Environmental Law: A Very Short Introduction

Product Description

Environmental law is the law concerned with environmental problems It is a vast area of law that operates from the local to the global involving a range of different legal & regulatory techniques In theory environmental protection is a no brainer Few people would actively argue for pollution or environmental destruction Ensuring a clean environment is ethically desirable & also sensible from a purely self-interested perspective Yet in practice environmental law is a messy & complex business fraught with conflict Whilst environmental law is often characterized in overly simplistic terms with a law being seen as be a magic wand that solves an environmental problem the reality is that creating & maintaining a body of laws to address & avoid problems is not easy & involves legislators courts regulators & communities This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of the main features of environmental law & discusses how environmental law deals with multiple interests socio-political conflicts & the limits of knowledge about the environment Showing how interdependent societies across the world have developed robust & legitimate bodies of law to address environmental problems Elizabeth Fisher discusses some of the major issues involved in environmental law's nation statehood power the reframing role of law the need to ensure real environmental improvements & environmental justice As Fisher explains environmental law is & will always be necessary but inherently controversial ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable