Guide to International Environmental Law

Abstract

This book aims to present the essential elements of international environmental law. The attached document includes a page memorializing the life of Alexandre Kiss (who passed away on March 22, 2007); a forward; a table of contents, author information, abbreviations, and Chapter 1, "An Introduction to International Law." The book provides a general overview of why and how the international system elaborates environmental obligations and monitors compliance with them. Second, it discusses the relationship between international obligations and national and local law, with particular reference to federal systems. It indicates another interrelationship, pointing out the influence national law has on the emergence of international law as well as the growing role of international norms in the development and enforcement of national and local environmental policies. Finally, it examines the extent to which environmental protection should be and is taken into account in other regulatory frameworks, from trade law and human rights to disarmament and refugee policy. The basic knowledge provided in this book should allow the reader to undertake further research on topics of environmental regulation at the international level and to understand the implications of international environmental law for national law and policy.