The use of biotechnology in conservation is redrawing the boundaries between animals and machines, nature and artifacts, and life and death. The new rhetoric and practice of de-extinction will thus have significant repercussions for wilderness and for society. The degree to which we engage collectively with both the prosaic and the fantastic aspects of biotechnological conservation will shape the boundaries and ethics of our desire to restore lost worlds.

Dr. Michael Charles Tobias and Jane Gray Morrison are world-renowned ecological philosophers and activists, interdisciplinary social and environmental scientists and broad-ranging, deeply committed humanists. This collection of fifty essays and interviews comprises an invigorating, outspoken, provocative and eloquent overview of the ecological humanities in one highly accessible volume. The components of this collection were published in the authors' "Green Conversations" blog series, and pieces in the Eco News Network from 2011 to 2013 and feature luminaries from Jane Goodall to Ted Turner to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to the former head of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Stunning color photographs captured by the authors and contributors make Why Life Matters: Fifty Ecosystems of the Heart and Mind a feast for the eyes as well as the mind and soul. Ethics, science, technology, ecological literacy, grass-roots renaissance thinkers, conservation innovation from the U.S. to the U.K.; from India to Ecuador; from Bhutan to Haiti; from across Africa, the Neo-Tropics, Central Asia and Japan, to Rio, Shanghai and Manhattan - this humanistic ode to the future of life on earth is a relevant and resonating read. Michael Tobias and Jane Gray Morrison, partners who between them have authored some 50 books and written, directed and produced some 170 films, a prolific body of work that has been read, translated and/or broadcast around the world, have been married for more than a quarter-of-a-century. Their field research across the disciplines of comparative literature, anthropology, the history of science and philosophy, ecology and ethics, in over 80 countries, has served as a telling example of what two people - deeply in love with one another - can accomplish in spreading that same unconditional love to others - of all species.

This book provides theoretical and practical insights for effective decision making in situations that involve various types of conflict cleavages. Embedding historical analysis, negotiation analysis, political scientific analysis and game theoretical analysis in an integrated analytical framework allows a comprehensive perspective on various dilemmas and self-enforcing dynamics that inhibit decision making. The conceptualization of strategic facilitation highlights the value of leadership, chairmanship and the role of threshold states in facilitating decision making as the global climate change negotiations unfolds.

This book provides the reader with essential tools needed to analyze complex societal issues and demonstrates the transition from physics to modern-day laws and treaties. This second edition features new equation-oriented material and extensive data sets drawing upon current information from experts in their fields. Problems to challenge the reader and extend discussion are presented on three timely issues: * National Security: Weapons, Offense, Defense, Verification, Nuclear Proliferation, Terrorism * Environment: Air/Water, Nuclear, Climate Change, EM Fields/Epidemiology * Energy: Current Energy Situation, Buildings, Solar Buildings, Renewable Energy, Enhanced End-Use Efficiency, Transportation, Economics Praise for the first edition: "This insight is needed in Congress and the Executive Branch. Hafemeister, a former Congressional fellow with wide Washington experience, has written a book for physicists, chemists and engineers who want to learn science and policy on weapons, energy, and the environment. Scientists who want to make a difference will want this book." Richard Scribner, first Director, Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow Program, AAAS "Hafemeister shows how much one can understand about nuclear weapons and missile issues through simple back-of-the-envelope calculations. He also provides compact explanations of the partially successful attempts that have been made over the past 60 years to control these weapons of mass destruction. Hopefully, Physics of Societal Issues will help interest a new generation of physicists in continuing this work." Frank von Hippel, Professor, Princeton, former Assistant Director, National Security, White House, OSTP "Energy policy must be quantitative. People who don't calculate economic tradeoffs often champion simplistic hardware. 'The solution is more... nuclear power, or electric cars, or photovoltaics, etc.' Some simple physics will show that the true solution matches supply and demand as an 'integrated resource plan.' Physics of Societal Issues is a good place to begin this journey." Arthur Rosenfeld, former California Energy Commissioner, Professor-emeritus, U. of California-Berkeley

