International Environmental Law Blog

International Wildlife Law book

A Handbook on

International Wilderness Law and Policy

 

Now available—the first comprehensive guide to wilderness laws and policies around the world: A Handbook on International Wilderness Law and Policy, published by The WILD Foundation (Boulder, Colorado, USA) and Fulcrum Publishing (Golden, Colorado, USA).

 

This book:

• provides      a detailed "how-to" guide for conservation professionals      interested in developing new wilderness laws or policies in their      countries; 
• provides      the most current information to practitioners in countries where      wilderness laws and policies are already in place, but who are interested      in learning from approaches and experiences in other countries.

 

In addition to case studies of wilderness laws and policies written by leading conservationists from 12 countries and one indigenous group (the Confederated Salish and Kootenai), the book also includes a matrix allowing for easy comparison of the different wilderness definitions in use around the world.

 

This book was edited by Cyril Kormos, WILD's VP for policy, with contributions from leading wilderness policy experts from around the world. It  includes a preface by Vance Martin, president, The WILD Foundation, and Ian Player, founder, The WILD Foundation and the World Wilderness Congress, as well as a foreword by Karen Taylor-Goodrich (National Park Service) and Elena Daly (Bureau of Land Management) who are chair and vice-chair respectively of the U.S. Government's Interagency Wilderness Policy Council.

 

To order: http://www.wild.org/Store/Publications_Store.htm

 

Hardback, 6" x 9", 408 pages

Black and white photographs, Matrix of wilderness definitions in use around the world

 

Price: $39 Includes media mail shipping within the US; international and expedited shipping will incur additional charges.

 

IUCN Climate Change Law Conference

DRAFT CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Climate Law in Developing Countries
post-2012:
North and South Perspectives
September 26-28, 2008, at the Faculty of Law
University of Ottawa
Hosted by the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law
Supported by the Canadian International Development Agency, International Development Research Centre, University of Ottawa and York University (Osgoode Hall Law School).
Details and registration at: http://www.iucnael.org/99
Friday, September 26
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP:
Teaching Climate Law for Developing Country Universities
1.00 pm – 5.00 pm Chaired by Teaching Committee, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law
Lead participants: Robert Fowler (Australia), Wil Burns (USA)
Other participants: Prue Taylor (New Zealand), Alero Akeredolu (Nigeria), Dil Mohammad (Pakistan), Imran Akram (Pakistan), Anjum Jawid Khan (Pakistan),
Jan Glazewski (South Africa)
OPENING:
5.00 pm Registration opens (Lobby Fauteux Hall)
6.00 pm – 8.00 pm Welcome and Introductions
Keynote speaker: William Rees (Canada)
8.00 pm – 9.30 pm Reception
Atrium 3rd floor, Fauteux Hall
Saturday, September 27
8.00 am Registration opens (Lobby Fauteux Hall)
9.00 am – 9.45 am Plenary Address 1: Climate Justice and the South
Renato Redentor Constantino (Philippines)
9.45 am – 10.30 am Plenary Address 2: International Climate Law and Sustaining Development in the South
Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (Canada)
10.30 am – 10.45 am Break
Concurrent sessions:
10.45 am – 12.15 pm Climate Justice 1: Climate Ethics and International Equity
Christina MacLeod (Canada): Climate Change Code of Ethics: Acceptance of Responsibility and United Action
Werner Scholtz (South Africa): Greenhouse Equity (Or how to Ensure a Future for Humankind without Expropriating the Poor)
Christina Voigt (Norway): The Clean Development Mechanism between Ecological Integrity and Economic Efficiency
Ana Maria de Oliveira Nusdeo (Brazil), Clean Development Mechanism and Distributional Issues: An Analysis of the Brazilian Certified Projects
Energy and Climate Change 1: Policy Frameworks
Richard Ottinger (USA): Climate Policy Energy Solutions for Developing Countries – Be Careful What You Wish For
Jeremy Firestone (USA): Using Understanding of Existing Carbon-free Technologies to Facilitate Appropriate Models of Electricity Governance and Related Policy Instrument Choice
Francis Botchway (UK / Ghana): New Energy Dynamics and Africa’s Climate
Tianbao Qin (China) and Huanhuan Wang (China): Preparing for the Post-Kyoto Era: “Greening” of Energy Law in China
12.15 pm – 12.30 pm Break
12.30 pm – 2.00 pm Lunch and Plenary Address 3: Climate Change and Energy Markets
Yinka Omorogbe (Nigeria)
2.00 pm – 2.15 pm Break
Concurrent sessions:
2.15 pm – 3.45 pm The Clean Development Mechanism: Past, Present and Future
José Juan González Márquez (Mexico), The Role of Clean Development Mechanism in Promoting Alternative Sources of Energy in Mexico
Olawuyi Damilola (Canada / Nigeria): Beautifying Africa for the Clean Development Mechanism: Legal and Institutional Issues Considered
Meinhard Doelle (Canada): The CDM, a Failed Experiment or a Crucial Part of the Post 2012 Regime?
Emmanuel Kasimbazi (Uganda): Policy and Legal Interventions in the Implementation of CDM Projects in the Forestry Sector: Implications for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Uganda.
Climate Justice 2: Climate Refugees
Donald K. Anton (Australia): Climate Change and the Inundation of Low-Lying Small Island Developing States: From Internally Displaced People to the Loss of Statehood
Angela Williams (UK / NZ): Achieving Justice within the International Legal System: Prospects for Climate Refugees
Laura Westra (Canada): Climate and Ecological Refugees: Beyond the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees
Energy and Climate Change 2: Renewable or Nuclear?
Eliamani Laltaika (Tanzania), Jatropha in Maasailand: Why, How and for Whose Benefit?
Solange Teles da Silva (Brazil) and Carolina Dutra (Brazil): Brazilian Policy of Biodiesel: Alternative to Mitigate Effects of Climate Change?
Yanti Fristikawati (Indonesia): Nuclear Power and Climate Policy in Indonesia
Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan (Nigeria): Policy, Legislative and Regulatory Challenges in Promoting Efficient and Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Mitigation in Nigeria.
3.45 pm – 4.00 pm Break
4.00 pm – 5.30 pm Plenary Address 4: Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change in the South Pacific
Eric Kwa (Papua New Guinea)
Roundtable Discussion on Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change
