Answering the key question of whether there is an obligation for States to define and enact sound climate policies in order to avoid the impacts of global warming, this timely book provides expert analysis on recent global climate cases, assessing not only the plaintiffs' claims but also the legal reasoning put forward by the courts. As an increasing number of environmental organisations are requiring domestic courts to answer this fundamental question, this book illustrates that more and more court decisions are confirming that the discretion held by States with regards to the issue of climate change is not unlimited. The book explores how States must also demonstrate that sufficient action is being taken to protect their citizens from risks. With in-depth assessments of common legal grounds, such as the international climate change regime, environmental law principles and human rights, it further highlights potential issues for climate litigation including the separation of powers and the standing of the plaintiffs themselves. Addressing current and emerging issues, this timely book will be an excellent resource for scholars of environmental law, climate change and human rights. Environmental activists and organisations looking for examples of initiatives to tackle issues such as environmental protection and justice will find this informative and insightful.

This timely Research Handbook offers an insightful review of how legal systems - whether domestic, international or transnational - can and should adjust to fairly and effectively support loss and damage (L&D) claims in climate change law. International contributors guide readers through a detailed assessment of the history and current state of L&D provisions under the UN climate regime and consider the opportunities to fund L&D claims both within and outside the UN climate system. Split into four parts, the Research Handbook investigates the current legal frameworks for L&D across both public international law and domestic law. Chapters explore foundational issues including equity and justice and give a critical assessment of the current state and potential future evolution of international legal systems. The contributing authors also discuss the challenges faced by different legal systems in dealing effectively and fairly with L&D. Providing a comprehensive overview of this important topic, this Research Handbook will be an excellent resource for climate lawyers and policymakers. It will also be an invaluable read for academics and students researching environmental and climate issues.

On 14 April 1912, less than a week into a transatlantic trip from Southampton to New York, the largest luxury cruise liner in the world struck an iceberg off the coast of Labrador, causing the hull to buckle. The massive 50,000 ton ship hailed as 'unsinkable' was soon slipping into the cold Atlantic Ocean, the crew and passengers scrambling to launch lifeboats before being sucked into the deep. Of the 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making the sinking one of the deadliest for a single ship up to that time. The sinking has captured the public imagination ever since, in part because of the scale of the tragedy, but also because the ship represented in microcosm Edwardian society, with the super-rich sharing the vessel with poor migrants seeking a new life in North America. Other factors, such as why there were only enough lifeboats to hold half the passengers, also caused controversy and led to changes in maritime safety. In later years many survivors told their stories to the press, and Titanic celebrates these accounts. A final chapter examines the shipwreck today, which has been visited underwater by explorers, scientists and film-makers, and many artifacts recovered as the old liner steadily disintegrates. Titanic offers a compact, insightful photographic history of the sinking and its aftermath in 180 authentic photographs.

Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Cleantech envisions both global cleantech development and international cleantech transfer as crucial means to address climate change and secure sustainable development for planet earth. The book examines what it takes to attract foreign cleantech and encourage domestic cleantech innovation. The author proposes a pathway for developing countries that includes international aid, mutually beneficial international cleantech cooperation and domestic cleantech innovation. Prior to becoming an academician, the author garnered over fifteen years' practical experience as a software engineer and attorney at law. The author has drawn on this experience to examine empirical analysis of factual data such as global R&D data, global patenting data, international surveys concerning cleantech transfer and domestic cleantech innovation and proposes effective solutions to address climate change and achieve sustainable development. This book's interdisciplinary and empirical-based analysis and recommendations will be most valuable to policymakers working in climate change, sustainable development, cleantech development or deployment, intellectual property and innovation policy.

This timely and incisive book combines an introduction to the core legal and policy issues presented by climate change with a deeper analysis of decisions that will define the path forward. Offering a guide to key terms, concepts, and legal principles in the field, this book will help readers develop a sophisticated perspective on issues central to climate change law and policy. Building a pathway to literacy in climate change policy, chapters provide an accessible overview of key energy regulations and laws governing energy projects, legal mechanisms to regulate GHG emissions, and the role of state and local governments in developing mitigation and adaptation policy, particularly in the building and transportation sectors. The authors highlight the relationship between human rights and climate change using the framework of human rights law, analyze the use of litigation to compel climate change mitigation and adaptation and suggest ways to achieve international cooperation. Providing a deep understanding of ongoing debates about the design and implementation of climate change law and policy, this book will be an essential resource for students and researchers of environmental and climate change law, governance, and regulation. It will also be useful for policymakers and practitioners in the field for its practical insights into future developments and solutions.

