scholarly journals Ecological Civilization and Legal Norms for Resilient Environmental Governance

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-161
Author(s):  
Nicholas A Robinson

Abstract The aim of this article is to examine how the principles of ecological civilization can help shape a consensus about restating environmental legal principles generally. This restatement is essential given the fact that many human laws have proven to be manifestly at variance with the natural systems of Earth’s biosphere. Disruptions caused by climate change increase and the sixth great extinction of species has ushered in crises in biodiversity. It is argued that with environmental degradation becoming worse world-wide, more is required of governments than just again endorsing steps to advance sustainable development. Rather, there is a need for more effective and resilient governmental management. States must agree upon the progressive development of the law necessary to deal with Earth’s changing, new, and real conditions. New environmental principles, such as the principle of resilience, will need to be added to the existing ones. Potentially, China can contribute greatly to the global debate about Earth’s ecological law principles by sharing its knowledge and understanding of ecological civilization.

2016 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1671006
Author(s):  
Juha I. Uitto

This paper argues how Mitchell’s work on complex disasters and environmental hazards is highly relevant to the global Sustainable Development Agenda and the international organizations involved in its implementation. The paper takes as its starting point two United Nations University projects led by Mitchell in the 1990s and reviews their prescience in terms of current developments in the context of urbanizations, economic development, population growth, and global environmental change. The issue of adaptation to climate change is highlighted as exemplifying the importance of integrated approaches encompassing human and natural systems, as advocated by Mitchell. Challenges to program and policy evaluation are then discussed with regard to adaptation, adopting Mitchell’s approach of understanding local situations while anchoring evaluation in scientific knowledge.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-167
Author(s):  
Unmana Sarangi

Abstract: The research study entitled ‘Global Environment, Climate Change, Smart Urbanization and International Environment Laws for Global Sustainable Development’ focuses on the issues relating to the global environment, climate change, smart urbanization and the international environmental laws that determine these global indicators in achieving sustainable development goals and in trying to assess the linkages and implications of these macro variables as key determinants of the global environment and climate change. Thus, the problem associated with this research study is a global phenomenon that definitely has national, sub-national, and regional implications/ramifications across economies. These macro variables are scientific and practical determinants of the way global economies move forward and the problems encountered by various economies in the light of the global environment, climate, and rapid smart urbanization changes. Hence, the research problem which the research study focuses on is a realistic and practical one that encompasses, covers, and determines the major macro aspects of the global economies. The aspects dealt in the research study covers among others issues such as global environment, climate change, smart urbanization, and international environmental laws, IPCC, Paris Agreement on Climate Change and NDCs, promoting climate-resilient smart and rapid urbanization, exploration of climate change legislation, global environmental governance systems to promote peace, justice and development and in fulfillment of environmental and human rights connected with it, etc., The most important conclusions drawn from the research study is that United Nations has been playing a major role as the unique international organization which has been making all-out efforts to mitigate climate change, adopt climate-resilient measures for effective, smart and rapid urbanization in cities, reshaping these measures to attain global sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) and in impacting global infrastructure for global sustainable development.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Marcinko ◽  
Andrew Harfoot ◽  
Tim Daw ◽  
Derek Clarke ◽  
Sugata Hazra ◽  
...  

<p>The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promote sustainable development and aim to address multiple challenges including those related to poverty, hunger, inequality, climate change and environmental degradation. Interlinkages between SDGS means there is potential for interactions, synergies and trade-offs between individual goals across multiple temporal and spatial scales. We aim to develop an Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) of a complex deltaic socio-ecological system where opportunities and trade-offs between the SDGs can be analysed. This is designed to inform local/regional policy. We focus on the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve (SBR) within the Indian Ganga Delta. This is home to 5.6 million often poor people with a strong dependence on rural livelihoods and also includes the Indian portion of the world’s largest mangrove forest – the Sundarbans. The area is subject to multiple drivers of environmental change operating at multiple scales (e.g. global climate change and sea-level rise, deltaic subsidence, extensive land use conversion and widespread migration). Here we discuss the challenges of linking models of human and natural systems to each other in the context of local policy decisions and SDG indicators. Challenges include linking processes derived at multiple spatial and temporal scales and data limitations. We present a framework for an IAM, based on the Delta Dynamic Emulator Model (ΔDIEM), to investigate the affects of current and future trends in environmental change and policy decisions within the SBR across a broad range of sub-thematic SDG indicators. This work brings together a wealth of experience in understanding and modelling changes in complex human and natural systems within deltas from previous projects (ESPA Deltas and DECCMA), along with local government and stakeholder expert knowledge within the Indian Ganga Delta.</p>


