Environmental Law

Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of statutes, common law, treaties, conventions, regulations and policies which, very broadly, operate to regulate the interaction of humanity and the rest of the biophysical or natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing or minimizing the impacts of human activity, both on the natural environment for its own sake, and on humanity itself. Environmental law draws from and is influenced by principles of environmentalism, including ecology, conservation, stewardship, responsibility and sustainability. From an economic perspective it can be understood as concerned with the prevention of present and future externalities.

Areas of concern in environmental law include air quality, water quality, global climate change, agriculture, biodiversity, species protection, pesticides and hazardous chemicals, waste management, remediation of contaminated land and brownfields, smart growth, sustainable development, impact review, and conservation, stewardship and management of public lands and natural resources.

Supranational Organizations

• Asia Foundation
  Asia's ecosystems and the clean air, water, food, disease management, climate regulation, economic livelihood, and natural beauty they provide, are fundamental to the health and prosperity of all Asians today and for generations to come.
  
• Environment and Security
  UNDP, UNEP, OSCE, NATO, UNECE and REC have joined forces in the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative to offer countries their combined pool of expertise and resources.
  
• European Commission > Environment
  The main role of the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General (DG) is to initiate and define new environmental legislation and to ensure that agreed measures are put into practice in the EU Member States. The Environment DG is based in Brussels and has around 650 staff.
  
• European Environment Agency (EEA)
  The EEA aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe's environment through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy making agents and the public.
  
• European Union Environment Policy
  The EU plays an important role in environmental policymaking. Environmental problems, such as air and water pollution, climate change and the decline in biodiversity, do not respect borders, so cooperation at EU level is necessary and well developed.
  
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
  The IPCC was established to provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change.
  
• International Environment House (IEH)
  The International Environment House (IEH) gathers under a common roof a range of United Nations and non-governmental organizations active in the field of environment and sustainable development.
  
• Montreal Protocol of the Vienna Convention
  Handbook for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
  
• State of the Environment in Asia and the Pacific
  Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
  
• The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
  The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC).
  
• United Nations - Oceans and the Law of the Sea
  United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  The United Nations Environment Programme mission is "to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of the future generations."

Environmental Law Attorneys

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