Ministerial administrations are pivotal in the process of defining problems and developing policy solutions due to their technocratic expertise, particularly when this process is applied to climate policy. This innovative book explores how and why policies are changed or continued by employing in-depth studies from a diverse range of EU countries. Climate Policy in Denmark, Germany, Estonia and Poland works to narrow the research gap surrounding administrative institutions within the field of climate policy change by integrating ideas, discourses and institutions to provide a better understanding of both climate policy and policy change. Differences in approach to democratization and Europeanization between Western and Central Eastern European countries provide rich empirical material for the study of policy formulation. This timely book demonstrates how the substance and formation of policies are shaped by their political and administrative institutional contexts. Analytical and accessible, this discerning book will be of value to scholars and students of climate policy, public policy and public administration alike. Providing lessons on institutional reform in climate and energy policy, this explorative book will also be of interest to practitioners and policy-makers.

Utilizing a governmentality lens, this timely book offers an explanation for China's decarbonization performance in the early 21st century. Le-Yin Zhang investigates one of the most ambitious governing projects in history, analyzing the political rationalities of Chinese leaders for decarbonization and the governing techniques and technologies at multiple levels of governance. Demonstrating the potential of combining the use of juridical, administrative and governmental powers, Zhang holistically considers the success of the state in instigating low-carbon transitions in China and mitigating climate disaster. The book provides an in-depth exploration of the art of greening the Chinese financial system and how this links to a wider formulation of carbon governmentality, highlighting the rise of the carbon governmental state through a range of governmental technologies. Engaging with a wide range of primary data from both national and local levels, the author uncovers profound lessons in low-carbon transitions for other states in the making of a carbon neutral world. This cutting-edge book offers key insights for scholars and researchers of environmental governance and its importance in mitigating climate change, particularly those with a key focus on Chinese climate policy. It will also benefit government officials, researchers and consultants investigating potential avenues for low-carbon transition and climate action.

Exploring the ways that contemporary urban life takes the Holocene for granted, this multidisciplinary book warns that anthropogenic environmental impacts are on course to challenge the viability of most human settlements. It highlights how, despite increased warnings, most cities appear to be in denial of the potential impending catastrophes and remain ill-prepared to handle major disruptions. Chapters offer a critical appraisal of the end of an urban epoch: the Holocene city. Moving from more general aspects of urban vulnerability in the face of the Anthropocene, the book then looks at more specific issues and cases illustrating alternative adaptation pathways. It further analyses existing approaches, movements and networks for urban preparedness for the climate crisis, offering visualisations of the ways these can be improved, conceiving alternative futures and reinventing the city. A timely resource for this emerging topic, the book will be beneficial to urban studies, environmental science and development studies scholars. Practitioners in urban planning, design, management and evaluation will also find the critical case studies in the book particularly helpful.

This timely Handbook recognizes the emergence of climate change as the defining topic of our time. With public climate discourse growing more urgent every year, this Handbook brings together international experts from different economic disciplines to answer critical climate policy questions. Chapters present key ideas and policies to support and accelerate advances in three key areas: the political economy of climate change and climate policy, integrated assessment modelling, and economic and resource sustainability. Contributors discuss the distributional implications of climate change and how policymakers may respond in order to contribute to economic transformation in the midst of a global crisis. With reference to both theoretical and applied economics, this Handbook is critical reading for economists working in the field of climate policy and climate change. It will also appeal to a broader group of environmental scientists and scholars. Contributors include: L.M. Abadie, G.B. Asheim, J.K. Boyce, W.A. Brock, M. Budolfson, G. Chichilnisky, N. Chichilnisky-Heal, F. Dennig, J. Doyne Farmer, D.K. Foley, I. Galarraga, R. Hahnel, J. Hartwick, G. Heal, C. Hepburn, C. Hope, D. Iris, A. Markandya, P. Mealy, T. Mitra, T. Narasimhan, F. Nesje, I. Parry, A. Rezai, E. Sainz de Murieta, N. Schofield, B. Shang, A. Tavoni, L. Taylor, R. van der Ploeg, N. Vernon, P. Wingender, C. Withagen, A. Xepapadeas

