This page provides secondary sources about international climate change law. For in-depth international law resources, visit Amy Flick's international law guides:
Browsing a few research guides is a great way to begin creating a plan for your work. Research guides can quickly point you to reliable sources in an area of law or policy that isn’t yet completely familiar.
Emory Law Library Research Guides:
Other research guides:
Emory Library Collections: Search the Emory Libraries catalog for books (and book chapters) on or related to your topic. Some potential search terms include: biodiversity, capitalism, "climate change", conservation, development, disaster, discrimination, economic, ecosystem, energy, environment, "environmental justice", globalization, habitat, health, "polluter pays", pollution, protection, sustainable, "sustainable development", toxic, toxins, vulnerability, vulnerable, water, wildlife.
Book reviews: You can also find book reviews in many journal databases which will often give you the choice to select reviews as a search or filter option.
Titles on international environmental law include:
Routledge Handbook of International Environmental Law by
This book critically explores the legal tools, concepts, principles and instruments, as well as cross-cutting issues, that comprise the field of international environmental law. Commencing with foundational elements, progressing on to discrete sub-fields, then exploring regional cooperative approaches, cross-cutting issues and finally emerging challenges for international environmental law, it features chapters by leading experts in the field of international environmental law, drawn from a range of countries in order to put forward a truly global approach to the subject. The book is split into five parts: * The foundations of international environmental law covering the principles of international environmental law, standards and voluntary commitments, sustainable development, issues of public participation and environmental rights and compliance, state responsibility, liability and dispute settlement. * The key instruments and governance arrangements across the most critical areas of international environmental law: biodiversity, wildlife, freshwater, forestry and soils, fisheries, marine pollution, chemicals and waste, air and atmospheric pollution and climate change. * Crucial developments in seven distinct regions of the world: Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America, South East Asia, the polar regions and small island states. * Cross-cutting issues and multidisciplinary developments, drawing from multiple other fields of law and beyond to address human rights and Indigenous rights, war and armed conflict, trade, financing, investment, criminology, technology and energy. * Contemporary challenges and the emerging international environmental law regimes which address these: the changing climate, forced migration, marine plastic debris and future directions in international environmental law.
Transnational Environmental Regulation and Governance by
A large and growing proportion of contemporary environmental regulation is transnational, which means that it is impossible to understand environmental governance without a firm grasp of the nature of transnational environmental regulation (TER). In this illuminating work, Veerle Heyvaert offers readers a comprehensive discussion of TER, including analysis of international environmental agreements, regional and EU regulation, private environmental regulation, and governance networks, arguing that TER is highly diverse but sufficiently cohesive to allow the identification of shared characteristics that establish TER as a model of regulation. The book uncovers the key features of TER, and analyses the various intentions of TER regulators, TER's governance principles and compliance strategies, using a newly developed activity-based methodology for regulatory analysis. This book should be read by anyone seeking to understand the strengths and weaknesses of transnational environmental governance and its contribution to sustainability.
International Environmental Law-Making and Diplomacy by
Bringing together contributions from diplomats, UN agency officials, lawyers and academics, this book provides insight into the evolution of international environmental law, diplomacy and negotiating techniques. Based on first-hand experiences and extensive research, the chapters offer a blend of practice and theory, history and analysis, presenting a range of historical episodes and nuances and drawing lessons for future improvements to the processes of law-making and diplomacy. The book represents a synthesis of the most important messages to emerge from the annual course on Multilateral Environmental Agreements, delivered to diplomats and negotiators from around the world for the last decade by the University of Eastern Finland and the United Nations Environment Programme. The book will be of interest as a guide for negotiators and as a supplementary textbook and a reference volume for a wide range of students of law and environmental issues.
International Natural Resources Law, Investment and Sustainability by
International Natural Resources Law, Investment and Sustainability provides a clear and concise insight into the relationship between the institutions that govern foreign investment, sustainable development and the rules and regulations that administer natural resources. In this book, several leading experts explore different perspectives in how investment and natural resources come together to achieve sustainable development in developing countries with examples from water, oil and gas, renewable energy, mineral, agriculture, and carbon trading. Despite varying perspectives, it is clear that several themes are central in considering the linkages between natural resources, investment and sustainability. Specifically, transparency, good governance and citizen empowerment are vital conditions which encourage positive social, economic and environmental outcomes for developing countries. In addition, this book provides new insights into key concepts which underpin international law, including sovereign rights and state responsibility principles. It is clear from this book that in the attempt to reconcile these concepts and principles from separate legal regimes, complex policy questions emerge whereby it is difficult to attain mutually beneficial or succinct outcomes. This book explores how countries prioritise their policy objectives to achieve their notion of sustainable natural resource use, which is strongly influenced by power imbalances that inform North-South cooperation, as well as South-South cooperation in the international investment regime.
