In A Procedural Framework for Transboundary Water Management in the Mekong River Basin: Shared Mekong for a Common Future, Qi Gao explores procedural implications of integrated water resources management and its application in the Mekong River Basin. As a problem-based study, enlightening conclusions are made based on the increasingly polycentric nature of transboundary cooperation in the Mekong region. The procedural requirements in the Mekong context, both the ideal and practical scenarios are considered, combined with selected case studies. Qi Gao convincingly asserts the necessity to enhance decision-making processes and suggests procedural legal mechanisms to institutionalize sustainability concepts in transboundary cooperation.

In Following the Proper Channels: Tributaries in the Mekong Legal Regime, Bennett Bearden offers in-depth policy and legal analyses of the marginalization of tributaries in the context of the 1995 Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin, law of international watercourses, hydrosovereignty, and the national economic development interests of the Mekong riparians. As a problem-based study, enlightening conclusions are made based on the increasingly state-centric nature of water resources management in the Mekong region through pursuit of national agendas in the unilateral and bilateral development of tributaries. The overarching legal and hydropolicy issue is whether states can simultaneously pursue hydrosovereignty on tributaries and ensure the Mekong legal regime's efficacy to achieve holistic water resources management and basin-wide governance.

This publication gives an in-depth analysis of a very important but complex case before the International Court of Justice. It deals with substantive and procedural aspects of the case, analysed extensively by eminent international lawyers and practitioners. The Whaling in Antarctic case is a landmark case in international law. Contributors: Malgosia Fitzmaurice and Dai Tamada (eds.); Caroline E. Foster; Shotaro Hamamoto; Theodore Christakis; Christian Tams; Mika Hayashi; Joji Morishita; Donald R. Rothwell; Hironobu Sakai; Anthony Press; Akiho Shibata; Yuri Takaya.

Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) identifies the major issues at stake in the BBNJ negotiations and examines the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. This timely volume offers cutting edge contributions from leading global experts on access and benefit sharing of marine genetic resources; environmental impact assessments; capacity building and transfer of technology as well as Arctic environmental issues including security and shipping. Cross-cutting themes including the potential impact on existing legal frameworks and instruments are also explored.

Winner of the SLS Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship 2009. The use of private property rights to regulate natural resources is a controversial topic because it touches upon two critical issues: the allocation of wealth in society and the conservation and management of limited resources. This book explores the extension of private property rights and market mechanisms to natural resources in international areas from a legal perspective. It uses marine fisheries to illustrate the issues that can arise in the design of regulatory regimes for natural resources. If property rights are used to regulate natural resources then it is essential that we understand how the law and values embedded within legal systems shape the development and operation of property rights in practice. The author constructs a version of property that articulates both the private and public function of property. This restores some much needed balance to property discourse. He also assesses the impact of international law on the use of property rights-a much neglected topic-and shows how different legal and socio-political values that inhere in different legal regimes fundamentally shape the construction of property rights. Despite the many claimed benefits to be had from the use of private property rights-based management systems, the author warns against an uncritical acceptance of this approach and, in particular, questions whether private property rights are the most suitable and effective arrangement of regulating of natural resources. He suggests that much more complex forms of holding, such as stewardship, may be required to meet physical, legal and moral imperatives associated with natural resources.

This research collection offers a comprehensive investigation into ecological approaches into environmental law. It brings together a kaleidoscope of different articles to examine the critique of environmental law, the ethical dimensions, and methodology before exploring the key issues focusing on rights and responsibilities, property and the commons, governance and constitutionalism. It also presents work that looks into the theory of Earth Jurisprudence. Together with an original introduction, this collection is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in ecological approaches to environmental law.36 articles, dating from 1949 to 2015 Contributors include: D. Boyd, A. Boyle, C. Cullinan, S. Gaines, L. Kotze, R. Lazarus, A. Leopold, H. Rolston II, M. Sagoff, C. Stone

The growing demand for natural resources has triggered a "race" to their exploitation and possession, especially in developing countries. Most desired are water, land, forests, raw materials (oil, gas, mineral and precious stones), fisheries and genetic resources. Emerging economies, Western states, multinational corporations and international financial institutions have become the biggest "buyers" in a race that on one hand strengthens economies and creates investment opportunities and on the other threatens local communities and environmental protection. Natural Resources Grabbing: An International Law Perspective aims at filling a gap in the legal literature by addressing the adverse effects that large-scale investments in natural resources may pose to fundamental human rights and the protection of the environment.

