Advanced Introduction to International Environmental Law

Elgar Advanced Introductions series

Ellen Hey, Erasmus School of Law, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands

This Advanced Introduction provides both an overview and a critical assessment of international environmental law (IEL) written by one of the leading authorities in this field. An invaluable entry point to this complex area of the law, the book pinpoints essential principles and institutions and distils the vast and often technical corpus of legal doctrine whilst also offering insights that stimulate critical thinking. Covering the origins, substantive content, institutional structure and accountability mechanisms of IEL, the book discusses substantive and procedural fairness, thus exploring questions of distributive justice, accountability and legitimacy. Providing an invaluable entry point to this complex area of the law, this book will prove a useful resource for professors, practitioners and policy-makers needing to quickly gain an understanding of the core principles of this multi-faceted topic. It will also serve as a stimulating introductory text for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

The complete Elgar Advanced Introductions to Law series is available online as a low cost institutional subscription.

‘All too often, international environmental law is presented as a kind of guided tour of different treaties and environmental problems. Professor Hey succeeds beautifully in articulating the themes that connect all of these disparate areas, an effort that both students and scholars will appreciate.’
——丹尼尔•法伯大学of California, Berkeley, US

‘This volume presents a superb overview of international environmental law by a long-time observer. Ellen Hey shares her deep insight into the historical, environmental, technical and policy context of the law, and introduces the reader to regulatory techniques and choices, the main legal tools at actors' disposal, and the key developments in the field. The result is an accessible, yet sophisticated introduction to the evolution of the field, and its expanding modes of action and range of participants.’
– Jutta Brunée, University of Toronto, Canada

‘This is a significant contribution from a leading figure in the field. Of particular note is the effort to embed international environmental law in its broader context, not only through the detailed analysis of its foundational principles or of its deep interactions with other fields of international law but, more generally, through the overarching theme of the Anthropocene. It is to be thoroughly recommended.’
– Jorge E. Viñuales, University of Cambridge, UK