"Unlike the ecosystem, which appears to operate by specific, natural rules and thus has an internal consistency or logic of its own, the legal system is a human creation, a regulator of social behavior developed long before our ecological awareness arose." Thomas More Hoban & Richard Oliver Brooks, Green Justice: the Environment and the Courts, 2nd ed. (Westview Press, 1996),
Despite the proliferation of environmental laws in the 1970s, we find ourselves facing multiple environmental crises from loss of biodiversity, overuse of finite resources and pollution of air, water and land. Plastic pollution and climate change, in particular, are notable in that both derive ultimately from our use of fossil fuels.
The primary aim of this LibGuide is to help researchers locate the major laws and regulations that make up the current environmental legal framework in the U.S. and internationally. A secondary aim is to highlight goals and initiatives at global and local levels. More broadly, this Guide is intended to promote environmental literacy among lawyers and non-lawyers alike. While providing an overview of the current environmental legal framework, it attempts to help researchers assess how well environmental law has worked, what it has achieved and where it has fallen short, so that collectively, we can improve our approach to environmental issues.