Introduced and chaired by Brad Morse (Canada)
5.30 pm Close for the day
CONFERENCE DINNER:
7.00 pm – 10.00 pm Museum of Nature
Speaker: Mary Simon (President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami)
Sunday, September 28
9.00 am – 9.45 am Plenary Address 5: Adaptation Mechanisms under the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocols: Hope or Chimera for Developing Countries?
Wil Burns (USA)
9.45 am – 10.30 am Plenary Address 6: A Mechanism to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation: Key Policy Considerations
Claire Stockwell (Canada)
10.30 am – 10.45 pm Break
Concurrent sessions:
10.45 am – 12.15 pm Climate Justice 3: Rights, Responsibilities and Internal Inequities
Deepa Badrinarayana (India): Is India’s Climate Justice Stance Justified, or, Indeed, Justifiable?
Oluwatoyin Adejonwo-Osho (UK / Nigeria): The Evolution of Human Rights Approaches to Environmental Protection in Nigeria
William Onzivu (UK / Uganda): Tackling the Public Health Impact of Climate Change: The Role of Domestic Environmental Health Governance in Developing Countries
Sumudu Atapattu (Sri Lanka / USA): Climate Change, Equity and Differentiated Responsibilities: Does the Present Climate Regime Favour the Developing Countries?
Instrument Choice 1: Climate Finance and Economic Instruments
Robert Fowler (Australia): The Role of Marine "Forests" as a Carbon Sink: Eligibility and Accounting Under the Climate Change Regime
Kate Miles (Australia): Investing in Adaptation: Financing Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Developing States
Benjamin J. Richardson (Canada): Socially Responsible Investment and Climate Finance
Carolina Mauri (Costa Rica): Costa Rica Undertakes a Voluntary Commitment to Become Carbon Neutral
Protection of Biological and Social Systems 1: Oceans, Forests, Pastureland and Biodiversity
Robin Warner (Australia): Preserving a Balanced Ocean: Environmental Regulation of Climate Change Mitigation Activities in Developing Countries.
Ian Hannam (Australia): Environmental Law Reform in Mongolia and Climate Change.
Rosemary Lyster (Australia): Approaches to Recognising Carbon Offsets Arising from Avoided Deforestation in Developing Countries.
Claudio Torres Nachón (Mexico / Canada): Reduced Deforestation and Degradation in Protected Areas: Legal Issues for Harnessing Forest Biological Diversity and Mitigation of Climate Change
12.15 pm – 12.30 pm Break
12.30 pm – 2.00 pm Lunch and Plenary Address 7: The North-South Dimension of Climate Policy in the European Union and Norway?
Hans Christian Bugge (Norway)
2.00 pm – 2.15 pm Break
Concurrent sessions:
2.15 pm – 3.45 pm Instrument Choice 2: North-South Interactions
Marjan Peeters (Netherlands): Improving Citizen Responsibility in the North and its Consequences for the South
Francesco Sindico (UK): Climate and Trade in a Divided World: Can Measures Adopted in the North End Up Shaping Climate Legislative Frameworks in the South?
Peter Lawrence (Australia): Kick Starting the Climate Change Technology Revolution: The Potential - and Limitations - of Asia-Pacific Partnerships for Technology Development and Transfer.
Protection of Biological and Social Systems 2: The Challenge of Adaptation
Kees Bastmeijer (Netherlands) and Jonathan Verschuuren (Netherlands): Adaptation to Climate Change to Save Biodiversity: Lessons Learnt from African and European Experiences
Stefan Gruber (Germany / Australia): How can Environmental Law Be Used to Decrease the Effects of Global Climate Change on Cultural Heritage Sites?
Jolene Lin (China): Supporting Adaptation Strategies in Developing Countries at the National and Global Levels.
Carl Bruch (USA) and Jessica Troell (USA): Adaptive Water Management: Strengthening Laws and Institutions to Cope with Climate Change.
Post-2012 Challenges and Strategies
David Hodas (USA) and Albert Mumma (Kenya): Adapting to Climate Change: An Analysis of the Legal and Policy Adaptations Necessary for Clean Development in Developing Countries.
Horacio Payá (Argentina): International Climate Policy and Developing Countries’ National Development Challenges: A Necessary Link for a Successful International Agreement.
Harro van Asselt and Joyeeta Gupta (Netherlands): Stretching too Far? Developing Countries and the Role of Flexibility Mechanisms Beyond 2012
Neil Craik (Canada) and Joseph F.C. DiMento (USA): Multi-level and Multi-track Climate Law and Policy in North America: Implications for Developing Countries
3.45 pm – 4.00 pm Break
4.00 pm – 4.45 pm Plenary Address 8: From Berlin to Bali and Beyond: The Role of Developing Countries in the Structuring of the Climate Regime
Lavanya Rajamani (India)
4.45 pm - 5.30 pm Closing remarks and reflections
Speakers: TBA