This discerning book examines the challenges, opportunities and solutions for courts adjudicating on environmental cases. It offers a critical analysis of the practice and judgments of courts from various representative and influential jurisdictions. Through the analysis and comparison of court practices and case law across global domestic courts as varied as the National Green Tribunal in India, the Land and Environment Court in Australia, and the District Court of The Hague in the Netherlands, the expert contributors bring together a wealth of knowledge in order to enhance mutual learning and understanding towards an environmental rule of law. In doing so, they illustrate that courts play a vital role in the formation and crystallization of rulings and decisions to protect and conserve the environment. Ultimately, they prove that there are many lessons to be learnt from other legal systems in seeking to maintain and enhance the environmental rule of law. Contemporary and global in scope, Courts and the Environment is essential reading for scholars and students of environmental law, as well as judges, legal practitioners and policymakers interested in understanding the legal challenges to and the legal basis for protecting environmental values in courts. Contributors: A. Bengtsson, L. Butterly, O. Chornous, T. Daya-Winterbottom, Y.K. Dewi, G.E.K. Dzah, H.S. Ferreira, R. Guidone, D. Hodas, A. Jayadi, S. Jolly, H. Jonas, A. Kennedy, N. Kichigin, E. Lamprea, M.A. Leon Moreta, B Liu, Z. Makuch, P. Martin, R.L.M. Mendes, N.H.T. Nam, A.M. Paez, R. Pepper, B. Preston, N. Robinson, D.A. Serraglio, O. Spijkers, C. Voigt, Z. Zhang

To deal with the climate crisis we need a new paradigm of technological and social development aimed at the restoration of ecological systems-the bio-digital energy paradigm-and China is the world power best positioned to lead this change. The climate and energy crisis requires a strong state to change the direction, speed, and scale of innovation in world capitalism. There are only a few possible contenders for catalyzing this governance of survival: China, the European Union, India, and the United States. While China is an improbable leader-and in fact the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses-Peter Drahos explains in Survival Governance why this authoritarian state is actually more likely to implement systemic change swiftly and effectively than any other power. Drawing on more than 250 interviews, carried out in 17 countries-including the world's four largest carbon emitters-Drahos shows what China is doing to make its vast urban network sustainable and why all states must work toward a "bio-digital energy paradigm" based on a globalized, city-based network of innovation. As Drahos explains, America is incapable of reducing the power of its fossil fuel industry. For its part, the European Union's approach is too incremental and slowed by complex internal negotiations to address a crisis that demands a rapid response. India's capacity to be a global leader on energy innovation is questionable. To be sure, China faces hurdles too. Its coal-based industrial system is enormous, and the US, worried about losing technological superiority, is trying to slow China's development. Even so, China is currently urbanizing innovation on a historically unprecedented scale, building eco-cities, hydrogen cities, forest cities, and sponge cities (designed to cope with flooding). This has the potential to move cities into a new relationship with their surrounding ecosystems. China-given the size of its economy and the central government's ability to dictate thoroughgoing policy change-is, despite all of its flaws, presently our best hope for implementing the sort of policy overhaul that can begin to slow climate change.

In The Spratly Islands and International Law, Xuechan Ma offers a detailed analysis of legal solutions to achieve coexistence and cooperation in the Spratly Islands in the absence of maritime delimitation. This book challenges the classical territoriality model of jurisdiction in international law, which is ineffective in the Spratly Islands context where complex and contentious situations call for different solutions. Based on the substance-procedure duality of international law, Ma draws on extensive sources of international law including cases, treaties, practice and doctrine, and formulates novel, concrete proposals to indicate the way forward for the Spratly Islands.

