Making Environmental Law Function in the Anthropocene

Earth is home to all known life, on land, within the oceans, inland waters, and amidst the atmosphere. This community of life exists within well recognized frontiers. But, human induced degradation of ecosystems is rendering much of the Earth less habitable for the humans and the other species. To cope with the escalating insults to human life and health, governments have been establishing environmental laws since the 1970s. It posits a vital question at this juncture: What should be the functions that environmental law should serve, both today and into the foreseeable future? This article will suggest four thematic areas for action in this regard. First, all laws and policies should embrace a holistic view of Earth; second, a common and shared analytic methodology needs to be deployed such as environmental impact assessment; third, a strategic cock-pit for ecological cooperation required to provide solutions for environmental crises; finally, a set of mutually recognized and shared principles will need to be embraced in order to provide a coherent and harmonized outlook for humanity’s ecological civilization.