New Issue of CCLR: Focus on Trade Interface

 

We are pleased to announce the publication of a special issue of the Carbon & Climate Law Review [CCLR]:

 

Climate Change in a Global Economy

Legal Implications for International Trade, Investment and the Carbon Market

 

While trade ministers engage in a debate on the relationship of climate change and trade liberalization, and border adjustments for carbon‐intensive products are discussed in Brussels and Washington, questions of international economic law, investment regulation and free trade are rapidly gaining currency. Featuring a group of recognized experts and a preface by the Director‐General of the World Trade Organization, this special issue of the Carbon & Climate Law Review provides a timely analysis of the challenging nexus between international trade law and the climate regime.

 

 

 

Table of Contents

Volume 2 | Number 1

 

 

Preface

Pascal Lamy, Director‐General, World Trade Organization, Geneva

 

Editorial

Joost Pauwelyn, Professor, Graduate Institute for International Studies, Geneva

Francesco Sindico, Lecturer, School of Law, University of Surrey

 

Articles

 

Heating Up International Trade Law: Challenges and Opportunities Posed by Efforts to Combat Climate Change (reading sample)

Richard G. Tarasofsky, Counsel, Trade Law Bureau, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

 

French Ideas on Climate and Trade Policies

Jochem Wiers, Counsellor, Netherlands Embassy, Paris

 

Border Tax Adjustments and Emissions Trading: The Implications of International Trade Law for Policy Design

Matthew Genasci, Attorney, New York

 

Maximum Carbon Intensity Limitations and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Charles Owen Verrill, Partner, Wiley Rein, Washington, D.C.; Senior Lecturing Fellow, Duke University

 

WTO Law and International Emissions Trading: Is there Potential for Conflict?

