This thoroughly updated and revised second edition combines practical and theoretical analyses to cover a wide array of cutting edge issues in international environmental law (IEL). The Research Handbook provides a comprehensive view of the complexity of IEL, both as a field in its own right, and as part of the wider system of international law. Expert contributors examine the key theories and concepts of IEL governance and provide an in-depth analysis of IEL principles, supplemented in this new edition by a consideration of the significant actors involved in international environmental law-making and governance. Chapters go on to discuss practical issues, such as dispute settlement and compliance, and analyse selected environmental protection regimes, as well as including a brand new section covering IEL litigation in relation to human rights and climate change. Providing a thorough examination of the major topics in the field, this Handbook will be an indispensable resource for scholars and students of international environmental law. Practitioners and policymakers will also find it useful for its coverage of developments in environmental litigation and the actors involved.

How can the international community respond to states that fail to respect fundamental rules of international law? Does state sovereignty form an obstacle to the development of international legal principles, rules, and in particular, decision-making procedures as a basis for international governance? The contributors to this volume investigate these various aspects of state sovereignty and international governance. Their findings suggest that although sovereign states will remain the most important actors, global governance will lead to restrictions on the exercise of sovereignty.