The Future of International Environmental Law explores the future of international environmental law in a world of ever worsening environmental crises. It examines the success stories and failures of international environmental law and argues that future responses to global environmental crises will be more about good environmental governance than just more treaties and laws. Environmental governance will need to accommodate the needs and aspirations of peoples from developed and developing countries alike, and will have to be based on decisions and actions by a vast range of actors and stakeholders-not just the nation-state that has traditionally dominated environmental diplomacy. This also suggests a need to be cognizant of the close links to other areas of international law, including human rights.
The Future of International Environmental Law tackles the major environmental challenges of our times including climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and overfishing of the oceans. It examines what we can learn from the implementation of existing international environmental laws over the past few decades. It also considers a range of emerging issues such as the management of the environmental challenges faced by the Arctic, nanotechnology, biofuels and synthetic genomics.
David Leary is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Balakrishna Pisupati is Coordinator of the Biodiversity, Land Law and Governance Unit, and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Focal Point for the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Year of Biodiversity in the Division of Environmental Law and Conventions, UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya.