The Global Environment Outlook and Its Implications for International Law

2020 ◽  
pp. 49-82
Author(s):  
Joyeeta Gupta ◽  
Üsame Ceylan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
International Environmental Law ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Quantum Jump ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Rich

The growing body of international environmental law has not been successful in addressing the ecological challenges affecting our planet according to the Global Environment Outlook-6. We are not making enough progress to address environmental problems in such a manner that we can achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030 or achieve some degree of sustainable development by 2050. This chapter reviews the latest science on environmental issues and draws five lessons: First, incremental hard law is unable to pre-empt tomorrow’s problems, let alone address yesterday’s challenges. Second, international environmental law needs to make a quantum jump in terms of understanding of the issues and identification of appropriate tools—and this requires the legal community to engage more proactively with scholars from other disciplines. Third, international environmental law must address the drivers of environmental destruction. Fourth, it needs to engage more proactively with the growing pollution caused by the rich and the growing vulnerability of the poor to the impacts. Finally, principles of environmental justice may need to be incorporated in a possible Global Constitution if we are to live peacefully within a world of resource limits.

scholarly journals Sustainable Consumption: Scope and Applicability of Principles of International Law

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-27
Author(s):  
Ipshita CHATURVEDI
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
International Law ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
International Environmental Law ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Responsible Consumption ◽  
Sustainable Consumption And Production ◽  
Development Goals

Abstract The role of sustainable development has been increasingly recognized in international environmental law as a way to reconcile poverty eradication and resource exploitation with environmental protection. By contrast, little attention has been given to the concept of sustainable consumption. When international law mentions sustainable consumption, consumption and production are generally considered together, for instance in Goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals, addressing responsible consumption and production, and in UNEP’s 10-year sustainable ‘consumption and production programme.’ While some research on sustainable consumption has been conducted in sociology and anthropology, the focus in international environmental law has remained on production rather than consumption. This article seeks to open up a discussion on how consumption should be viewed and defined legally, and the role that law could play in promoting sustainable consumption.

scholarly journals Assessing the sustainable development goals from a human rights perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Pogge ◽  
Mitu Sengupta
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Rich ◽  
What Matters

Though they improve upon the millennium development goals (MDGs), the new sustainable development goals (SDGs) have important draw-backs. First, in assessing present deprivations, they draw our attention to historical comparisons. Yet, that things were even worse before is morally irrelevant; what matters is how much better things could be now. Second, like the MDGs, the SDGs fail to specify any division of labor to ensure success. Therefore, should progress stall, we won't know who is responsible to get us back on track. We won't “end poverty in all its forms everywhere” without an agreement on who is to do what. Third, although the SDGs contain a goal calling for inequality reduction, this goal is specified so that the reduction need not start till 2029. Such delay would cause enormous death and suffering among the poor and enable the rich to shape national and supranational design in their own favor.

scholarly journals The Anthropocentric Ontology of International Environmental Law and the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards an Ecocentric Rule of Law in the Anthropocene

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis J. Kotzé ◽  
Duncan French
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
International Environmental Law ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Development Goals

In this article we argue that the Anthropocene’s deepening socio-ecological crisis amplifies demands on, and exposes the deficiencies of, our ailing regulatory institutions, including that of international environmental law (iel). Many of the perceived failures of iel have been attributed to the anthropocentric, as opposed to the ecocentric, ontology of this body of law. As a result of its anthropocentric orientation and the resultant deficiencies, iel is unable to halt the type of human behaviour that is causing the Anthropocene, while it exacerbates environmental destruction, gender and class inequalities, growing inter- and intra-species hierarchies, human rights abuses, and socio-economic and ecological injustices. These are the same types of concerns that the recently proclaimed Sustainable Development Goals (sdgs) set out to address. The sdgs are, however, themselves anthropocentric; an unfortunate situation which reinforces the anthropocentrism of iel and vice versa. Considering the anthropocentric genesis of iel and the broader sdgs framework, this article sets out to argue that the anthropocentrism inherent in the ontological orientation of iel and the sdgs risks exacerbating Anthropocene-like events, and a more ecocentric orientation for both is urgently required to enable a more ecocentric rule of law to better mediate the human-environment interface in the Anthropocene. Our point of departure is that respect for ecological limits is the only way in which humankind, acting as principal global agents of care, will be able to ensure a sustainable future for human and non-human constituents of the Earth community. Correspondingly, the rule of law must also come to reflect such imperatives.