This book is a compilation of case studies from different countries and covers contemporary technologies including electric vehicles and solar thermal power plants. The book highlights the real-world situations facing individual projects and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the underlying business propositions. It also sheds light on the factors that are routinely ignored during project formulation and risk assessment, namely coordination among public and private agencies, confirmed availability of relatively minor but essential components, possibility of concurrent demand for inputs from different project proponents, etc. The book provides a systematic 'guided tour' of renewable energy (RE) projects for potential project analysts and includes the development of financial models. It concludes with an evaluation of risk and the design of risk-mitigation measures. It is designed to simultaneously appeal to business school students and to serve as a guide for practicing executives, policy makers and consultants. The cases cover several countries, currencies, policy environments, technologies and resources and will help policy makers, consultants and project analysts and proponents view RE projects in a new light.

This volume draws on the ecojustice, citizen science and youth activism literature base in science education and applies the ideas to situated tensions as they are either analyzed theoretically or praxiologically within science education pedagogy. It uses ecojustice to evaluate the holistic connections between cultural and natural systems, environmentalism, sustainability and Earth-friendly marketing trends, and introduces citizen science and youth activism as two of the pedagogical ways ecojustice philosophy can be enacted. It also comprises evidence-based practice with international service, community embedded curriculum, teacher preparation, citizen monitoring and community activism, student-scientist partnerships, socioscientific issues, and new avenues for educational research.

This book presents a comprehensive and detailed description of remediation techniques for metal-contaminated soils derived from both natural processes and anthropogenic activities. Using a methodical, step-by-step presentation, the book starts by overviewing the origin of toxicants and the correlated comparative extent of contamination to the environment. The legal provisions as proposed or applied in different countries are then discussed to explain the global regulatory situation regarding soil contamination and the extent of consequent concern. The core part of this publication describes the major techniques for in situ or ex situ treatment of the contaminated soil to meet the regulatory limits. Finally, risk evaluation is incorporated, giving special attention to possible impacts during or after implementation of the remediation strategies. The intrusion of metals in soils mostly occurs from various anthropogenic activities, e.g., agricultural practices, industrial activities, and municipal waste disposal. The volumes of metal-contaminated soil are becoming greater than before and are ever-increasing due to rapid urbanization, intensified industrialization, and/or population booms in certain parts of the world. Hence, the options previously proposed, such as isolation of the contaminated site or movement of the contaminated mass to a secure disposal site after excavation, are becoming unsuitable from the economic point of view, and instead, decontamination alternatives are preferred. This book will help readers such as scientists and regulators to understand the details of the remediation techniques available to deal with the soils contaminated by toxic metals.

In the age of urban geopolitics, in cooperation with the major city networks and initiatives, interconnected coastal cities lead towards a more resilient sustainable future. This book raises global awareness on the challenges and opportunities for coastal cities and the myriad of issues and stakeholders which impact them. The book offers a panoramic integrated view of the most critical urban coastal sustainability issues shaping the urban horizon of the future. Drawing on the most authoritative studies and asking further questions, the book embraces issues of smart, sustainable and inclusive blue green growth, active social integration, environmental conscience and resilience, food, energy and resource security, exploration and protection of the global ocean, ecosystem-based urban coastal planning and policy and progress in education and science, culture and the arts, coastal urban renaissance and accountable multi-layered governance. From large global ports to small tourism and fishing resorts, sustainable development calls for coastal cities to improve their functions. Coastal cities need to adopt ecosystem-based approaches to manage the land-sea continuum, invest in blue green energy and mobility, attract responsible business investment, and honour the sea as a source of infinite innovation and culture.

This book calls for the conditions of transition to sustainability: How to take into consideration new global phenomena such as and of the dimension of climate change, the depletion of natural resources, financial crises, demographic dynamics, global urbanization, migrations and mobility, while bearing in mind short-term or local place-based issues, such as social justice or quality of life? Meeting this challenge requires an inclusive approach of sustainability. It is a matter of designing a new social contract: Sustainability requires more than developing the right markets, institutions and metrics, it requires social momentum. To do so, many issues need a clear and complete answer: How to link social justice with sustainability policies? What governance tools to do so? What linkage between one decision-making level and the other? These are major issues to design sound transitions to sustainability.

