International Environmental Law and World Order

The 3rd edition of International Environmental Law and World Order: A Problem-Oriented Coursebook, co-edited by Professors Jonathon Carlson, Burns H. Weston and Sir Geoffrey W.R. Palmer, was published in spring 2012. The text provides comprehensive coverage of the field of international environmental law. Early chapters are a detailed exploration of the international legal system and basic principles of international environmental law. Subsequent chapters explore a range of global environmental problems (e.g. climate change, loss of biodiversity, excessive fishing on the high seas, transboundary air pollution, chemical pollution, hazardous waste exports, and more), examining in detail the treaty regimes and international legal principles applicable to these problems. The book concludes with a chapter on the concept of “ecological commons governance” and its significance for the future of international environmental law.

Professor Carlson and his co-authors also produced a collection of basic documents for use by students and others engaged in research or practice in international environmental law, such as civil servants, diplomats, governmental officials, NGOs, and practicing lawyers. The collection gathers in a single volume the most important treaties and international instruments relating to environmental protection, including judicial and arbitral decisions. In addition, it includes documents of general importance in international law, such as the U.N. Charter and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Materials on trade, human rights, and the law of war are excerpted where pertinent to the legal analysis of environmental problems.