Environmental Protection and Human Rights

1035 Pages·2011·5.63 MB·English

by  Donald K. Anton & Dinah L. Shelton

environmental protection and human rights
With unique scholarly analysis and practical discussion, this book provides a
comprehensiveintroductiontotherelationshipbetweenenvironmentalprotec-
tionandhumanrightsthatisbeingformalizedintolawinmanylegalsystems.By
illuminating human rights theory and the institutions that can be employed to
meetenvironmentalgoals,thisbookinstructsonenvironmentaltechniquesand
proceduresthatassistintheprotectionofhumanrights.Thetextprovidescogent
guidanceonagrowinginternationaljurisprudenceonthepromotionandprotec-
tionofhumanrightsinrelationtotheenvironmentthathasbeendevelopedby
internationalandregionalhumanrightsbodiesandtribunals.Itexploresarich
body of case law that continues to develop within states on the environmental
dimensionoftherightstolife,tohealth,andtopublicparticipationandaccessto
information.Fivecompellingcontemporarycasestudiesareincludedonlinethat
implicate human rights and the environment, ranging from large dam projects
tothecreationofanewhumanrighttoacleanenvironment.
Donald K. Anton has been practicing and teaching international law and envi-
ronmentallawsince1988.Since2000,hehasbeenamemberofthefacultyofthe
Australian National University College of Law, where he teaches international
environmentallaw,internationallaw,marineandcoastallaw,internationalcli-
matelaw,andenvironmentallaw.HeistheauthororcoauthorofInternational
Environmental Law: Cases, Materials, and Problems (2007); International Law:
Cases and Materials (2005); International Law: Politics, Values, and Functions
(1998); and A Question of Justice Challenge: Global Environmental Protection
(1996).
DinahL.SheltonistheManatt/AhnProfessorofInternationalLawattheGeorge
WashingtonUniversityLawSchoolandamemberoftheInter-AmericanCom-
missiononHumanRightsoftheOrganizationofAmericanStates.Sheltonisthe
author or editor of three prize-winning books, Protecting Human Rights in the
Americas(coauthoredwithThomasBuergenthal,1982),RemediesinInternational
HumanRightsLaw(2006),andthethree-volumeEncyclopediaofGenocideand
CrimesAgainstHumanity(2004)aswellasauthorofInternationalEnvironmental
Law(2004)andotherpublicationsinthefieldsofhumanrightsandenvironmen-
tallaw.ShewasawardedtheElisabethHaubPrizeforEnvironmentalLaw.
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Environmental Protection
and Human Rights
Donald K. Anton Dinah L. Shelton
AustraliaNationalUniversity GeorgeWashingtonUniversity
CollegeofLaw SchoolofLaw
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Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521747103
(cid:2)C DonaldK.AntonandDinahL.Shelton2011
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2011
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationdata
Anton,DonaldK.
Environmentalprotectionandhumanrights/DonaldK.Anton,DinahShelton.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-0-521-76638-8(hardback)–isbn978-0-521-74710-3(pbk.) 1.Environmentallaw,
International. 2.Humanrights. I.Shelton,Dinah. II.Title.
k3585.a58 2011
344.04(cid:3)6–dc22 2010037108
isbn978-0-521-76638-8Hardback
isbn978-0-521-74710-3Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurlsforexternal
orthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredtointhispublicationanddoesnotguaranteethatany
contentonsuchWebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
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ToLouisHenkin,teacher,colleague,andfriend;andtoJosephSax,whogener-
ouslysupportedmyfirstattemptatinternationalenvironmentaladvocacy.They
haveledthestruggle todefendhumanrights andprotecttheenvironment.
–DKA
To Connor Dillon, Nikolas Leith, and Claire Jillian Robinson, whose right to
enjoythewondersoftheearthandtransmitthesametotheirdescendantsmust
bepreserved.
–DLS
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Brief Contents
1. LawandtheEnvironment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page1