Christina Voigt, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer, Department of Public and International Law, University of Oslo

 

Climate Change and the International Trade of Biofuels

Haroldo Machado‐Filho, Special Adviser to the Interministerial Commission on Global Climate Change, Brazil

 

Will the “Friends of Climate” Emerge in the WTO?

The Prospects of Applying the “Fisheries Subsidies” Model to Energy Subsidies

Sadeq Z. Bigdeli, Research Fellow, NCCR Trade Regulation, World Trade Institute, Berne

 

Against Harmonisation: Regulatory Competition in Climate Change Law

Geert van Calster, Professor, K.U. Leuven; Visiting Lecturer, Oxford University; Of Counsel, DLA Piper

 

The 'Legitimate Expectations' of Investors and the CDM:

Balancing Public Goods and Private Rights under the Climate Change Regime

Jacob D. Werksman, Director, Institutions and Governance Program, World Resources Institute; Adjunct Professor of Law, New York University and Georgetown University

 

In the Market

 

The European Emissions Trading Scheme – Coming of Age? An Assessment of the EU Commission Proposal for a Review of the Scheme

Benjamin Görlach and Olaf Hölzer-Schopohl, German Emissions Trading Authority at the Federal Environment Agency, Berlin

Hauke Hermann, Ecologic – Institute for International and European Environmental Policy, Berlin

 

Current Developments

 

International

Camilla Bausch and Michael Mehling, Ecologic – Institute for International and European Environmental Policy, Berlin/Washington, D.C.

 

European Union

Leonardo Massai, T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague

 

North America

Andrea Hudson Campbell, Van Ness Feldman, PC, Washington, D.C.

 

Book Reviews

 

Carlo Carraro and Christian Egenhofer (eds.): Climate and Trade Policy: Bottom-up Approaches Towards Global Agreement. Edward Elgar, 2007

Reviewed by Harro van Asselt, Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

 

The World Bank: International Trade and Climate Change: Economic, Legal and Institutional Perspectives. The World Bank, 2008

Reviewed by Eriika Melkas, Faculty of Law, University of Turku

 

New Publications

 

Compiled by Harro van Asselt, Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

 

Event Calendar

 

 

This special issue of the Carbon & Climate Law Review and individual articles are available electronically and in a hardcopy version from Lexxion Publishers, Berlin, at: http://www.lexxion.eu/cclr. For subscription enquiries, please contact info@lexxion.de.

Carbon & Climate Law Review, a quarterly journal on climate regulation and the carbon market, welcomes manuscript submissions for upcoming issues. Contributions should address legal aspects of carbon trading and other dimensions of greenhouse gas regulation, and will typically focus on the interests of practitioners or formulate legal policy recommendations. Research articles can range anywhere from 3.500-6.500 words in length, and commentaries on recent judicial decisions, new legislation, and other developments from 1.500 to 2.500 words.

 

Every issue of the Carbon & Climate Law Review contains general articles and a section devoted to a particular thematic area. Upcoming issues will focus on current developments in the United States and Canada (2/2008), the role of forestry in the climate regime (3/2008), and legal aspects of the Clean Development Mechanism (4/2008). If you are interested in submitting a manuscript or have any questions, kindly contact the editor at the address below for further information on the editorial process, the guidelines for authors, and submission deadlines for future issues.

 

Please feel free to forward this message to interested colleagues.
 
________________________________

 

Michael A. Mehling

Editor

Carbon & Climate Law Review [CCLR]

Lexxion Publishing

Güntzelstr. 63

10717 Berlin

Germany

Tel.: +49 (0) 30 814 506 00

Fax: +49 (0) 30 814 506 22
mehling@lexxion.de

 

Carbon & Climate Law Review
A Journal on Climate Regulation and the Carbon Market

Emerging responses to climate change necessitate recourse to legal mechanisms for adequate implementation, with implications ranging from legislative decision-making to judicial litigation. As the only journal devoted to the legal dimensions of climate change, the Carbon & Climate Law Review [CCLR] provides academics and practitioners with a forum for this important debate. For further information on this journal and online access to sample content, please visit www.lexxion.eu/cclr.