The book outlines the regulatory environment for disaster prevention and management in broad social, economic and political context. The first half of the book focuses mainly on Japan, especially the '3-11' events: the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Tohoku area on 11 March 2011 and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant radiation leaks. The second half focuses on the USA (the only other Asia-Pacific country to have experienced a serious nuclear emergency), Indonesia, China, New Zealand, Australia and international law. One question explored is whether socio-legal norms play different roles in preventing and managing responses to natural disasters compared to 'man-made' disasters. Another is how 'disaster law' interacts with society across very diverse societies in the disaster-prone Asia-Pacific region. The book also addresses the increasingly important roles played by international law and regional regimes for cross-border cooperation in disaster prevention and relief, including the functions played by military forces. Erudite, pragmatic, and charged with detailed, substantive knowledge of an astonishing range of contexts and research fields, this timely collection of important essays on the law and society of disaster management stands as an exemplary international academic response to the disasters of 11 March 2011. (Annelise Riles)

This book analyzes the legal and economic situation concerning the removal and allocation of the natural resources in the Caspian Sea - the largest enclosed body of salt water in the world, which not only constitutes a fragile ecosystem with great fishery resources, but is also rich in oil and gas deposits. The economic advantages gained from the development of oil and gas are the basis for the economic and social development of the riparian states, but also cause significant transboundary harm to the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea. The book contends that, if the local environment grows more heavily contaminated through the extraction of mineral resources, it could lead to environmentally induced violence. It describes the ongoing conflicts, which are primarily due to various riparian states' territorial claims concerning the extraction of oil and gas resources, and argues that the current legal framework on the use and protection of the Caspian Sea is obsolete. Thus, the main objective of the book is to point out corresponding international legal mechanisms that could be used in order to settle these disputes and protect the Caspian Sea's fragile environment from transboundary harm.

The debate on the future orientation of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is increasingly shaped by the role of agriculture in providing public goods, and there is a broad consensus that this approach will be particularly relevant in legitimating the policy intervention in agriculture in the future. In the context of this debate, it is not clear to what extent collective action could be taken into consideration as a valuable alternative to market or state regulation in contributing to the provision of public goods, and to what extent it is possible to design and implement agricultural policies that incorporate a collective and collaborative approach between different stakeholders in rural areas. Through an in depth analysis two case studies in Italy, the book provides insights to both the policy and the theoretical debate on the role of collective action for the public goods associated to agriculture.

Politicians and diplomats have for many years proclaimed a human right to water as a solution to the global water crisis, most recently in the 2010 UN General Assembly Resolution "The human right to water and sanitation". To what extent, however, can a right to water legally and philosophically exist and what difference to international law and politics can it make? This question lies at the heart of this book. The book's answer is to argue that a right to water exists under international law but in a more differentiated and multi-level manner than previously recognised. Rather than existing as a singular and comprehensive right, the right to water should be understood as a composite right of different layers, both deriving from separate rights to health, life and an adequate standard of living, and supported by an array of regional and national rights. The author also examines the right at a conceptual level. After disproving some of the theoretical objections to the category of socio-economic rights generally and the concept of a right to water more specifically, the manuscript develops an innovative approach towards the interplay of different rights to water among different legal orders. The book argues for an approach to human rights - including the right to water - as international minimum standards, using the right to water as a model case to demonstrate how multilevel human rights protection can function effectively. The book also addresses a crucial last question: how does one make an international right to water meaningful in practice? The manuscript identifies three crucial criteria in order to strengthen such a composite derived right in practice: independent monitoring; enforcement towards the private sector; and international realization. The author examines to what extent these criteria are currently adhered to, and suggests practical ways of how they could be better met in the future.