Technologies such as synthetic biology, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and geoengineering promise to address many of our most serious problems, yet they also bring environmental and health-related risks and uncertainties. Moreover, they can come to dominate global production systems and markets with very little public input or awareness. Existing governance institutions and processes do not adequately address the risks of new technologies, nor do they give much consideration to the concerns of persons affected by them. Instead of treating technology, health, and the environment as discrete issues, Albert C. Lin argues that laws must acknowledge their fundamental relationship, anticipating both future technological developments and their potential adverse effects. Laws should encourage international cooperation and the development of common global standards, while allowing for flexibility and reassessment.

This casebook takes a very broad view of environmental law, encompassing the regulation of private and public land use, protection of wildlife, and pollution control and remediation. It provides sufficient breadth for any introductory environmental or natural resources law course. The text also strikes a balance by focusing in detail on those portions of the statutes that raise particularly interesting or important conceptual issues. Throughout, the authors highlight perpetual controversies, such as the nature of human relationships to nature, and the appropriate extent of individual control over natural resource use. The sixth edition contains problems to help students develop and test their facility with the materials in the text and the concepts underlying those materials. This sixth edition has new chapters on international environmental law issues and on enforcement issues.

Technologies such as synthetic biology, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and geoengineering will be among the most life-changing and controversial in the coming decades. While such technologies promise to address many of our most serious problems, they also bring environmental and health-related risks and uncertainties. Moreover, they can come to dominate global production systems and markets with very little public input or awareness. Existing governance institutions and processes do not adequately address the risks of new technologies, nor do they give much consideration to the concerns of persons affected by them.

Instead of treating technology, health, and the environment as discrete issues, Albert C. Lin argues, laws must acknowledge their fundamental relationship, anticipating both future technological developments and their potential adverse effects. Further, laws must encourage international cooperation and the development of common global standards, while allowing for flexibility and reassessment.