10th IWLC Redux

The Annual International Wildlife Law Conference, now in its tenth year, was held in

Granada

,

Spain

on 6 and 7 March 2008, attracting a host of leading specialists in this field drawn from both sides of the

Atlantic

. The first day of the Conference considered the operationalisation of the precautionary principle in international wildlife conservation and management regimes and the practical measures taken to address climate change taken through fisheries and wildlife management organisations, demonstrating progress (and impediments to it) experienced to date through a series of practical case studies. The second day of the Conference took on a decidedly more marine approach, examining the current status and future development of marine protected areas, followed by an examination of key aspects of the vexed issue of cetacean conservation regimes. The Conference closed with a keynote address by Professor David VanderZwaag, examining the inconsistent progress made to date in applying the precautionary principle/approach to fisheries management. Many of the papers growing out of the conference will be published in a special symposium issue of the Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, www.jiwlp.com.

The Eleventh installment of this Conference will be convened in March 2009 at

Stetson

University's School of Law

in Gulfport,

Florida

; a call for papers for this event will be issued shortly. Please contact the conference's coordinator, Dr. Wil Burns, wburns@scu.edu, to be placed on the mailing list.

Voluntary Carbon Markets Assessment

Dear all,

WWF has just published a new report on "Making Sense of the Voluntary Carbon Market - A Comparison of Carbon Offset Standards".

The study has been written by Anja Kollmuss and Clifford Polycarp from the Stockholm Environment Institute and Helge Zink from Tricorona.

The report discusses the role of the voluntary carbon offset market. It provides an overview and guide to the most important currently available standards, using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a benchmark. The report compares the standards side-by-side and outlines the most pertinent aspects of each. It also includes a handy one page reference table for a quick comparison of the standards. The evaluated standards are:

• Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
• Gold Standard (GS)
• Voluntary Carbon Standard 2007 (VCS 2007)
• VER+
• Voluntary Offset Standard (VOS)
• Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)
• Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS)
• Plan Vivo System
• ISO 14064-2
• GHG Protocol for Project Accounting

WWF's press release and guidelines around the report can be found at: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/index.cfm?uNewsID=126700.
The report and the executive summary can also be downloaded from SEI-US’s website:  http://www.sei-us.org/offset_standard_report.html

We hope you find it interesting!

Juliette de Grandpré
Energy and Carbon Markets
WWF Germany
Große Präsidentenstr. 10
D-10178 Berlin
degrandpre@wwf.de

Anja Kollmuss

Associate Scientist

Stockholm Environment Institute - US

11 Curtis Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144-1224, USA

Tel:  +1 (617) 627-3786 8#
Fax: +1 (617) 449-9603

www.sei-us.org

 

SEI is an independent research affiliate of Tufts University

New Issue: IEL Agreements

We are pleased to deliver your requested table of contents alert for International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics.

Volume 8 Number 1 of International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics is now available on the SpringerLink web site at http://springerlink.com

By clicking on the URLs below you can access the abstracts for each article.

   

In this issue:

 

                                   

Original Paper
Local causes,   regional co-operation and global financing for environmental problems: the   case of Southeast Asian Haze pollution
Author(s)		Luca Tacconi,   Frank Jotzo, R. Quentin Grafton
DOI		10.1007/s10784-007-9057-z
Online since		September 29, 2007
Page		1 - 16

                                   

Original Paper
Trade and   environment negotiations in the WTO: Asian perspectives
Author(s)		Yohei Harashima
DOI		10.1007/s10784-007-9058-y
Online since		December 05, 2007
Page		17 - 34

                                   

Original Paper
European air   pollution assessments: co-production of science and policy
Author(s)		Willemijn Tuinstra
DOI		10.1007/s10784-008-9064-8
Online since		February 01, 2008
Page		35 - 49

                                   

