International Law for the Environment is a comprehensive exposition of contemporary international environmental law and the governance institutions that implement it. Part I sets out the drivers of threats to the planet's air, water and social support systems, the philosophical, economic, and scientific foundations of the legal responses to these threats, and the customary and treaty-based legal regimes that have emerged. Also addressed in Part I are the intersections between the environment and human rights and environmental disasters and emergencies. These regimes are placed in the context of general international law. Part II introduces the students to the major treaty-based regimes such as those addressing transboundary air and water pollution, the control of pollutants which deplete the ozone layer, global climate change, the protection of oceans, polar regions, and outer space, the disposal of hazardous wastes outside the country of origin, the protection and allocation of fresh waters and the restoration of degraded aquatic ecosystems, and the conservation of biological diversity. Also addressed are the linkages between agricultural production and the environment. Part III examines the integration of environmental considerations with respect to other areas of international law and the influence of those areas on the development of international environmental law, including a new chapter examining the relationship between armed conflict and the environment, and health and the environment, as well as chapters exploring international trade law, and the financing of sustainable development. Part IV provides an overview of the international legal system, including the international institutions and governance issues concerned with international environmental protection, as well as international dispute settlement. Throughout, the book explores the incorporation of international environmental law principles and treaty obligations into national judicial decisions and legislation. In addition, this new edition includes exercises for students in every chapter.

International Law for the Environment is a comprehensive exposition of contemporary international environmental law and the governance institutions that implement it. Part I sets out the drivers of threats to the planet's air, water and social support systems, the philosophical, economic, and scientific foundations of the legal responses to these threats, and the customary and treaty-based legal regimes that have emerged. These regimes are placed in the context of general international law. Part II introduces the students to the major treaty-based regimes such as those addressing transboundary air and water pollution, the control of pollutants which deplete the ozone layer, global climate change, the protection of oceans and polar regions, the disposal of hazardous wastes outside the country of origin, the protection and allocation of fresh waters and the restoration of degraded aquatic ecosystems, and the conservation of biological diversity. Also addressed is the linkage between agricultural production and the environment. Part III examines the integration of environmental considerations into international regimes such as human rights and environmental justice, international trade law and the financing of sustainable development. Environmental governance is discussed in Part IV, together with material on international environmental institutions and the international legal system. Throughout the book the incorporation of international environmental law principles and treaty obligations into national judicial decisions and legislation is stressed.

Fresh water resources are at the same time ecological, economic, social, and cultural goods and must be managed accordingly. However, efforts to manage these resources are complicated by tensions arising from possible clashes between the regimes favouring privatization, trade and investment liberalization, and domestic and international regimes governing water resources, environmental protection and human rights. The relationships between the international economic and legal framework on the one hand and fresh water resource management and protection on the other, are complex and multifaceted. This book addresses the key interdisciplinary issues that increasingly confront policy makers, tribunals, arbitration bodies and other institutions. It focuses primarily on law, but also includes perspectives from economics, political science and other disciplines. It examines such questions as are governments free to decide whether or not to export water resources? Can foreign investors sue host states for adopting measures to control water pollution? Can international trade rules be used to reduce or eliminate water related subsidies? Do rules on the liberalization of water services affect domestic and international human rights obligations relating to water supply? More generally, how do the procedural rights of states, individuals, affected communities and investors affect decisions regarding the right to drinking water, the rights of investors to exploit water resources, and the rights of governments to protect their lakes, rivers and groundwater?