Environmental Policy and Law - Volume 52, issue 3-4

Authors: Nayak, Shailesh

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Wetland ecosystems, freshwater, coastal and coral reefs, are important ecosystems as they provide many ecological services and ensure livelihood of people. The increase in carbon dioxide and global temperatures change in precipitation patterns, and acidification of oceans can adversely affect these ecosystems. It is expected that increase in temperature in lakes, reservoirs and coastal seas will affect flora, fauna and fisheries. The increase in sea level can erode shorelines and coastal habitats. Coral reefs can degrade due to increase in temperature, sea level rise and acidification. The ecological services provided by these ecosystems have economic value and thus any loss …of these habitats can affect livelihood of communities. The global watershed and coastal management approaches such as the 1971 Ramsar Convention and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide key tools to protect these ecosystems. A robust global wetland information repository system needs to be developed for providing necessary data to effectively model climate change impacts at local and regional levels. The knowledge about climate risks to wetlands, integrated with effective governance at national, regional and global levels along with informed people, are key elements for protection and sustainable future of wetlands. It is in this global context and decisions of the successive Ramsar Conference of Parties (COP), within the limits of time and space, this study has sought to examine the climatic risks to the wetland’s ecosystems. The data and the situation in the Indian sub-continent have been used as an example for the purpose. We need to look for concrete ideas and solutions to address the challenge of climate change risks to the wetland ecosystem at the juncture of Stockholm+50 (2022) and beyond. Show more

Keywords: Aquatic ecosystems, coastal habitats, coral reef, ecological services, monitoring system, climate modelling

DOI: 10.3233/EPL-219036

Citation: Environmental Policy and Law, vol. 52, no. 3-4, pp. 277-288, 2022

Authors: Cullet, Philippe | Bhullar, Lovleen

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a global public health challenge. It has been examined through various angles, but the link between AMR and access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) or lack thereof has received little attention. Both AMR and WASH relate directly to the realization of the rights to health, water, and sanitation. In addition, both can affect the enjoyment of the right to environment. AMR is particularly complex from a rights perspective. Access to medicines contributes significantly to the realization of the right to health. At the same time, AMR affects the poorer sections of society who have disproportionately …less access to medicines and to WASH. Rights, equality and justice should thus be at the centre of the development and implementation of law and policy concerning AMR and WASH. As we celebrate 50 years of international environmental law, it is crucial to ask some hard questions concerning the inter-sectional and cross-sectoral dimensions of AMR and WASH from the point of view of rights, equality, and justice. Linking the two would bring various co-benefits that the prevailing silo mentality has prevented. Show more

Keywords: AMR, WASH, regulatory framework, human rights, inequality, co-benefits

DOI: 10.3233/EPL-219040

Citation: Environmental Policy and Law, vol. 52, no. 3-4, pp. 289-299, 2022

Authors: Nieminen-Finne, Hanna

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This article examines the role of expert judges who participate in resolving environmental protection cases at the Vaasa Administrative Court, Finland, which is the first instance of appeal. The expert judges have a degree in either engineering or natural sciences and they work as full-time judges. This article describes the requirements of a fair trial according to the Convention on Human Rights. The most interesting elements of a fair trial are the adversary principle and the independence and impartiality of the court. Access to a court and to justice and the Aarhus Convention are the basic elements of environmental justice …and the Finnish system. Several international aspects support it. Even the most critical aspect, the adversary principle, does not demand the abolishment of the system of environmental expert judges. Show more

Keywords: Expert judges, environmental justice, access to justice, fair trial

DOI: 10.3233/EPL-210101

Citation: Environmental Policy and Law, vol. 52, no. 3-4, pp. 301-311, 2022

Authors: Fernandes, Luiz | Oliveira, Rafael

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The present paper aims to do a parallel between the city of New York and Sao Paulo, which are cities that, in a comparative model, have many differences when it comes to the application of the concepts of smart cities and the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. Speaking in the smart city refers to the idea of safety, modern means of transport with reduction or neutralization in the emission of greenhouse gases, greater locomotive technology, economy, social cohesion, use of renewable energy methods, and greater contact of human beings with nature, as exposed in the IESE Cities in Motion Index …2020. The article will present the notion of a Smart City and will assess whether the cities of New York and Sao Paulo fulfill the requirements to fit into the notion of smart cities. In the end, the text will demonstrate the importance of behavioral regulation, with an emphasis on nudges, for the implementation of smart cities. Show more

Keywords: Smart cities, sustainability, Urbanism Nudges, behavioral regulation

DOI: 10.3233/EPL-210118

Citation: Environmental Policy and Law, vol. 52, no. 3-4, pp. 313-325, 2022