Original Paper
Drivers for   adopting environmental management systems in the post-Soviet mining industry
Author(s)		Olli Salmi
DOI		10.1007/s10784-007-9046-2
Online since		July 18, 2007
Page		51 - 77

                                   

Book Review
Scott Barrett,   Environment & Statecraft: The Strategy of Environmental Treaty-Making
Author(s)		Jamie F. Morgan
DOI		10.1007/s10784-007-9032-8
Online since		October 31, 2007
Page		79 - 81

                                   

Book Review
Philippe G. Le   Prestre (ed.), Governing Global Biodiversity: The Evolution and   Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Author(s)		Pamela McElwee
DOI		10.1007/s10784-007-9055-1
Online since		September 01, 2007
Page		83 - 85

                                   

Book Review
Carraro, Carlo and   François Lévêque (Eds), Voluntary Approaches in Environmental Policy
Author(s)		Lada Kochtcheeva Dunbar
DOI		10.1007/s10784-007-9045-3
Online since		July 18, 2007
Page		87 - 90

                                 

Book Review
Jon Birger   Skjærseth and Tora Skodvin, Climate Change and the Oil Industry: Common   Problem, Varying Strategies
Author(s)		Jerry Hinkle,   Armin Rosencranz
DOI		10.1007/s10784-007-9056-0
Online since		August 29, 2007
Page		91 - 94

New article on governance and networks

Alkoby on International Environmental Lawmaking

Asher Alkoby (Ryerson University) has posted Global Networks and International Environmental Lawmaking: A Discourse Approach (Chicago Journal of International Law, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2008) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

    The concept of networks is gaining currency in the study of global politics and international law. The term usually refers to a loose organization of nonstate actors characterized by voluntary, reciprocal, and horizontal patterns of communication and exchange. This Article explores the direct and indirect participation of global networks in international environmental decisionmaking fora, as a matter of both practice and aspiration. While in agreement with the view that global networks improve the democratic quality of international environmental institutions, this Article advances a particular conception of democratic governance, one that is more useful for understanding the role of networks in international rule creation and enforcement, as well as for assessing their operational effectiveness. Under the proposed discourse approach, the essence of democracy is deliberation rather than voting, preference aggregation, or self-government. The interaction of civil society in the public sphere, the realm of network activity, is likely to produce norms that will be legitimate in the eyes of their addressees because such interaction is typically nonhierarchical and unconstrained by power imbalances. The institutional discursive framework, in turn, is where the communicative appeal of the ideas that networks seek to advance can be tested. In the area of international environmental governance, much of this discursive activity takes place within intergovernmental institutions, which have been gradually opening up to the input provided by networks of nonstate actors.

    The Article's discussion begins by outlining the discourse approach and explaining why it is arguably superior to the alternatives, especially in the global context where preference aggregation is not a viable option. The Article then turns to examine the involvement of environmental and business networks in the climate debate, demonstrating how patterns of discursive interaction may be observed both within each network and in the ways in which these networks attempt to channel their respective agendas into the institutional deliberation. Finally, this Article argues that the proposed conceptual schema is also useful in responding to commentators who are critical of global networks' involvement in environmental lawmaking. These critics claim that global networks are not legitimate international actors because they answer to no one in their power wielding political activity. Under a discourse approach, the legitimacy of networks both environmental and business lies in their ability to infuse the institutional debate with different policy perspectives and arguments, out of which well-informed, consensual decisions may be reached. The Article concludes by pointing to some of the implications flowing from a discourse approach for institutional design.

Posted by Lawrence Solum on March 10, 2008 at 12:19 AM in Environmental Ethics, Law, and Politics | Permalink

New article on the ECHR and the Environment

Dear All

My article on "the European  Court of Human Rights and the Right to the Environment" is just published in Ankara Law Review which is available at the following online

http://ankara.edu.tr/journals/alr (click the issue Vol. 4 No 1 Summer 20007)

I will appreciate if you let me know your comments.

best regards

Nükhet Yılmaz Turgut

Ocean Atlas

FYI. This is an excellent resource on ocean issues. Check out the contents of the latest issue below. One can subscribe to updates.