Wetlands provide a key service in an ecosystem such as providing resilience against drought and diverse habitats that support biodiversity. Because of their ephemeral character and their small size, however, these vulnerable ecosystems are declining rapidly as climate change continues to surge and human activities expand. Rational management of wet ecosystems need accompanying actions covering research, systematic observation, and more. Wetland Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and the Impact of Climate Change produces innovative concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications for ecosystem service valuation, wetland biodiversity conservation, fresh water supply, agricultural production, food security, wetland management, and its impact on biodiversity. It assesses the cumulative risk posed to wetland habitats and species by human activities and explores the consequences for the delivery of ecosystem services and biodiversity at local, regional, and global scales, as well as the impacts of climate change on wetland ecosystems and water resources. Covering topics such as geochemistry, invasive species, and sedimentary change, this premier reference source is an indispensable resource for government officials, engineers, environmental managers, environmentalists, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

Personal Sustainability Practices is a collection of 19 academic and practitioner perspectives on the topic of faculty personal sustainability. The book addresses the issues of whether, how, where, and when faculty who teach, research, consult, and perform academic and community service are, or need to be, practicing and communicating their own sustainability behaviors to students and other stakeholders. The contributors represent multiple countries, disciplines, academic levels and affiliations, and orientations on those issues and on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to their personal sustainability practices. The chapter contributions highlight the several main concepts of systems, internal and external integration, curriculum development, and social movements. The key takeaway is that many sustainability scholars are practicing and communicating a wide variety of sustainability actions but that greater consistency and frequency among faculty sustainability values, expression, and actions are generally possible and necessary, and that further exploration of this overall topic is encouraged. Current faculty and doctoral students in the field of environmental or socio-economic sustainability, as well as business, government and nonprofit organization executives who interact with said faculty, will be inspired by the examination of values and personal practices.

With human-induced environmental impacts disrupting human life in deeper ways and at a wider scale than anything previously experienced, this multidisciplinary book looks at the ways that current knowledge bases seem inadequate to help us deal with such realities. It offers a critical appraisal of the current knowledge infrastructure, including science, technology, innovation, education and informal knowledge systems. Contributions from a wide spectrum of social scientists, philosophers, activists and decision-makers tackle the importance of knowledge for the Anthropocene using a mosaic of data, theories, cases, models, methods and experiences. Chapters highlight what relevant knowledge will become critical to dealing with deteriorating environmental conditions, as well as how science, technology, education and innovation can be radically transformed to deal with these challenges. The book further explores the behavioural, economic, social and cultural aspects of the Anthropocene, and how knowledge impacts both these and our possible futures. This will be a critical read for human geography and environmental science scholars, as well as social science scholars more broadly, particularly with its in-depth glossary and digital resource list. It will also aid practitioners in the planning, design, management and evaluation of knowledge systems by providing deeper understandings of the potential circumstances of knowledge in the Anthropocene.

This thoroughly revised second edition provides an up-to-date account of essential EU climate mitigation law, analysing an area that remains one of the most dynamic fields of EU law. Special attention is paid to the energy sector and to the impact of climate law on broader legal issues, such as energy network regulation and human rights. Written by leading scholars of EU climate law from the University of Groningen, the book addresses the relevant directives and regulations, examining their implementation and impact on current policy and academic debate. Chapters guide the reader through key topics including the EU emissions trading system, renewable energy consumption, and carbon capture and storage. Key features of the second edition include: A clear and accessible introduction to EU climate mitigation law Comprehensive coverage of the climate targets and instruments of the EU Special focus on the relationship between climate law and energy law New classroom questions to stimulate further discussion and debate Educational design based on reviews by climate law students and lecturers. Combining educational design and analytical accuracy, this book will be an indispensable guide for both students and professionals. It is highly recommended for courses on EU climate mitigation law, as well as climate law, energy law, environmental law and EU law.

Providing in-depth coverage of each article of the Paris Agreement, this Commentary offers a comprehensive, legal analysis of this most recent and important international instrument on climate change. This provision-by-provision textual analysis examines the commitments that parties to the Agreement have made to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, whilst providing additional support to developing countries. Describing the history, implementation and operation of the Paris Agreement, this Commentary is indispensable for obtaining a deep and nuanced understanding of the way in which the global community seeks to intensify its efforts to address climate change. Written by internationally renowned contributors, it discusses recent examples of implementation of the Agreement and nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Clearly written and accessible, this Commentary will be a vital resource for policy makers and government officials involved in climate change across the globe, whilst also being valuable for practitioners, scholars and students of climate change law and policy.