2. TheEnvironmentasaHumanRightsIssue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
3. AnIntroductiontoHumanRightsOriginsandTheory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
4. TheInternationalProtectionofHumanRights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
5. InternationalHumanRightsInstitutionsandProcedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
6. ProceduralHumanRightsandtheEnvironment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356
7. SubstantiveHumanRightsandtheEnvironment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
8. IndigenousPeoples,Rights,andtheEnvironment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .545
9. HumanitarianCrises:ArmedConflictsandOtherDisasters. . . . . . . . . . . . .666
10. EnvironmentalRightsandInternationalFinance:TheWorldBankExample. .779
11. HumanRights,theEnvironment,andCorporateAccountability. . . . . . . . . .863
vii
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Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pagexxv
Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxxi
TableofCases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxxv
1. LawandtheEnvironment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
I. Introduction 1
A. DefiningtheEnvironmentandItsCharacteristics 2
QuestionsandDiscussion 3
B. StateofthePlanet 3
MillenniumEcosystemAssessment:EcosystemsandHuman
Well-Being:Synthesis 3
QuestionsandDiscussion 16
II. ApproachestoEnvironmentalProtection 16
A. PrivateActions 17
1. Nuisance,StrictLiability,andNegligence 17
IndianCouncilforEnviro-LegalActionv.UnionofIndia 17
QuestionsandDiscussion 21
TrailSmelterCase(U.S.v.Can.) 24
QuestionsandDiscussion 27
NoteonthePulpMillsCase 28
2. ThePublicTrustDoctrine 30
UnitedPlainsmenAssociationv.NorthDakotaStateWater
ConservationCommission 31
QuestionsandDiscussion 35
B. PublicRegulation 36
ChristopherH.Schroeder,LostinTranslation:What
EnvironmentalRegulationDoesThatTortCannotDuplicate 37
QuestionsandDiscussion 42
1. StandardSetting 42
CodeofFederalRegulations(U.S.),Title16,Part1303–Banof
Lead-ContainingPaintandCertainConsumerProducts
BearingLead-ContainingPaint 43
2. RestrictionsandProhibitions 44
EndangeredSpeciesActof1973 44
3. Licensing 47
ix
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x Contents
4. EnvironmentalImpactAssessmentProcedures 48
OP4.01–EnvironmentalAssessment,WorldBankOperational
Manual 48
5. LandUseRegulation 52
6. CriminalLaw 52
C. MarketMechanisms 53
ChristopherH.Schroeder,LostinTranslation:What
EnvironmentalRegulationDoesThatTortCannotDuplicate 54
D. Rights-BasedApproaches 55
QuestionsandDiscussion 56
III.InternationalEnvironmentalLaw 56
A. Sources:WhatIsInternationalLaw? 57
1. Treaties 57
a. AdoptionofTreaties 59
b. CompliancewithTreatyObligations 60
c. TreatyInterpretation 60
d. Enforcement 61
e. CommonEnvironmentalTreatyTechniques 61
2. CustomaryInternationalLaw 62
3. GeneralPrinciplesofLaw 62
4. “SoftLaw” 63
B. RelationshipofInternationalLawandDomesticLegalSystems 64
C. TheDevelopmentofInternationalEnvironmentalLaw 67
1. BeginningstoStockholm 67
StockholmDeclarationontheHumanEnvironment 68
QuestionsandDiscussion 72
2. FromStockholmtoRio 73
TheRioDeclarationonEnvironmentandDevelopment 74
QuestionsandDiscussion 77
3. FromRiotoJohannesburg 78
4. TheWorldSummitonSustainableDevelopment 79
5. UNCSD2012 80
D. PrinciplesofInternationalEnvironmentalLaw 80
1. PreventionofHarm 80
2. Precaution 81
CanadaLte´e(Spraytech,Socie´te´ d’arrosage)andServicesdes
espacesvertsLte´e/Chemlawnv.Hudson(Town),no.114957 82
QuestionsandDiscussion 85
3. ThePolluter-PaysPrinciple 86
4. SustainableDevelopment 87
CaseConcerningtheGabcˇı´kovo-NagymarosProject
(Hungaryv.Slovakia) 88
JayalandOthersv.IndiaandOthers 89
QuestionsandDiscussion 90
5. EquitablePrinciples 90
a. IntergenerationalEquity 91
MinorsOposav.SecretaryoftheDepartmentofEnvironmentand
NaturalResources 92
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