Legal regulation of the environment is often construed as a collection of legislated responses to the problems of modern living. Treated as such,'environmental law' refers not to a body of distinctive juristic ideas (such as one might find in contract law or tort) but to a body of black-letter rules out of which a distinct jurisprudence might grow. This book challenges the accepted view by arguing that environmental law must be seen not as a mere instrument of social policy, but as a historical product of surprising antiquity and considerable sophistication. Environmental law, it is argued, is underpinned by a series of tenets concerning the relationship of human beings to the natural world, through the acquisition and use of property. By tracing these ideas to their roots in the political philosophy of the seventeenth century, and their reception into the early law of nuisance, this book seeks to overturn the perception that environmental law's philosophical significance is confined to questions about the extent to which a state should pursue collective well-being and public health through deliberate manipulation and restriction of private property rights. Through a close re-examination of both early and modern statutes and cases, this book concludes that, far from being intelligible in exclusively instrumental terms, environmental law must be understood as the product of sustained reflection upon fundamental moral questions concerning the relationship between property, rights and nature.

This book examines the development of environmental law in the period since the ground-breaking 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development or 'Earth Summit' in Rio de Janeiro. It demonstrates that a great deal has been achieved in the field of environmental law since the 1990s. However, the extraordinary environmental crises facing humanity in the 21st century indicate a continuing urgent need for the generation of robust policies and frameworks concerning ecological, socio-cultural and economic sustainability, implemented through appropriately innovative legal mechanisms. The book is divided into five sub-themes of sustainability: history, principles and concepts; environmental rights; access to justice and liability issues; natural resources, energy and climate change; and nature conservation. It includes expert legal opinion on developments to date, engaging with key themes from a broad selection of jurisdictions and perspectives. The analyses extend across public and private law to reflect the manifold areas which are rightly and necessarily the concern of environmental and sustainability law. Its contents offer not only critiques of developments to date, but also constructive engagement with matters of pressing concern to all. Written from a global perspective, this book will be an invaluable reference for academics, postgraduate students, practitioners and policy-makers concerned with environmental law and sustainability. Contributors: J. Benidickson, A.H. Benjamin, B. Boer, M.N. Camargos, M.A. Cohen, J.A.F. Costa, A. Daibert, J. de Cendra de Larragan, A. de Garay Sanchez, F. de Salles Cavedon, J.W. Dellapenna, A. du Plessis, W. du Plessis, J.J. Gonzalez, D. Hodas, E. Kasimbazi, R. Kibugi, F.R. Loures, N. Lugaresi, K. Morrow, C. Odidi Okidi, A. Paterson, N.A. Robinson, W. Scholtz, F. Sola, R. Stanziola Vieira, M.B. Tekle, S. Teles da Silva

This book examines the development of environmental law in the period since the ground-breaking 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development or 'Earth Summit' in Rio de Janeiro. It demonstrates that a great deal has been achieved in the field of environmental law since the 1990s. However, the extraordinary environmental crises facing humanity in the 21st century indicate a continuing urgent need for the generation of robust policies and frameworks concerning ecological, socio-cultural and economic sustainability, implemented through appropriately innovative legal mechanisms. The book is divided into five sub-themes of sustainability: history, principles and concepts; environmental rights; access to justice and liability issues; natural resources, energy and climate change; and nature conservation. It includes expert legal opinion on developments to date, engaging with key themes from a broad selection of jurisdictions and perspectives. The analyses extend across public and private law to reflect the manifold areas which are rightly and necessarily the concern of environmental and sustainability law. Its contents offer not only critiques of developments to date, but also constructive engagement with matters of pressing concern to all. Written from a global perspective, this book will be an invaluable reference for academics, postgraduate students, practitioners and policy-makers concerned with environmental law and sustainability. Contributors: J. Benidickson, A.H. Benjamin, B. Boer, M.N. Camargos, M.A. Cohen, J.A.F. Costa, A. Daibert, J. de Cendra de Larragan, A. de Garay Sanchez, F. de Salles Cavedon, J.W. Dellapenna, A. du Plessis, W. du Plessis, J.J. Gonzalez, D. Hodas, E. Kasimbazi, R. Kibugi, F.R. Loures, N. Lugaresi, K. Morrow, C. Odidi Okidi, A. Paterson, N.A. Robinson, W. Scholtz, F. Sola, R. Stanziola Vieira, M.B. Tekle, S. Teles da Silva

Legal regulation of the environment is often construed as a collection of legislated responses to the problems of modern living. Treated as such,'environmental law' refers not to a body of distinctive juristic ideas (such as one might find in contract law or tort) but to a body of black-letter rules out of which a distinct jurisprudence might grow. This book challenges the accepted view by arguing that environmental law must be seen not as a mere instrument of social policy, but as a historical product of surprising antiquity and considerable sophistication. Environmental law, it is argued, is underpinned by a series of tenets concerning the relationship of human beings to the natural world, through the acquisition and use of property. By tracing these ideas to their roots in the political philosophy of the seventeenth century, and their reception into the early law of nuisance, this book seeks to overturn the perception that environmental law's philosophical significance is confined to questions about the extent to which a state should pursue collective well-being and public health through deliberate manipulation and restriction of private property rights. Through a close re-examination of both early and modern statutes and cases, this book concludes that, far from being intelligible in exclusively instrumental terms, environmental law must be understood as the product of sustained reflection upon fundamental moral questions concerning the relationship between property, rights and nature.