Author(s):  
John Vogler

This chapter examines the European Union's external environmental policy, with particular emphasis on the challenge faced by the EU in exercising leadership in global environmental governance and in the development of the climate change regime. It first considers the international dimension of the EU environmental policy as well as the issue of sustainable development before discussing the EU's efforts to lead the negotiation of an international climate regime up until the 2015 Paris conference. It then explores how the different energy interests of the member states have been accommodated in order to sustain European credibility. It also looks at the question of climate and energy security in the EU and concludes with an assessment of the factors that determine the success or failure of the EU in climate diplomacy, including those that relate to coordination and competence problems peculiar to the EU as a climate negotiator.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nico J. Schrijver

Protagonists of global environmental governance often view the sovereign State as well as the principle of sovereignty as major stumbling blocks for effective environmental conservation and sustainable development. Some even herald the demise of the idea of the sovereign State. However, reality has it differently. Sovereignty is no longer an unqualified concept. Manifold new duties have been imposed upon the sovereign State as a result of the progressive development of international law. Much of the modern international law movement vests States with the responsibility to adopt regulations, to monitor and secure compliance and exercise justice in order to achieve its implementation, whereas supranational global environmental governance has remained notoriously weak. This article examines this proposition by reference to the environmental and developmental role of states in three landmark multilateral treaties: The United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (1982), the Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity (1992) and the Paris Agreement on climate change (2015). They demonstrate that sovereignty serves as a key organisational principle for the realization of global values, such as environmental conservation and sustainable development.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Nico J. Schrijver

Protagonists of global environmental governance often view the sovereign State as well as the principle of sovereignty as major stumbling blocks for effective environmental conservation and sustainable development. Some even herald the demise of the idea of the sovereign State. However, reality has it differently. Sovereignty is no longer an unqualified concept. Manifold new duties have been imposed upon the sovereign State as a result of the progressive development of international law. Much of the modern international law movement vests States with the responsibility to adopt regulations, to monitor and secure compliance and exercise justice in order to achieve its implementation, whereas supranational global environmental governance has remained notoriously weak. This article examines this proposition by reference to the environmental and developmental role of states in three landmark multilateral treaties: The United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (1982), the Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity (1992) and the Paris Agreement on climate change (2015). They demonstrate that sovereignty serves as a key organisational principle for the realization of global values, such as environmental conservation and sustainable development.


2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 307-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Craig

Abstract The social and human rights implications of climate change, adaptation and mitigation have received relatively little attention. Yet the human costs of climate change directly threaten fundamental human rights. Equity issues also arise in the climate change context because of its disproportionate impact on already vulnerable people, Indigenous peoples and communities. This article commences with a review of human rights and sustainable development in the specific context of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not undertake a comprehensive study of all aspects of Indigenous environmental governance in the Arctic. Rather, it seeks to explore the wider principles and international standards that are potentially applicable to the social and human rights dimensions of sustainable development in the Arctic in the context of the impacts of climate change.


Author(s):  
James Crawford

This chapter discusses the role of international law in addressing environmental problems. It reviews the salient legal principles: the preventive principle, the precautionary principle, the concept of sustainable development, the polluter-pays principle, the sic utere tuo principle, and the obligation of environmental impact assessment. It gives an overview of the key multilateral conventions covering traffic in endangered species, protection of the ozone layer, transboundary movement of hazardous wastes, climate change, and protection of the marine environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vu Thi Thu Trang

Through survey results on the status of management of life skills education activities to cope with climate change and disaster prevention for the sustainable development of local communities in the ethnic minority boarding high schools in the Northwestern region from 2013 to 2018, the author deeply analyzed and assessed the strengths, weaknesses, causes of strengths and weaknesses of the management of education activities on life skills to cope with climate change and disaster prevention for the sustainable development of local communities for ethnic minority students at boarding high schools for ethnic minorities in the Northwestern region in the present period and the issues raised.


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