This textbook provides a compelling and structured introduction to international environmental law in the Text, Cases and Materials genre. The book uses extracts from a judiciously selected range of legal instruments and case law relevant to the protection and regulation of the environment in international law, alongside commentary from the author team and questions for class discussion, to facilitate student understanding and encourage engagement in the topic. Divided into four main parts, it examines the main principles of international environmental law, the key areas of substantive environmental regulation, the implementation of environmental law and the relations between environmental law and other areas of international law. Key Features: Provides concise introductions to each topic of environmental law Discussion questions and further reading sections guide students in applying their understanding Familiarises students with the key legal materials, treaties and case law relating to international environmental law Covers a wide variety of topics, including sustainable development, protection of the marine environment, atmospheric protection and responsibility and liability for environmental damage By introducing and highlighting the most important instruments and cases of international environmental law, this textbook seeks to provide environmental law students and non-specialists with a rich and full understanding of the topic.

Although it is commonly asserted that enhanced citizen participation results in better environmental policy and improved enforcement of environmental standards, this hypothesis has rarely been subject to testing on a comparative basis. The contributors to this book set out to study the extent to which citizens can and do exert influence over their urban environments through the legal (and extra-legal) 'gateways' in eleven countries spanning several continents as well as different climates, levels and type of economic development, and national legal and constitutional systems, as well as exhibiting a different set of environmental problems. One interviewee questioned about access to environmental justice, dryly remarked that in his city there was no environment, no justice and no access to either. Yet this view, as will be seen, requires to be nuanced. While few people will be surprised by the finding that legal gateways to environmental justice are largely ineffective, the reasons for this are revealing; but also the richness of detail and the comparisons between the different countries, and also the positive aspects which surfaced in several instances, were indeed both encouraging and sometimes surprising. This book presents the first comparative survey of access to environmental justice, and will be of considerable use to lawyers, policy-makers, activists and scholars who are concerned with the environmental issues which so profoundly affect and afflict our habitat and conditions of social justice throughout the world.

International energy law is an elusive but important concept. There is no body of law called 'international energy law', nor is there any universally accepted definition for it, yet many specialized areas of international law have a direct relationship with energy policy. The Research Handbook on International Energy Law examines various aspects of international energy law and offers a comprehensive account of its basic concepts and processes.Adopting a practical approach, the Handbook traces the wide and somewhat informal notion of international energy law and covers the latest developments in the field. The expert contributors offer original research and analysis on pertinent topics such as energy investment, international energy disputes and energy trade. In addition to examining public international law issues and their application to energy activities, the Handbook also includes studies focused on private contractual arrangements and provides an angle on the human rights aspects of energy. This book will be a valuable tool for the expert audience - both academics and practitioners - and will provide students and early career practicing lawyers with a good understanding of what 'international energy law' really means. Contributors: R.J. Battaglia, A.V. Belyi, P. Cameron, M. Galligan, A.M.-Z. Gao, T.P.Gormley, K. Hober, L. Holt, S. de Jong, A. Konoplyanik, L.A. Low, R. Maalouf, T. Martin, M. Naseem, S. Naseem, Y. Omorogbe, S.-L. Penttinen, P. Roberts, A. Sabater, S.W. Schill, Y. Selivanova, I.A. Siddiky, M. Stadnyk, K. Talus, R.P. Tscherning, A. Wawryk, J. Wouters, K. Yafimava