Recognizing the urgent need to transform energy systems to low-carbon alternatives, this timely book offers evidenced and credible ways to accelerate actions towards meeting the Paris Agreement goals and achieving net zero emissions. Steven Fries analyses through the lens of government, business and household actions-their policies and investments-the systemic changes needed to eliminate net carbon dioxide emissions from energy. Fries explores how advancing low-carbon alternatives could maintain current economic activities while halting climate impacts. But his analysis of accumulating evidence on transforming energy shows how multiple market imperfections hold back alternatives. To overcome these barriers, the book develops heterodox energy reform strategies and ways to coordinate actions across countries, recognizing differences in their specializations and renewable resources. Going beyond orthodox economics, it sets out the role for supporting deployment of low-carbon alternatives in initial markets, calibrating emissions pricing to net zero emission goals, and adapting institutions and infrastructures to low-carbon alternatives. It also signposts policy sequencing and differentiation across sectors and countries. Providing comprehensive energy policy assessments and sound reform strategies, this book will be essential reading for government policymakers and business investors. Its rigorous approach to systemic change also makes it a valuable reference for energy economics and environmental economics scholars.

This comprehensive Handbook tackles the increasingly urgent problem of the impact of climate change on conflict and human security. It analyses the ways in which scarcity of resources leads to food, water and health insecurities, resulting in population migration. Chapters cover how these contribute globally to societal insecurity and violent conflict in a growing number of regions. Featuring contributions from leading international scholars, the Handbook is divided into thematic sections, examining first the effects of environmental scarcity on security at a macro level before delving into region-specific issues and challenges. The final section investigates the actors, institutions and processes engaged with environmental security, discussing the shifting international political discourse and how this is challenging the conservative military security paradigm. The combination of comparative global analysis alongside regionally focused studies makes this Handbook an invaluable resource for all scholars and students of environment and climate security. It will also be of interest to policy professionals working on issues of environmental scarcity and new security challenges.

This important book focuses on how newly emerging institutions for future generations can contribute to tackling large scale global environmental problems, such as threats to biodiversity and climate change. It is especially timely given the new global impetus for decarbonisation, as well as the huge growth of climate litigation and climate protest movements, often led by young people. Global environmental crises and reactions against short-term thinking have spawned new institutions aimed at giving a voice to future generations in policy-making, such as dedicated commissioners. This book looks at why we need such institutions using approaches from ethics, human rights, sustainable development, intergenerational justice and administrative law. How to design such institutions to maximise their effectiveness, operating principles for such institutions, and case studies from around the world are canvassed. A range of reform proposals are also explored, including mainstreaming future generations' voices in parliamentary processes, commissioners for future generations, human rights-based bodies and deliberative assemblies. This collection brings together philosophers, political and social scientists, lawyers and practitioners. It provides both an introduction to the field and a scholarly in-depth set of studies. It will appeal to academics, policymakers and civil society.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Climate change will bring great suffering to communities, individuals and ecosystems. Those least responsible for the problem will suffer the most. Justice demands urgent action to reverse its causes and impacts. In this provocative new book, Paul G. Harris brings together original essays to explore innovative approaches to understanding and implementing climate justice in the future. Through investigations informed by theories from philosophy, politics, sociology, law and economics, this Research Agenda reveals the actors most responsible for climate change and suggests concrete proposals for more effective mitigation. Addressing the distribution of scarce resources and the disproportionate responsibility of affluent nations and people, this insightful book asserts that climate change is a matter of equity, fairness and social and distributive justice. It argues that climate change is shaping up to be the greatest injustice in all of human history. This analytical and thought-provoking Research Agenda will be a valuable tool for climate change researchers while its interdisciplinary approach will appeal to students and academics researching in the fields of global environmental politics, sustainability, international relations, environmental philosophy and law. The examination of the key questions of climate justice from global through to individual levels will also aid policy-makers, practitioners and activists. Contributors include: R. Attfield, I. Bailey, F. Corvino, A. Dietzel, J. Donhauser, P.G. Harris, S. Kopra, J.S. Mastaler, S.R. O'Doherty, G. Pellegrini-Masini, A. Pirni, D. Storey, C. Swingle, C. Tornel, I. Wallimann-Helmer

Novel Materials for Environmental Remediation Applications: Adsorption and Beyond presents detailed, comprehensive coverage of novel and advanced materials that can be applied to address the growing global concern of the pollution of natural resources in water, the air, and in soil. The book provides up-to-date knowledge of state-of-the-art materials and treatment processes, as well as details of applications, including adsorptive remediation and catalytic remediation. Chapters include the characteristics of materials, basic and important physicochemical features for environmental remediation applications, routes of synthesis, recent advances as remediation medias and future perspectives. This book offers an interdisciplinary and practical examination of novel materials and processes for environmental remediation that will be valuable to environmental scientists, materials scientists, environmental chemists, and environmental engineers alike.