Part III Conceptual Pillars, Ch.20 Equity

Abstract

This chapter critically analyses the notion of equity in international environmental law. It begins by discussing the meaning of equity in international law and briefly reflecting on familiar examples of the manifestation of equity in international environmental law treaties. The prominence of intergenerational and intra-generational equity in international environmental law warrants a subsequent critical analysis of the content, legal status, and relationship between these forms of equity. This discussion indicates that although the two components of equity may prima facie be in conflict, they constitute important complementary aspects of sustainable development. The chapter then calls for the progressive development of aspects of intra-generational and intergenerational equity that may have profound consequences for international environmental law.