Environmental law is evolving from negotiating and prescribing environmental policies to enforcing time-bound, measurable and achievable goals in order to secure a sustainable future. This pertinent and thought-provoking book analyzes the legal instruments that have been successful in working towards requisite targets for ecological sustainability. Featuring contributions from leading scholars, this insightful book discusses the future challenges and innovative applications of environmental law to assist in achieving sustainability goals in an efficient and timely manner. Chapters focus on topics such as the role of international environmental law in the interpretation of human rights, the legal dimension of sustainability, and the proliferation of offshore renewable energy in European seas. The book concludes by analyzing some key international case studies, including the issue of salinization from a legal perspective in the Netherlands, and the relevance of groundwater for the development of the Brazilian semiarid region. Providing a comparative environmental law outlook which is both ambitious and realistic, this book will be essential reading for students, scholars, and researchers in environmental law, public international law, responsible consumption, and sustainable cities and communities. This book will also be of interest to policy makers and government officials working towards the sustainable development goals.

This comprehensive volume of the Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law provides an overview of the major elements of energy law from a global perspective. Based on an in-depth analysis of the energy chain, it offers insight into the impacts of climate change and environmental issues on energy law and the energy sector. This timely reference work highlights the need for modern energy law to consider environmental impacts and promote the use of clean energy sources, whilst also safeguarding a reliable and affordable energy supply. Featuring 65 entries written by leading international scholars and practitioners in the field, the volume is organised into eight thematic parts, each focusing on a specific area of the energy sector. Topics covered include international energy cooperation, the regulation and governance of energy markets, legal regimes governing renewable energy sources, regulation of the transport and supply of energy, consumer protection, and energy savings mechanisms. Providing an authoritative analysis of key developments in this significant area of law, this volume will be an invaluable resource for researchers, academics and students. Its insights into governance and regulation in the sector will also prove useful to practitioners and policymakers.