Transcript JV: Basic Issues

Consensus
• Scientific Basis
– Pros
– Cons
• The Impact of Reducing Greenhouse
Gases on Industries
– Energy related industries
• Coal
• Electricity
• Automobile
International Environmental Law
Issues
• Global Climate Change
– Ozone Depletion
– Antarctica
– Global Health
• Toxic and Hazardous Substances
– Legal and Illegal Dumping
• Pollution
– Land Based Pollution
– Vessel Based Pollution
– Trans-boundary Water/Air Pollution
• Desertification
• Nuclear Damage
• Population
• Biodiversity
• Conservation of Marine Living Resources
Reference: Guruswamy, International Environmental Law (West, 2003)
Implementation
•
International Organizations
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Regional Organizations
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UN Environment Development (UNED)
World Bank
International Court of Justice
International Law Commission
IAEA
EU
OECD (Economic Cooperation and Development)
OAS (Organizations of American States)
South Pacific Regional Organizations
Specific Treaty Organizations
– Conferences of parties
•
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
– World Conservation Union
– The World Wildlife Fund
– Green Peace
Compliance Mechanisms
• Judicial Remedies
• Diplomatic Avenues
From UN Convention to Kyoto
Protocol
• The UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (FCCC), The Conference
of Parties (COP-1, Rio de Janeiro, 1992)
• COP-2, Geneva, 1996
• COP-3, Kyoto, 1997
• …
• COP-12, Nairobi, 2006
UNFCCC website http://unfccc.int/2860.php
Kyoto Protocol
The provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and its rulebook
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol shares the Convention’s objective,
principles and institutions, but significantly strengthens the
Convention by committing Annex I Parties to individual, legallybinding targets to limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Only Parties to the Convention that have also become Parties to the
Protocol (i.e by ratifying, accepting, approving, or acceding to it) will
be bound by the Protocol’s commitments. 165 countries have ratified
the Protocol to date. Of these, 35 countries and the EEC are
required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below levels specified
for each of them in the treaty. The individual targets for Annex I
Parties are listed in the Kyoto Protocol’s Annex B. These add up to a
total cut in greenhouse-gas emissions of at least 5% from 1990
levels in the commitment period 2008-2012.
Emission Trading System
Two sources for the explanation of ET system
• UK
http://www.defra.gov.uk/Environment/climatecha
nge/trading/index.htm
• EU
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?r
eference=MEMO/05/84&format=HTML&aged=1
&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Waste Dumping
Ivory Coast Tragedy Exposes Toxic Flow to
Poor
Environmental Degradation in China
Songhua Spill
• China's Government Cracks Down After
Toxic Spill