           

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2008

Dear UN Atlas Member,     This month's newsletter takes a look at new happenings around the globe with   information from the polar regions to the equator. Many worldwide activities   have been launched to celebrate the wonders of our planet: the International Polar Year, the International Year of the Reef and the International Year of Planet Earth   -- learn more by visiting these sites.     If this newsletter may interest someone you know, please forward it.     Contribute to and participate in the growing Atlas community by becoming an   active Member of the UN Atlas today.     Thank you,     The UN Atlas of the Oceans Editors     Visit the UN Atlas of the Oceans Web site     Comments? Please write to UN-Atlas-Oceans-Project@fao.org

Recently added   content:    FAO Fisheries Technical Paper: Global fishery        resources of tuna and tuna-like species : Global fishery resources of tuna and tuna-like        species (Document) FAO and industry reps discuss emerging issues        affecting seafood business : Energy efficiency subject of second FAO-industry        forum in Bremen (News) IMO: IMO endorses Fair Treatment of Seafarers        poster campaign : A        joint campaign by the International Shipping Federation (ISF), the        International Chamber of shipping (ICS) and the International Transport        Workers Federation (ITF) to promote the IMO/ILO Guidelines on Fair        Treatment of Seafarers in the event of a Maritime Accident, has been        endorsed by the IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos. The        campaign encourages members of ISF/ICS and ITF to approach Governments        to promote the Guidelines and monitor how effectively they are being        implemented. (News) Development of co-operative management        arrangements in the Great Barrier Reef: an adaptive management approach        : The practicalities of        planning and evaluating effective Indigenous co-management partnerships        within this unique marine protected area. (Document)        Feed Me! The story of Penny the Penguin Chick        : A children's story based on        the Gentoo Penguin's breeding grounds around Bransfield Strait,        Antarctica. Notes for parents and teachers. Ideal for 5 to 9 year old        children. (Book) Frank Hurley. The Man Who Made History :        Frank Hurley captured some of        the world's earliest images of the Antarctic, particularly Shackleton's        expedition on the Endurance in 1914. DVD includes 4 photo galleries, biography        of life and work and an extended version of the 59min film in English. (Multimedia) Ocean Mapping Expedition Yields New Insights into        Arctic Depths : New        Arctic sea floor data released today by the University of New Hampshire        and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests that        the foot of the continental slope off Alaska is more than 100 nautical        miles farther from the U.S. coast than previously assumed.        Coastal nations have sovereign rights over the natural resources of        their continental shelf, generally recognized to extend 200 nautical        miles out from the coast. The Law of the Sea Convention, now under        consideration in the U.S. Senate, provides nations an internationally        recognized basis to extend their sea floor resource rights beyond the        foot of the continental slope if they meet certain geological criteria        backed up by scientific data. (News) Coral Reef Research : Conserving what we have as well as we can has become        the greatest of all challenges to face humanity. This website is Veron's        contribution towards this formidable task. (Website)        Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching        and Hurricanes in 2005 : This        book documents the devastating effects on coral reefs from the hottest        year on record with its very high sea surface temperatures and record hurricane        activity throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic basins. (Book) Environmental Groups Call For Increased Protection        Of Coral Reefs As World Marks 2008 International Year Of The Reef        : As 17 countries and 30        organizations launch the International Year of the Reef today, three        major environmental groups – World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy        and Conservation International – call on governments, businesses,        scientists, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the        world to vastly increase actions to protect coral reefs. The        International Year of the Reef 2008, designated by the International        Coral Reef Initiative, is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about        the value and importance of coral reefs and to motivate action to        protect them. (News) New guide to reducing bycatch goes online :        As a service to the long-term        sustainability of both fish stocks and fishing communities, WWF has        established an online resource providing up-to-date information on        bycatch (the capture of non-target creatures in fishing gear) and how to        reduce it. (News) La Niña weather pattern likely to last for some        months : The        current La Niña weather pattern is expected to strengthen and continue        through the middle of the year, bringing wetter conditions to Australia        and the western Pacific and a drier climate to the Americas, the United        Nations World Meteorological Agency (WMO) reported. (News) Biosphere reserves play major role in combating        climate change : Biosphere        reserves can spur efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change as        well as encourage increased use of renewable energy, according to a        recent declaration adopted by a meeting backed by the UN Educational,        Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (News)        International Year of Planet Earth launched at        UNESCO : Making        the Earth a better place for humankind by engaging Earth Sciences for        Society is the motto of the declaration adopted on 12 February 2008 at        the Global Launch Event of the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE)        held at UNESCO on 12 and 13 February 2008 (News)        Sharks disappearing as fin chopping rises :        Populations of tiger, bull,        dusky and other sea sharks have plummeted by more than 95 percent since        the 1970s as fisherman kill the animals for their fins or when they        scoop other fish from the ocean, according to an expert from the World        Conservation Union, or IUCN. (News) Improved management of fishing's "last        frontier" needed : Countries        discuss how to better protect deep sea species and habitats (News) Science and the challenge of managing small        pelagic fisheries on shared stocks in northwest Africa : The marine waters off northwest Africa, from Morocco        in the north to the southern region of Senegal, are among the richest in        the world. FAO, in partnership with the Moroccan Institut National de        Recherche Halieutique and the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research,        are organizing a four-day symposium to address the issues on the        challenges for managing the area's important small pelagic fisheries. (Event) FAO Fisheries Technical Paper: Culture-based        fisheries in Bangladesh - A socio-economic perspective : Review of culture-based fisheries and community-based        fisheries management in Bangladesh with regard to socio-economic impacts        as well as environmental effects and biodiversity loss. (Document) Understanding the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007        : Guidebook providing a quick        overview of the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (Document) Ocean Map Charts Path of Human Destruction :        Four years in the making, a        groundbreaking new map of the state of the world's oceans was released        today, and its message is stark: Human activity has left a mark on        nearly every square kilometer of sea, severely compromising ecosystems        in more than 40% of waters. (News) Map shows toll on world's oceans : Only about 4% of the world's oceans remain undamaged        by human activity, according to the first detailed global map of human        impacts on the seas. (News) IMO: BLG Sub-Committee agrees technical proposals        for reduction of air pollution from ships : Draft amendments to revise the MARPOL regulations on        the prevention of air pollution from ships were agreed by the IMO        Sub-Committee on Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) when it met last week (4-8        February) for its 12th session. (News)        Social Dimensions of Marine Protected Area (MPAs)        : Marine Protected Areas:        Small-scale fishing community perspectives (Event)        A co-operative solution to overfishing :        When Tam Giang Lagoon’s        once-bountiful catch started dwindling in the face of poor management        and destructive fishing methods, the area’s fishermen decided it was        time to get organised. (News) Climate change and children : Report examining how climate change has evolved from        an ‘environmental’ issue into one that requires collective expertise in        sustainable development, energy security, and the health and well-being        of children (Document) The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that        stretches from Hawaii to Japan : A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the        Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area        twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said. (News) Dutch mull ideas to defend coast from rising seas        : Dutch water experts met to        look at ways of protecting the nation's fragile coast from rising sea        levels, including one proposal to build man-made islands -- one in the        shape of a massive tulip. (News) Loss of mangroves alarming : 20 percent of mangrove area destroyed since 1980        -rate of loss slowing (News) Fishermen 'greening' their catch : About 400 vessels from six European nations catch        brown shrimp in the North Sea's Crangon fishery, off the coast of        Holland. (News) IMO: Major shipping nation accedes to key        Conventions : One        of the world's largest shipowning nations, the Commonwealth of the        Bahamas, has acceded to two major IMO Conventions and deposited its        annual assessment for 2008 with the Organization.   His   Excellency Mr. Basil G. O'Brien, High Commissioner and Permanent   Representative of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to IMO has deposited with   IMO Secretary-General, Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, instruments of accession to   the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems   on Ships, 2001 (AFS Convention) and the International Convention on Civil   Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (Bunkers Convention). (News)   Illegal, unregulated fishing continues to plague        Africa : Illegal,        unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is an acute problem globally,        and, for Africa, it creates numerous struggles regarding the extraction        of its natural resources. (News)

FOE Report on GMOs

Friends of the Earth has recently published a report on GMOs. The report's findings, among others, is that the planting of GMO crops has resulted in substantial increases in the use of pesticides. An executive summary of the report can be found at:

http://www.foei.org/en/publications/pdfs/gmcrops2008full.pdf/