This book provides a broad understanding of whether law plays a role in influencing patterns of sustainable consumption and, if so, how. Bringing together legal scholars from the Global South and the Global North, it examines these questions in the context of national, transnational and international law, within single and plural legal systems, and across a range of sector-specific issue areas. The chapters identify how traditional legal disciplines (e.g. constitutional law, consumer law, public procurement, international public law), sector-related regulation (e.g. energy, water, waste), and legal rules in specific areas (e.g. eco-labelling and packing) engage with the concept of sustainable consumption. A number of the contributions describe this relationship by isolating a national legal system, while others approach it from the vantage point of legal pluralism, exploring the conflicts and convergences of rules between multiple international treaties (or guidelines) and those between the rules of international and transnational law (or both) vis-a-vis national legal systems. While sustainable consumption is recognised as an important field of interdisciplinary research linking virtually all social science disciplines, legal scholarship, in contrast, has neglected the importance of the field of sustainable consumption to the law. This book fills the gap.

The open access publication of this book has been published with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation. Climate change is forcing us to consider the right of people to leave their disappearing homelands, and the shape this right should take. Climate Change, Disasters and People on the Move proposes international protection as a solution with three pillars: granting protection against return to the country of origin (non-refoulement); preventing future displacement; and facilitating safe, orderly, and regular migration in the context of disasters and climate change. Dr. Aylin Yildiz Noorda uses the theories of common concern of humankind and community interests to operationalise her proposal, providing a blueprint for future claims.

The book is a cornerstone in the studies aimed at introducing a new form of democracy not just at a global level, through international environmental law, but also at local one, by regional and national regulation, to manage global and local ecological problems. In the light of the results pointed out in Parola's book (Environmental democracy at Global Level. Rights and duties for a new citizenship), this second work examines environmental democracy at a local level by referring to EU law. The European Union, as the only global region with the official objective of simultaneously promoting economic development, social cohesion and environmental protection is here used as an example for analyzing how the region has found (and is still developing) a range of solutions to various environmental issues. The book sheds new light on the transformation of Europe into a Green Europe.

Governing Arctic Seas introduces the concept of ecopolitical regions, using in-depth analyses of the Bering Strait and Barents Sea Regions to demonstrate how integrating the natural sciences, social sciences and Indigenous knowledge can reveal patterns, trends and processes as the basis for informed decisionmaking. This book draws on international, interdisciplinary and inclusive (holistic) perspectives to analyze governance mechanisms, built infrastructure and their coupling to achieve sustainability in biophysical regions subject to shared authority. Governing Arctic Seas is the first volume in a series of books on Informed Decisionmaking for Sustainability that apply, train and refine science diplomacy to address transboundary issues at scales ranging from local to global. For nations and peoples as well as those dealing with global concerns, this holistic process operates across a 'continuum of urgencies' from security time scales (mitigating risks of political, economic and cultural instabilities that are immediate) to sustainability time scales (balancing economic prosperity, environmental protection and societal well-being across generations). Informed decisionmaking is the apex goal, starting with questions that generate data as stages of research, integrating decisionmaking institutions to employ evidence to reveal options (without advocacy) that contribute to informed decisions. The first volumes in the series focus on the Arctic, revealing legal, economic, environmental and societal lessons with accelerating knowledge co-production to achieve progress with sustainability in this globally-relevant region that is undergoing an environmental state change in the sea and on land. Across all volumes, there is triangulation to integrate research, education and leadership as well as science, technology and innovation to elaborate the theory, methods and skills of informed decisionmaking to build common interests for the benefit of all on Earth.

