Contents
Environment
Matters of International Concern: The Environment
Introduction to Environment
In the late 1960s concern with the state of the world’s environment emerged as an international issue. This occurred largely in response to several disastrous spills by oil tankers that brought attention to high pollution levels and the threats they pose to human health and biological diversity.
The UN convened its first environmental conference in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden, from which emerged the Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment. The Declaration contains several legal principles that have become the foundation for a vast network of international agreements. The most important principle directs that each state has the sovereign right to use its natural resources, but also has the corresponding duty to ensure that its activities do not cause harm outside its boundaries. Other principles link environmental protection with human rights and emphasize the duty of each person to safeguard the environment. Many modern environmental agreements regulate specific areas (the Baltic Sea, Antarctica), specific species (whales, migratory birds), or specific hazards (nuclear energy, toxic wastes). In each case, the legal obligation that emerges is to protect and preserve components of the environment to foster sustainable development.” (1)
International Trade Law and the Environment
Contents of International Trade Law and the Environment
Contents of this subject matter include:
- Trade and the Environment: the context and the debate
- The World Trade organization: the institution and approach to the environment
- Environmental Barriers including trade measures under Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)
- The Position of Developing Countries
- Contemporary Issues: Ecolabelling, Trips, Issues with respect to Invasive Alien Species (IAS), Where to From Here?
Environment and Europe
There is an entry on environment in the European legal encyclopedia.
Introduction
Environment
This entry provides an overview of the legal framework of environment, with a description of the most significant features of environment at international level.
Related Work and Conclusions
Resources
See Also
- Economic Development
- Social development
Resources
See Also
References (Papers)
- You Probably Shouldn’T Build There: Watershed-Based Land Use Strategies For Mitigating Global Climate Change In New Jersey’S Freshwater Systems, Matthew Knoblauch, Aug 2017
- Flint Drinking Water Contamination: Frames Of Reference, Clifford Villa, Aug 2017
- An Overview Of The Zika Virus Epidemic And What America Can Do To Prevent The Spread Of The Virus In The Future, Alexandra Parrish, Aug 2017
- V.7, 2016 Masthead, Aug 2017
- The Future Of Environmental Law And Complexities Of Scale: Federalism Experiments With Climate Change Under The Clean Air Act, Hari M. Osofsky, Jul 2017
- Dynamic Energy Federalism, Hari M. Osofsky, Hannah J. Wiseman, Jul 2017
Resources
See Also
Further Reading
- Entry “Environment” in the work “A Concise Encyclopedia of the European Union from Aachen to Zollverein”, by Rodney Leach (Profile Books; London)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Environment in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
Guide to Environment
Environment and the Treaties of the European Union
Description of Environment provided by the European Union Commission: The aim of the European Union’s environment policy is to preserve, protect and improve the quality of the environment and to protect people’s health. It also sets great store by the prudent and rational use of natural resources. Lastly, it seeks to promote measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems (Article 174 of the EC Treaty). Policy formulation is subject to different decision-making procedures depending on the area concerned. So to attain the objectives listed, the Council:
• acts unanimously, after consulting the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, where fiscal provisions and provisions relating to town and country planning or water resources management or land use (with the exception of waste management) are involved or where a Member State’s choice in the matter of energy is significantly affected (Article 175(2));
• acts under the codecision procedure, after consulting the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, for the adoption of general action programmes setting out the priority objectives to be attained.
The Treaty of Amsterdam has enshrined the concept of “sustainable development” as one of the European Union’s objectives, while environmental protection requirements have been given greater weight in other Community policies, especially in the context of the internal market (Articles 2 and 6 of the EC Treaty). The provisions allowing a Member State to apply stricter rules than the harmonised rules have been made easier. These stricter rules must be compatible with the Treaty and must be communicated to the Commission. Environmental policy is based on the precautionary principle and on the principles that preventive action should be taken, that environmental damage should be rectified at source and that the polluter should pay.
Resources
See Also
Popular Treaties Topics
- Treaties of the United Nations (UN)
- Types of Treaties
- International Treaties
- Famous Treaties
- Law of Treaties
- Numbered Treaties
Environment and the Treaties of the European Union
Description of Environment provided by the European Union Commission: The aim of the European Union’s environment policy is to preserve, protect and improve the quality of the environment and to protect people’s health. It also sets great store by the prudent and rational use of natural resources. Lastly, it seeks to promote measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems (Article 174 of the EC Treaty). Policy formulation is subject to different decision-making procedures depending on the area concerned. So to attain the objectives listed, the Council:
• acts unanimously, after consulting the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, where fiscal provisions and provisions relating to town and country planning or water resources management or land use (with the exception of waste management) are involved or where a Member State’s choice in the matter of energy is significantly affected (Article 175(2));
• acts under the codecision procedure, after consulting the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, for the adoption of general action programmes setting out the priority objectives to be attained.
The Treaty of Amsterdam has enshrined the concept of “sustainable development” as one of the European Union’s objectives, while environmental protection requirements have been given greater weight in other Community policies, especially in the context of the internal market (Articles 2 and 6 of the EC Treaty). The provisions allowing a Member State to apply stricter rules than the harmonised rules have been made easier. These stricter rules must be compatible with the Treaty and must be communicated to the Commission. Environmental policy is based on the precautionary principle and on the principles that preventive action should be taken, that environmental damage should be rectified at source and that the polluter should pay.
Resources
See Also
Popular Treaties Topics
- Treaties of the United Nations (UN)
- Types of Treaties
- International Treaties
- Famous Treaties
- Law of Treaties
- Numbered Treaties