scholarly journals THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: NORMATIVE VALUE AND CHALLENGES FOR IMPLEMENTATION

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (26) ◽  
pp. 13-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Pavoni ◽  
Dario Piselli
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
International Environmental Law ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Un General Assembly ◽  
Normative Value

This article explores the implications for international environmental law of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which occurred at the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. Following a summary of the main outcomes of the Summit, the paper evaluates the process and vision of the SDGs against both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the past efforts of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in the field of sustainable development. The paper then examines how the environmental dimension of the SDGs is integrated into the general framework of the post-2015 development agenda and addresses two important questions which will most likely prove instrumental in the achievement of the Goals themselves. First, it the light of UN General Assembly Resolution 70/1, it discusses the normative value of the environmental obligations of States enshrined in the SDGs. Secondly, it deals with problems of implementation of the outcomes of the Summit, and accordingly attempts to identify the main legal challenges for the operationalization of the environmental component of the SDGs, in the wider context of the Agenda and taking the recent developments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) into account.

scholarly journals Egypt Within the Sustainable Development Goals One and Two of the United Nations: Overview and Recommendations Thereof

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 420
Author(s):  
Noura Abdel Maksoud Eissa
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Community Capacity Building ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Zero Hunger

The objective of this article is to (1) posit indicators to measure the performance of Egypt in achieving United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals one, to end poverty in all its forms and two, zero hunger, and (2) develop policy recommendations with regards to reducing poverty. Research methods include a systematic macro-process, general to narrow analysis, offering indicators and policy recommendations for governments to follow in achieving the sustainable development goals on poverty. The article is significant since it links between macroeconomics of poverty, an analysis of the quality and quantity of research conducted on the topic, the poor economics individual perspective, examples of pre and post-covid sustainable development goals one and two actual performance. Conclusions convey that poverty alleviation requires a combined public, private, and institutional collaboration to enhance the poor community capacity building, domestic resource mobilization techniques, efficient resource allocation and an awareness of the importance of implementing the sustainable development goals. 

Essence of International Environmental Law to Address the Effects of Climate Change

2019 ◽  
pp. 220-236
Author(s):  
Md. Mahfuzar Rahman Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Positive Result ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Adverse Impact ◽  
International Environmental Law ◽  
The World

Environmental problems are enormous around the world and threaten the global environment. In most cases, these problems are caused by rapid growth of population and poverty. Climate change and sustainable development are inter-linked and are priority issues in the development continuum. Any adverse impact on the environment and biodiversity can cause the restriction of resources and limit available options. Concerted efforts of all the states can bring positive result to address the effects of climate change. Compliance with the treaty provision and sharing of resources and actions among the states can ensure proper utilization of resources and sustainable development.

Can Blockchain Really Help the Poor?

2019 ◽  
pp. 117-156
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic System ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Land Registration ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Solar Battery ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Digital Commerce

It is the firm belief of the authors that Blockchain and other frontier technologies will be an important tool for social impact globally. It is now possible, with technology, to envision a world where everyone has an identity, where everyone can be connected to the economic system, where farmers get fair deals for their crops, and land registration is incorruptible. Advances in solar, battery, and digital commerce make it possible to imagine even the smallest village in Africa being able to produce and trade small amounts of energy. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were a visionary leap to a future state where the world can be a better place for humankind. However, they will not be achieved without harnessing the potential of technology. Nor will they be reached alone. In this chapter, the authors profile innovative case studies in Blockchain, which, if brought to scale, may realise the technology's potential. It is through this learning and experimentation that we will learn how to deploy this technology globally for social impact.

Essence of International Environmental Law to Address the Effects of Climate Change

2022 ◽  
pp. 1049-1065
Author(s):  
Md. Mahfuzar Rahman Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Positive Result ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Adverse Impact ◽  
International Environmental Law ◽  
The World

Environmental problems are enormous around the world and threaten the global environment. In most cases, these problems are caused by rapid growth of population and poverty. Climate change and sustainable development are inter-linked and are priority issues in the development continuum. Any adverse impact on the environment and biodiversity can cause the restriction of resources and limit available options. Concerted efforts of all the states can bring positive result to address the effects of climate change. Compliance with the treaty provision and sharing of resources and actions among the states can ensure proper utilization of resources and sustainable development.

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