This background paper to the Climate Legacy Initiative project assesses whether existing international environmental law is adequate to address the challenge of global climate change. It considers both current treaty rules governing climate change and customary principles of international...

The failure of international law and institutions to address global environmental degradation has significant implications for law and society as the planet's ecosystems approach irreversible tipping points. According to a recent study published in the journal Science, the global economy has...

The unprecedented degradation of the planet’s vital ecosystems is among the most pressing issues confronting the international community. Despite the proliferation of legal instruments to combat environmental problems, conflicts between rich and poor nations (the North-South divide) have...

Climate change poses a severe threat to many cultural heritage sites. Threats include floods, increasing extreme weather events, desertification, deterioration of permafrost, and the decay of cultural landscapes. Protecting cultural heritage sites proves to be very difficult as they are very...

In this article, "things" lawyers call "principles" of environmental law will be discussed from a theoretical perspective. Three fundamental questions are answered: 1. Where does the high moral value that is usually attributed principles come from? 2. What is the exact difference between a...

This chapter will provide an introduction to the notions of Sustainable Development and ‘best available techniques’ (BATs), which appear ever so often in treaties and other international legal documents. The aim is to demonstrate the rising importance and usefulness of such notions,...

Energy is pivotal for socio-economic and cultural development. Last century witnessed a drastic increase, on one hand on the consumption of energy and, on the other on greenhouse gases emissions. Traditionally, energy security has been linked with the need to guarantee supply and, in turn,...