Law Commons^™

Tourism In Antarctica: History, Current Challenges And Proposals For Regulation, Juan Y. Harcha

LLM Theses and Essays

Tourism in the Antarctic has experienced rapid growth throughout the last fifteen years with over 30,000 people visiting the white continent during the 2005 - 2006 season. Such expansion offers a host of new activities for visitors to explore this immense wilderness, yet it brings considerable unease over the future of Antarctica. As of 1961, issues concerning the white continent have been dealt with under the Antarctic Treaty System, which has provided the forum for the discussion of numerous measures. This paper looks into the history of tourism, analyzes the main challenges such industry poses, and attempts an assessment of …

Legislation And Implementation Of International Environmental Law By African Countries: A Case Study Of Ghana, Brigitte L. Okley

LLM Theses and Essays

The purpose of my thesis is to bring to the light the efforts of African countries, in this case Ghana, in implementing their environmental commitments under international law and some of the problems they face in this regard. African countries played a tremendous role in the emergence of international environmental law, after which environmental institutions and legislations have been set up for the conservation and management of natural resources. The thesis will discuss environmental issues particularly in Ghana, its obligation under various multilateral environmental conventions. The thesis will also focus on some of Ghana’s policies on the environment and its …

Liberalization And Politics Of Environmental Management In Tanzania, Alicia Bosensera Magabe

LLM Theses and Essays

This thesis examines the factors that have prevented the development of an environmental protection legal and institutional regime in Tanzania. It argues that the central focus of economic reforms has been to kick-start the economy by increasing growth through the maximization of resource exploitation. As a result, concerns for environmental sustainability have been relegated to the periphery of the development agenda. Secondly, as a result of domestic resource scarcity brought on by the economic crisis, environmental policymaking has been held hostage to the influence of foreign donors whose agendas have often been at cross-purpose to environmental protection. Thirdly, the nature …

The Nafta Package And The Environment: A Green Analysis Of Its Origins And Effects, Pedro M. Morales-Gomez

LLM Theses and Essays

When the presidential candidate Clinton announced that he would not support NAFTA without environmental and labor side agreements, and during the period before NAFTA's ratification by the American Congress, Mexicans lived in most tense suspense. Even though, the idea of an environmental side agreement seemed to please most environmentalists in Mexico who hoped that this would lead to creating a major environmental conscience in the Mexican government. The purpose of this thesis is to elaborate a critical analysis of the North American Free Trade Agreement, its related documents and their effects concerning the environment, specifically its legal protection. We will …

Population. Environment. And Development: The Changing Paradigm Of The 1990s, Sharmini Abbasi

LLM Theses and Essays

Among the vast web of challenges before us in the wake of the new millennium population growth is one of the most worrying aspects of human existence. The consequences of the world's rapid population growth on human well-being and on the environment have been the subject of intense controversy for many years and got even more accentuated as the 1990s progress. However, the framework of international environmental law and agreement has for long failed to consider adequately the clear linkages between rapid population growth and environmental degradation. Thus, the study attempts to discuss and analyze competing for international perspectives, theories, …

Investments In Free Economic Zones: Analysis Of Factors And Policies Underlying Their Success, Ihor Mehedynyuk

LLM Theses and Essays

This thesis will focus on the experience of those developing countries whose FEZs have been regarded as successful in attracting foreign investment and creating a suitable environment for the activity of zone-based foreign enterprises. Furthermore, it will examine the major aspects of FEZ operations and legal and economic strategies of host countries. Chapter I will concentrate on issues relating to foreign investment, types of attitudes towards foreign investment and their relationship with investment policies of host countries and the role of legal systems in attracting foreign investment. Chapter II will provide an overview of various types and characteristics of FEZs, …

Notions Of Equity In (International) Environmental Law: Inter-Generational Equity, Youk-Hyun Sung

LLM Theses and Essays

Equity has a long history. In the first chapter of this thesis, notions of equity in conventional international law will be discussed. It must be more helpful to understand equity based upon the history of the term since the issues relating to equity were raised in quite a few cases in the past. In the second chapter, by discussing environmental equity in the United States, the only remaining superpower and the largest economy in the world, the thesis tries to see the future of equity in international environmental law. Environmental equity issues in the United States are good sources for …

The Transboundary Movement Of Hazardous Waste A Comparative Analysis, Els Reynaers

LLM Theses and Essays

An analysis of the transboundary movement of hazardous waste requires a comparative examination of three main regulatory entities. First, the international Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal will be covered. More particularly, an inquiry of its raison d'etre, will be followed by a critical examination of its goals and mechanisms. The relationship the United States has with the Convention and its national approach towards the export of hazardous waste will be covered next. A brief investigation of the real situation impacts of the Basel Convention will finalize this chapter. The second …

Are Tuna And Dolphins The Same? A Rule Of Reason Approach To Resolve The Trade And Environment Conflict, Anantha K. Paruthipattu

