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PEEL Alumni Scholarship

2007

International law

Articles 1 - 11 of 11

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Environmental Standards In U.S. Free Trade Agreements: Lessons From Chapter 11, Hena Schommer Oct 2007

Environmental Standards In U.S. Free Trade Agreements: Lessons From Chapter 11, Hena Schommer

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

The U.S. bipartisan trade compromise, concluded on May 10, 2007, was the first to create enforceable labor and environmental standards to be applied to the pending Free Trade Agreements (“FTAs”) with Peru, Panama, Colombia, and Korea. In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”), signed by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, broke new ground with the mention of sustainable development in its preamble. NAFTA was the first multilateral trade agreement to include environmental protection. While breaking new ground NAFTA also included a problematic clause, Chapter 11, which provides a “right of action to a foreign investor against the …


Global Climate Change And U.S. Law By Michael B. Gerrard, Ed., Erin Overturf Oct 2007

Global Climate Change And U.S. Law By Michael B. Gerrard, Ed., Erin Overturf

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

Because the U.S. has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, many may see the title Global Climate Change and U.S. Law as an oxymoron. Yet, despite the political stubbornness of the U.S. in the international arena, the law of climate change in the U.S. is vast and fast-changing. This diverse body of law is thoroughly catalogued in Global Climate Change and U.S. Law, edited by Michael B. Gerrard on behalf of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. This book provides an overview of all legal regimes and instruments which directly regulate or can be used to regulate …


World News, Addie Haughey, Sarah Melikian, Marcel De Armas Oct 2007

World News, Addie Haughey, Sarah Melikian, Marcel De Armas

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

The South African government recently announced legislation that will end canned hunting, the practice of breeding animals in captivity and then releasing them into an enclosed area to be hunted, virtually guaranteeing a successful hunt. Over 50,000 animals were hunted by nearly 7,000 tourists in the 2003–04 season. In South Africa, the industry generates an estimated half a billion dollars annually. While environmentalists allege the legislation does not do enough, breeders say the law will destroy the hunting industry and they will be forced to slaughter many of the 5,000 captive lions in South Africa, as they can’t afford to …


Energy Law And The Environment By Rosemary Lyster & Adrian Bradbrook, Cambridge University Press, Jon Feldon Apr 2007

Energy Law And The Environment By Rosemary Lyster & Adrian Bradbrook, Cambridge University Press, Jon Feldon

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

As issues such as the depletion of fossil fuels and climate change rise to the forefront of modern international problems, energy law has become increasingly important in the modern world. In Energy Law and the Environment, authors Rosemary Lyster and Adrian Bradbrook paint a detailed picture of where Australia has been, and where it is headed in its efforts to adapt its energy policies to suit the needs of its population, as well as stave off the environmental problems that will result from climate change and current non-sustainable energy practices.


The Forest And The Trees: Biomass And Certification Procedures, Stephen Medlock Apr 2007

The Forest And The Trees: Biomass And Certification Procedures, Stephen Medlock

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

While biomass has the potential to be a sustainable, renewable, and economic source of energy, it has drawbacks that must be managed. For example, biomass production could compete with food production. Cultivation of cash crops to produce biomass energy could also lead to deforestation or the take-over of traditionally indigenous lands by multinational corporations. Furthermore, the trade in biomass fuels crosses state boundaries and is largely the purview of multinational corporations. Hence, states are unable to effectively regulate this trade. Civil society actors, such as international regulatory organizations, have attempted to fill this governance gap by providing incentives for multinational …


Update On The Environmental And Legal Consequences Of The Recent Lebanon-Israel War, Salah Husseini Apr 2007

Update On The Environmental And Legal Consequences Of The Recent Lebanon-Israel War, Salah Husseini

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

The most widely publicized environmental consequence of the war was Israel’s attack on the Jiyyeh power plant, located south of Beirut. A report by the United Nations Environmental Programme (“UNEP”) stated that up to “75,000 cubic met[ers] of heavy fuel oil could have been burned, spilled or leaked into the ground after the Israeli air raids of 13 and 15 July 2006, though the exact amount is still unknown.” The attack resulted in the spill of 15,000 cubic meters of oil, which spread across the Mediterranean coast, reaching the Syrian coastal city of Tartus to the north and Tyre in …


The Black Hole In The Kyoto Protocol: Was The Exclusion Of Black Carbon Regulation A "Fatal Flaw"?, Jon Feldon Jan 2007

The Black Hole In The Kyoto Protocol: Was The Exclusion Of Black Carbon Regulation A "Fatal Flaw"?, Jon Feldon

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

Claiming that the Kyoto Protocol (“Protocol”) was “fatally flawed in fundamental ways,” on June 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush simultaneously condemned the landmark international agreement against climate change and announced that the United States would withdraw from participation in it. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“UNFCCC”) drafted the Protocol in 1997 in order to fight the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change through an international carbon dioxide (“CO2”) emissions reduction plan. Over 160 nations ratified the Protocol. The United States and Australia are the only countries in the developed world not to participate.


World News, Scott Johnson Jan 2007

World News, Scott Johnson

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

On January 10, 2007, as various meteorological organizations suggested a high probability that 2007 will be the world’s warmest year ever, the European Commission (“EC”) announced a new plan to intensify its campaign to limit greenhouse gas emissions and bolster energy security with a new energy policy for Europe. The policy, grounded in goals of: (1) an internal European energy market; (2) use of low-carbon energy; and (3) increased energy efficiency, proposes that, under a future “global agreement,” developed nations should reduce greenhouse gas emissions to an average of 30 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and by 50 percent …


Economic Growth And The Environment: India Confronts The Link Between Automobiles And Climate Change, Rahul Saksena Jan 2007

Economic Growth And The Environment: India Confronts The Link Between Automobiles And Climate Change, Rahul Saksena

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

as a result of economic growth, India is experiencing vast changes in the country’s social, political, and environmental landscape. One such change is the rapid increase in automobile usage. This drastic increase has serious environ- mental implications, but addressing the issue — and solving the problems that it creates — will not be an easy task.


What Next For The Alliance Of Small Island States In The Climate Change Arena?, Daniel Brindis Jan 2007

What Next For The Alliance Of Small Island States In The Climate Change Arena?, Daniel Brindis

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

Small Island States (“SIS”) fight a high stakes uphill battle in advocating their interests in climate change treaty negotiation. This class of 43 nations represents only five percent of the world’s population, a miniscule portion of the world’s gross domestic product, and is the most vulnerable class of states to global climate change. The isolation of these states and their limited capacity to adapt to natural disasters stand to aggravate the harmful effects of climate change.


Carbon Offsets: Are Such Credits Effectively Helping Mitigate Climate Change?, Catherine Verdier Jan 2007

Carbon Offsets: Are Such Credits Effectively Helping Mitigate Climate Change?, Catherine Verdier

PEEL Alumni Scholarship

Each year, the Oxford University Press selects a word to be added to the New Oxford American Dictionary — a word that not only reflects the events and concerns of the proceeding year but also is forward-looking. In 2006, the word of the year was “carbon neutral.” Numerous airlines, businesses, athletes, entertainers, international institutions, and more have expressed their commitment to carbon neutrality.