Featuring an original introduction by the editors, this important collection of essays explores the main issues surrounding the regulation of the environment. The expert contributors illustrate that regulating the environment in the UK is conceptually complex, involves a diverse range of institutions, techniques and methodologies and crosses geographical and national boundaries. In the USA it is more formalised, juridical, adversarial and formally dependent upon legal rules. The articles highlight the fact that despite differences in the UK and the USA's regulatory styles, environmental regulation today has much in common with both traditions.

A systematic explanation of standards in environmental law, together with appropriate case studies covering all the main areas of the environment. It takes account of developments such as the 21st Report of the Royal Commission on Setting Environmental Standards.
Specific environmental standards are analyzed across all the main areas of the environment - water, land and air. The future of environmental standard setting is explained in context of the development of European environmental law. This includes the question of how a regional approach to the environment that is consistent with the principle of subsidiarity, may be pursued. Also included are issues relating to the freedom of information and the interrelationship between human rights and the environment. Case examples include Genetically Modified Organisms and the BSE crisis.

Das Buch fuhrt zunachst die Hauptverursacher bzw. -emittenten von Schadstoffen auf, analysiert die grossen Stoffgruppen und erlautert im Anschluss daran, welcher Stellenwert biotechnologischen Verfahren beim Abbau dieser Stoffe zukommt und wie diese im Einzelfall aussehen.