This collection of essays commemorates the Thirtieth Anniversary of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment. The opening presentation is by the distinguished former Foreign Minister of Sweden, Dr. Hans Blix, a primary author of the Stockholm Declaration. A second keynote abstract is by Professor Bjorn Lomborg, the renowned author of The Skeptical Environmentalist. The third keynote essay is by the United Nations Under Secretary-General of Legal Affairs, Hans Correl. The remainder of the volume includes contributions by six judges from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority, senior representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Maritime Organization, World Bank, Swedish Foreign Ministry and United States Department of State along with 25 professors and environmental law experts from 15 countries. The collection provides a comprehensive, in-depth review of the historic achievement as well as current relevance of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration as a landmark achievement in international environmental law.
This book analyzes the law and policy for the management of global common resources. As competing demands on the global commons are increasing, the protection of environment and the pursuit of growth give rise to all sorts of conflicts. It also analyzes issues in the protection of the global commons from a fairness, effectiveness and world order perspective. The author examines whether policymaking and trends point to a fair allocation of global common resources that is effective in protecting the environment and the pursuit of sustainable development. The author looks at the cost-effectiveness of international environmental law and applies theories of national environmental law to international environmental problems. Chapters include analysis on areas such as marine pollution, air pollution, fisheries management, transboundary water resources, biodiversity, hazardous and radioactive waste management, state responsibility and liability.
There has been a concurrent growth in interest in the institutions that deal with global environmental issues. A vast number of international organizations address these matters; this volume provides an overview of the major global institutions attempting to protect the natural environment. It first considers the United Nations Environment Programme and the other entities within the United Nations that play important roles in global environmental governance. It then examines institutions clustered by issue area, introducing institutions that focus on protecting endangered species and biodiversity, those that govern the ocean environment, those focusing on the atmosphere, and a recent set of institutions that regulate the transboundary movement of hazardous substances. It concludes with current debates on financing international environmental action, gaining widespread participation by states, and the question of whether the institutional structure of global environmental governance can, and should, be fundamentally reformed. The volume as a whole focuses on: the underlying causes of global environmental problems the creation of global environmental institutions the effectiveness of action undertaken by these institutions. Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, Global Environmental Institutions is essential reading for students of environmental politics and international organizations.
This second edition of Philippe Sand's leading textbook on international environmental law provides a clear and authoritative introduction to the subject, revised to December 2002. It considers relevant new topics, including the Kyoto Protocol, genetically modified organisms, oil pollution, chemicals etc. and will remain the most comprehensive account of the principles and rules relating to environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources. In addition to the key material from the 1992 Rio Declaration and subsequent developments, Sands also covers topics including the legal and institutional framework, the field's historic development and standards for general application. This will continue to be an invaluable resource for both students and practitioners alike.
This volume asks what security means in the Anthropocene era and what political innovations are needed to chart a more sustainable path for global development in the decades to come.
The international community has long grappled with the issue of safeguarding the environment and encouraging sustainable development, often with little result. The 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development was an emphatic attempt to address this issue, setting down 27 key principles for the international community to follow. These principles define the rights of people to sustainable development, and the responsibilities of states to safeguard the common environment. The Rio Declaration established that long term economic progress required a connection to environmental protection. It was designed as an authoritative and comprehensive statement of the principles of sustainable development law, an instrument to take stock of the past international and domestic practice, a guide for the design of new multilateral environmental regimes, and as a reference for litigation. This commentary provides an authoritative and comprehensive overview of the principles of the Declaration, written by over thirty inter-disciplinary contributors, including both leading practitioners and academics. Each principle is analysed in light of its origins and rationale. The book investigates each principle's travaux préparatoires setting out the main points of controversy and the position of different countries or groups. It analyses the scope and dimensions of each principle, providing an in-depth understanding of its legal effects, including whether it can be relied before a domestic or international court. It also assesses the impact of the principles on subsequent soft law and treaty development, as well as domestic and international jurisprudence. The authors demonstrate the ways in which the principles interact with each other, and finally provide a detailed analysis of the shortcomings and future potential of each principle. This book will be of vital importance to practitioners, scholars, and students of international environomental law and sustainable development.
Human activity is changing the global environment on a scale unlike that of any other era. Environmental deterioration is now a global issue—ecologically, politically, and economically—that requires global solutions. Yet there is considerable disagreement over what kinds of strategies we should adopt in order to halt and reverse damage to the global ecosystem. What kinds of international institutions are best suited to dealing with global environmental problems? Why are women and indigenous peoples still marginalized in global environmental politics? What are the consequences of the global ecological crisis for economic and security policies? The Global Politics of the Environment makes sense of the often seemingly irreconcilable answers to these questions. It focuses throughout on the tensions between mainstream strategies, which seek to build support for reforms through existing institutions, and radical critiques, which argue that environmental degradation is a symptom of a dysfunctional world order that must itself be transformed if we are to meet the challenge of saving the planet.
As sustainable development continues to dominate current government agendas throughout Africa, this manual explores how to set and achieve goals for specific programs throughout the continent. Discussing challenges such as expanding populations and urbanization, this study provides details on how to better plan, evaluate, and expand for sustainable development, including already established entities such as the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Research on the role of women, the strengthening of small businesses, and how to better structure policy and local government are explored in both regional and continental contexts.