Sustainable Development and International Environmental Law by
At the time of the 1972 Stockholm UN Conference on the Human Environment, the concept of sustainable development and the subject of international environmental law were virtually unknown. Since then, the importance of the subject has burgeoned, as has the number and complexity of the legal instruments that seek to address the threats posed to the planet by humankind. Deforestation, marine pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity and similar concerns are now familiar - and still unresolved - problems. This research review discusses a selection of key articles on the seminal issues of sustainable development and international environmental law, providing the reader with a solid understanding of the breadth and texture of the legal issues involved.
EU Environmental Law, International Environmental Law, and Human Rights Law by
In EU Environmental Law, International Environmental Law, and Human Rights Law: The Case of Environmental Responsibility, Armelle Gouritin offers a critical appraisal of EU environmental responsibility law and asserts a new rights-based approach to international environmental law. This book addresses environmental damage, environmental harm, the grounds for environmental responsibility and the exceptions to the responsibility principle. A critical appraisal of EU Directives 2004/35 and 2008/99 is complemented by an analysis of the input of the European Court on Human Rights and international environmental law with a view to filling the gaps identified in the Directives. Gouritin offers a full analysis of the potential and limits of the rights-based approach applied to environmental responsibility.
The Role of International Environmental Law in Disaster Risk Reduction by
In The Role of International Environmental Law in Disaster Risk Reduction, edited by Jacqueline Peel and David Fisher, expert authors from four continents offer perspectives on the growing intersection between environmental law and disaster risk management. Chapters discuss the potential for retasking environmental law tools and principles for purposes of mitigating the harms of potential disasters, including those exacerbated by climate change, and approaches for linking institutions and approaches across the environmental, climate adaptation and disaster risk management fields internationally. This book illustrates the blurring distinction between natural and manmade disasters and the consequences for legal norms and practice in the formerly distinct areas of international environmental law and international disaster law.
Compensation for Environmental Damage under International Law by
Inspired by recent litigation, this book identifies and critically appraises the manifold and varied approaches to calculating compensation for damage caused to the environment. It examines a wide range of practice on compensation - in general and specifically for environmental damage - from that of international courts and tribunals, as well as international commissions and regimes, to municipal approaches and other disciplines such as economics and philosophy. Compensation for Environmental Damage Under International Law synthesises these approaches with a view to identifying their blind spots, bringing clarity to an area where there exists broad discrepancy, and charting best practices that appropriately balance the manifold interests at stake. In particular, it is argued that best practice methodologies should ensure compensation serves to fully repair the environment, reflect the emerging ecosystems approach and any implications environmental damage may have for climate change, as well as take into account relevant equitable considerations.
Law review articles (sources include some book reviews): Search law reviews and journals databases on Westlaw, Lexis and Hein.
Environment Complete and Greenfile: Search academic journals and general periodicals for articles on environmental studies and environmental policy
Journal articles from other disciplines. Find journal databases by subject using A-Z Databases. You can also search Emory's Articles+ to find articles in multiple campus databases.
Working papers: Search SSRN/LSN, which publishes email abstracting journals for working papers and articles accepted for publication. A good source to check for forthcoming articles. bepress Legal Repository is also a source for working papers and pre-prints, and it can be browsed by subject or for most recent additions.
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law: an online resource with peer-reviewed articles on public international law. The resource can be filtered by subject area, including International Environmental Law. Articles include bibliographies of secondary sources and citations to documents and primary authority.
Oxford Bibliographies on International Law: Extensive bibliographies of books and journal articles on subjects in international law.
Digest of US Practice in International Law: Chapter 13 in each recent year is on Environment and Other Transnational Scientific Issues, with US positions and actions on treaties and international initiatives. Also available on Hein Online.
The Publications page for CIEL (Center for International Environmental Law) includes CIEL's research and reports, which include background and numerous footnotes. Search by issue headings and keywords.
OECD iLibrary: Reports and statistics by country or theme, including Development, Energy, and Environment.
World Bank Environment Resources: Data, research reports, and news on the environment and sustainability.
CALI Lesson: Researching International Environmental Law: This lesson will acquaint you with the sources of international environmental law, and give you strategies for researching it.
Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Law: Detailed articles on international law topics, with citations, document lists, and bibliographies. Includes links to documents and the Oxford Law Citator
Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law: Twelve-volume set, still in progress, on environmental law. Chapters cover treaties, international law, and national legal systems. Includes citations and some links to primary and secondary sources.
CRS Reports: Congressional Research Reports cover US legislative and foreign policy topics. Search for reports on environmental law and treaties in EveryCRSReport.com and in ProQuest Congressional.
The websites of international organizations related to environmental law include publications, reports, data, news, and links to primary documents.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
European Commission Directorate-General for Environment
Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL)
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Study Aids on reserve:
Study aids can be a quick way to get background in a subject area, find information on treaties and international organizations, and learn terminology for searching in databases.
International Environmental Law in a Nutshell by 
International Legal Research in a Nutshell by 
Public International Law in a Nutshell by 
Understanding International Law by 
Principles of International Law by 
International Law Frameworks by 
Environmental Law in a Nutshell by 
Examples & Explanations: Environmental Law by 
Climate Change Law by Have a question for the Law Library? Reach out to us via one of our question forms:
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