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Carmen G. Gonzalez

Food justice

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Law

Global Justice In The Anthropocene, Carmen G. Gonzalez May 2017

Global Justice In The Anthropocene, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez


Scientists believe the world has entered a new geological epoch in which human economic activity is the primary driver of global environmental change. Known as the Anthropocene, this epoch is characterized by human domination and disruption of Earth system processes essential to the planet’s self-regulating capacity. The environmental problems of the Anthropocene are inextricably intertwined with patterns of trade, finance, investment, and production that have created an enormous and growing economic gap between and within affluent and poor countries. These divisions have often paralyzed international law-making, resulting in deadlocks in environmental treaty negotiations and agreements characterized by ambiguity, lack of …

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The Environmental Justice Implications Of Biofuels, Carmen G. Gonzalez Dec 2015

The Environmental Justice Implications Of Biofuels, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez


Analyses of the viability of biofuels as alternatives to fossil fuels have

often adopted a technocratic approach that focuses on environmental

consequences, but places less emphasis on the impact that biofuels may have

on vulnerable populations. This Article fills the gap in the existing literature

by evaluating biofuels through the lens of environmental justice – including

climate justice and food justice. The Article examines the impact of biofuels

on the global food system and on the planet’s most food-insecure

populations. It concludes that the laws and policies promoting the

cultivation of biofuels have contributed to global malnourishment by raising

food …

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The North-South Divide In International Environmental Law: Framing The Issues, Carmen G. Gonzalez, Sumudu Atapattu Aug 2015

The North-South Divide In International Environmental Law: Framing The Issues, Carmen G. Gonzalez, Sumudu Atapattu

Carmen G. Gonzalez

The unprecedented degradation of the planet’s vital ecosystems is among the most pressing issues confronting the international community. Despite the proliferation of legal instruments to combat environmental problems, conflicts between rich and poor nations (the North-South divide) have compromised the effectiveness of international environmental law, leading to deadlocks in environmental treaty negotiations and non-compliance with existing agreements. Through contributions from scholars based in five continents, International Environmental Law and the Global South examines both the historical origins of the North-South divide in European colonialism as well as its contemporary manifestations in a range of issues, including food justice, energy justice, …

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International Environmental Law And The Global South, Carmen G. Gonzalez Aug 2015

International Environmental Law And The Global South, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

The unprecedented degradation of the planet’s vital ecosystems is among the most pressing issues confronting the international community. Despite the proliferation of legal instruments to combat environmental problems, conflicts between rich and poor nations (the North-South divide) have compromised the effectiveness of international environmental law, leading to deadlocks in environmental treaty negotiations and non-compliance with existing agreements. Through contributions from scholars based in five continents, International Environmental Law and the Global South examines both the historical origins of the North-South divide in European colonialism as well as its contemporary manifestations in a range of issues, including food justice, energy justice, …

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Food Justice: An Environmental Justice Critique Of The Global Food System, Carmen G. Gonzalez Dec 2014

Food Justice: An Environmental Justice Critique Of The Global Food System, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

Environmental justice is an important framework for understanding the North–South divide in many areas of international law and policy, including energy, climate, hazardous wastes, and food. An environmental justice analysis makes visible the ways in which the global North benefits from unsustainable economic activity while imposing the environmental consequences on the global South and on the planet's most vulnerable human beings, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, and the poor. This chapter applies an environmental justice analysis to the global food system, analyzes the underlying causes of the inequities in food production and consumption, and outlines several strategies …

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Bridging The North-South Divide: International Environmental Law In The Anthropocene, Carmen G. Gonzalez Dec 2014

Bridging The North-South Divide: International Environmental Law In The Anthropocene, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

The failure of international law and institutions to address global environmental degradation has significant implications for law and society as the planet’s ecosystems approach irreversible tipping points. According to a recent study published in the journal Science, the global economy has transgressed four of the nine “planetary boundaries” critical to the planet’s self-regulating capacity. Climate change, deforestation, species extinction, and the runoff of phosphorus and nitrogen into regional watersheds and oceans have exceeded safe biophysical thresholds. Scientists refer to the current geologic era of human-induced environmental change as the Anthropocene. These environmental problems are inextricably intertwined with patterns of trade, …

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