It is a commonplace that pollution knows no borders, and that environmental law must allow for cross-border implementation. The European Union specifies this principle in EC directives on integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC), on environmental impact assessment (EIA), and on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances (Seveso II). This is the first book to investigate - from both empirical and normative perspectives - the effectiveness of these directives at the national level. It provides by far the most extensive comparative analysis and evaluation of the industrial permitting and inspections, EIA, and major accident prevention in the EU. Offering an in-depth study of the transposition and implementation of EC environmental directives in eight EU member states (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), the author - who has played a significant role in the formulation of environmental legislation and regulation at both the national (German) and EU levels - provides a stable base for an assessment of the benefits and costs of the integrated approach to environmental protection. Among the factors considered are the following: key features of national constitutional, administrative, and judicial systems which provide the framework for environmental regulations and their implementation in the eight countries under study; procedures and substantive requirements transposing the IPPC, EIA and Seveso II directives into national laws; and, evaluation of national deficiencies and the extent of "muddling through." The empirical part of Dr. Bohne's analysis draws on 138 expert interviews with public and private actors, a survey of 178 public authorities, and document analyses of selected industrial permits and environmental impact statements. His comparative analysis of procedural, organizational, and substantive integration makes it possible to identify and compare national accomplishments in regulatory integration, and offers new insights into the effectiveness and limits of EC law. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for European governance and better regulation after the enlargement of the EU. This thoroughly researched, rigorous, and insightful study will be of great interest and value to policymakers, regulators, business people, environmental NGOs, consultants, and lawyers, as well as to students of environmental policies and European governance.

This book integrates important milestone cases with new analyses to provide comprehensive coverage of environmental law and economics. It covers important international topics, including interactions of global environmental features and public/private health, economics of the institutions for optimal environmental management, extension of the Polluter Pays Principle to the global arena (including international trade), improved approach to the usage of cost-benefit analysis methods, economic or environmental decision-making under risk aversion and uncertainty, integration of operations in world trade and finance with the ecology and economics of the environment, objective treatment of methods of compliance, and dispute settlement procedures in the international environmental disputes arena.

This book offers a comprehensive account of the transatlantic regulatory cooperation phenomenon: its causes and political context in a globalizing economy, its theoretical understanding, its relationship to trade and competition, its implications for democracy, and its likely directions in the future. This book recognizes that, while national authorities are still the principal actors in regulatory fields, regulation is increasingly an international affair.

The legal regime regulating ship safety and pollution provides an illustration of late-20th century trends in international law in general, and of the law of the sea and international environmental law in particular. The sources of law are expanding in several directions. The number of global instruments - both "soft" and "hard" law - is constantly increasing and regional organizations are more and more concerned with matters affecting traditional freedoms of the seas. Frequently, different levels of norms cover the same issues, thus creating competing - possibly even conflicting - rules. This volume provides a detailed examination of current legal issues relating to the variety of rules and rule-makers in the field of marine environmental protection, and also relates the recent developments to international law in a wider context. It contains revised and edited versions of the papers presented at a conference in the Aland Islands, Finland in August 1996, convened by the Department of LAw of Abo Akademi University, Finland.

This book examines the intersection of WTO trade liberalisation rules and domestic health protection, a subject that is of considerable interest to those concerned that the WTO impinges on national regulatory autonomy. In analysing the tension between health protection and trade liberalisation, the book focuses on the way in which this tension is (or is not) resolved through the dispute resolution process. It offers a detailed analysis of the relevant WTO rules and case law, identifying particular concerns relating to the ability of WTO Members to take protective action in circumstances of scientific uncertainty and the role of social and cultural factors in the making of health-related regulations. The nature of scientific evidence and the extent to which the scientific process internalises uncertainty is further explored, drawing on documentation relating to the theory and conduct of scientific risk assessment. Despite the popularity of the precautionary principle in some quarters, it is suggested that it may not be advisable for the WTO to adopt that principle. Rather, further attention should be paid to the role that the standard of review might play in easing the tensions that arise when a sovereign state's health regulations are reviewed by the WTO. The origins of the WTO's 'objective assessment' standard of review are explained, but the standard itself is criticised. Options for developing the standard of review are considered, with a 'reasonable regulator' standard based on the Asbestos case proposed. The book takes a comparative approach, drawing on ECJ cases reviewing Member State and Community health measures as well as US judicial review and commerce clause cases.