LLM Theses and Essays

Trade and environment are both primary values in an ecologically and economically interdependent world; unleashing trade without regard to environmental impact is as detrimental as guarding the environment at the expense of trade and development. Tuna and dolphins have come to symbolize the policy struggle between trade and environment. In early 1990, the United States banned the import of tuna from Mexico and other countries that were fishing in a manner that damaged dolphins in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. Mexico challenged this ban before a GATT Panel, which ruled against the United States and held that the tuna ban …

Developing A National Coastal Zone Management Program For Venezuela, Marisol Salazar

LLM Theses and Essays

The primary focus of this study is to develop a National Coastal Zone Management Program for Venezuela, a moderate, comprehensive, and an effective long-term program which allows the development and protection of the Venezuelan Coastal Zone now and in the future. This program must comply with the actual Venezuelan environmental laws and its administrative mechanisms. Also, it must help to control ecological, economic, commercial, social, and human pressures on the Venezuelan coastal area. The design of this project will be based on an analysis of the extensive experience of the U.S.A. coastal states under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA); …

Civil Liability For Damage Caused To The Environment By Hazardous Waste: Lessons For The European Union From The Us Experience, Artemis Hatzi-Hull

LLM Theses and Essays

As environmental awareness has surged over the last two decades, environmental law has rapidly developed. In both agricultural and industrial countries, the environment is a sensitive and vital area where substantial economic interests are at stake. In the United States, many social, political, and economic reasons have spawned rapid expansion of environmental law. Congress has enacted numerous statutes and empowered federal agencies, primarily the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to adopt standards and enforce these new laws. A decade ago, environmental liability was not a major concern for US businesses and was rarely dealt with in commercial contracts. However, the situation …

Liability For Injurious Consequences To The Global Climate, Sudha Rp Rao

LLM Theses and Essays

Preservation of the environment is a major concern in the modern era. This paper explains the scientific basis of the global warning theory and the potential impacts of climate change on the environment. When regulating the causes of global warming, accountability and liability arise in the areas of both prevention of future emissions of green house gases into the atmosphere and remedial measures to clean up the damage that has already occurred. The responsibility for the costs in these areas are examined as well as the International Law Commission’s work on “Liability for Injurious Consequences Arising out of Acts not …

The Global Loss Of Biological Diversity: A Perspective, In The Context Of The Controversy Over Intellectual Property Rights, Ajay K. Sharma

LLM Theses and Essays

All nations have a stake in preserving biodiversity for ethical, medical, and economic reasons. This thesis discusses objections to the Convention on Biological Diversity and argues for establishing international agreements that set conservation standards to which all parties can be held accountable. These agreements should also include internationally accepted standards for the protection of intellectual property rights.

"Snitching" For The Common Good: In Search Of A Response To The Legal Problems Posed By Environmental Whistleblowing, Stefan Ruetzel

LLM Theses and Essays

Despite the increase in public awareness of diminishing natural resources, mounting waste, and pollution and more comprehensive environmental regulations since the 1970’s, non-compliance with environmental laws and non-enforcement by government authorities is still a major problem in the United States. Disclosure of violations of environmental regulations by an employee of a private polluter, or whistleblowing, is an effective tool in enforcing the law and thereby protecting the environment. After examining the current whistleblowing law that has evolved in various jurisdictions across the country, this thesis proposes that a uniform state statute should be enacted to encourage employees to report violations …

Preservation And Allocation Of Fresh Water Resources In International Law Jordan: Special Case Study, Ghada Ibrahim Abu-Raghes

LLM Theses and Essays

This thesis argues for the creation of a comprehensive, developed body of international environmental law, to regulate allocation and protection of freshwater resources. The thesis gives an idea of the substantive duties and obligations of states under the developing international law of the environment in the use of international watercourses and the responsibilities and liabilities of states for breach of those duties. The thesis continues to examination of a special case study of Jordan encompassing the water resources and river disputes.

Incentives For Action: Market-Based Environmental Strategies, Sheikh Sarmad Hafeez

LLM Theses and Essays

Societies have dealt with problems of environmental degradation for centuries, revealing a consistent concern among law makers regarding rates of natural resource consumption. More recently, the United States and other nations have begun to face increasingly perilous environment challenges such as global climate change, indoor pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion, acid rain, urban smog and the degradation of public lands.

The present work explores the environmental problems that, for centuries have plagued our planet, and that continue to threaten it, as well as different approaches to curtail these problems. The present work concludes by showing the most promising of these approaches …

Planning Under The National Environmental Policy Act: The Use Of Environmental Impact Statements In Agency Decisionmaking, Ralf Marxen

LLM Theses and Essays

This article focuses on Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) as part of the Federal National Environmental Policy Act and will therefore not deal with the different State Environmental Policy Acts (SEPA) or their relation to and interaction with Federal legislation. Furthermore, this article will focus upon those issues that are of special relevancy to the possible adoption of EISs into the German legal system. The article will also address cost-benefit issues related to the EIS process. Part VIII (judicial review) will only concentrate on the judicial review of administrative action concerning environmental planning through EISs.