United States
£ GBP
Offering a novel approach to environmental law, its principles, mechanics and context, as tested in its application to the urban environment, this book proposes a new theory of environmental law, starting from a description of a society effectively closed to environmental considerations, where the environment is essentially 'absent'.
The book introduces the reader to the key concept of closure as it is described in Luhmann's theory of autopoiesis. Rather than following in the footsteps of previous discussions it proposes a radically different reading of the theory, in line with post-modern legal, political, sociological, urban and ecological theories and emphasizes the paradox of the (absent) environment.
It explores a range of topics in the areas of environmental law and urban georagphy, including:
*environmental risk, environmental rights, the precautionary principle and urban waste
*discourses on community, proceduralization and identity and a phenomenological analysis of the city.
The author redefines the traditional foundations of environmental law and urban geography and suggests a new way of dealing with scientific ignorance, cultural differences and environmental risk.