This timely book considers appropriate legal practices to use to promote conservation, protection and sustainable use of biological diversity in forest and marine areas. The breadth of issues explored across these two themes is immense, and the book identifies both key differences, and striking commonalities between them. Law-makers, managers and users often have little understanding of either the complexity or the true value of biological diversity and of what is needed to preserve forest and marine ecosystems, and to keep inter-relationships between species within them healthy. Regulators face significant and practical challenges, requiring the adoption of legal frameworks in the context of scientific uncertainty. This book provides critical and comparative reflections on the role of law in both of these biodiversity contexts. Key issues not previously addressed through the law are considered - for example, the lack of international governance of peat; and the moral problem of labelling certain species as 'alien' or 'invasive'. Learned contributors draw valuable lessons for those seeking to protect biodiversity and understand its governance, from analysis of experiences gained forging international and national legal frameworks. With a blend of local and global perspectives, across a wide range of countries and policies, the book will appeal to academics and students in law, international, regional and domestic policymakers, lawmakers, NGOs and conservation agencies. Contributors include: E. Couzens, T. Daya-Winterbottom, C. de Oliveira, M. Fajardo Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Y. Fristikawati, L. Heng Lye, B. Liu, S. Maljean-Dubois, G. Morgan, A. Paterson, Y. Pei, A. Prasad Pant, V.S. Radovich, S. Riley, N.A. Robinson, A. Telesetsky, S.C.-W. Yang

All too often, international environmental law is presented as a kind of guided tour of different treaties and environmental problems. Professor Hey succeeds beautifully in articulating the themes that connect all of these disparate areas, an effort that both students and scholars will appreciate.' - Daniel Farber, University of California, Berkeley, US'This volume presents a superb overview of international environmental law by a long-time observer. Ellen Hey shares her deep insight into the historical, environmental, technical and policy context of the law, and introduces the reader to regulatory techniques and choices, the main legal tools at actors' disposal, and the key developments in the field. The result is an accessible, yet sophisticated introduction to the evolution of the field, and its expanding modes of action and range of participants.' - Jutta Brunee, University of Toronto, Canada 'This is a significant contribution from a leading figure in the field. Of particular note is the effort to embed international environmental law in its broader context, not only through the detailed analysis of its foundational principles or of its deep interactions with other fields of international law but, more generally, through the overarching theme of the Anthropocene. It is to be thoroughly recommended.' - Jorge E. Vinuales, University of Cambridge, UK Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. This accessible and concise introduction provides a salient overview of contemporary international environmental law as well as a critical assessment of the controversies that arise when trying to achieve environmental protection through international law. Covering the origins, content, institutional structure and accountability mechanisms of international environmental law, in their social-economic and political context, Ellen Hey discusses substantive and procedural fairness, thus exploring questions of distributive justice, accountability and legitimacy. Providing an invaluable entry point to this complex area of the law, this book enables a rapid understanding of the core principles of this multi-faceted topic. Key features include: - Concise and compact overview - Discusses contemporary developments - Examines IEL's relationship to other areas of international law - Considers the social-economic context.

This important volume gathers contributions from sixteen legal academics, practitioners, and business persons to clearly lay out, in great detail, both what is being done and what can be done in seven East Asian countries (plus a cluster of Eurasian countries including Turkey and ten former Soviet republics or Soviet bloc countries) to facilitate the deployment of renewable electricity technology. The original drafts of the articles were presented and discussed at the first International Joint Conference on Changing Energy Law and Policy in the Asia Region in October 2013 at the National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. Among the topics and issues raised for each country (as applicable) are the following: − renewable electricity-related policies and legal measures; − implementation and effects of existing renewable electricity-related schemes; − current situation of renewable electricity facilities; − legal and other barriers to renewable electricity development; − purchase prices, periods, surcharge adjustments, and other cost and pricing issues; − grid connection; − grid usage and expansion rules; and − relevant institutions and ministries. An especially useful feature of the book is its evaluation of how each regime transforms one or more of the three key globally widely used market deployment schemes - feed-in tariff (FIT), tendering, and renewable portfolio standard (RPS) - to fit its particular situation. A wealth of highly informative graphs, charts, and tables greatly enhance the presentation.