Intro

Question 1

The unique thing about environment law?

Answer 1

The world is divided up into political boundaries, but environmental problems (like the atmosphere, polar caps, and the ocean) don’t stop at these boundaries.

So international environmental law often needs to go beyond political boundaries.

Question 2

Our biggest environmental problem?

Answer 2

Consumption

Question 3

How does human consumption affect the planet?

3

Answer 3

Consumption is increasing as there is more demand in industry, and our lifestyles have taken much of the planet’s resources.

Every development we make (such as cellphones that use rare minerals) puts more strain on the environment and its available resources (even with ‘environmentally friendly’ things like batteries, which need lots of copper).

We would need another 2 Earths if we all consumed like Americans

Question 4

How does human consumption affect other species?

Answer 4

Humans have increased the species extinction rate by as much as 1,000 times background rates typical over the planet’s history

Question 5

How are human consumption and developing countries related?

Answer 5

Poorer countries aspire to have the same lifestyle as wealthier nations, but there are insufficient resources and space to respond to this

Question 6

What are the 5 main (broad) areas of International environmental problems?

(Wo.W P.A.P)

Answer 6

1. Water and Oceans
2. Wildlife
3. Polar regions
4. Atmosphere
5. Poverty

Question 7

What are some problems associated with the international environment issue area of: water and oceans?

(5)

Answer 7

• Access to water: has potential to lead to conflict
• Use of international rivers
• Pollution
• Fisheries and whaling
• NB: often related to law of the sea, but consider overfishing and its effect on the environment

Question 8

What are some problems associated with the international environment issue area of: wildlife?

(4)

Answer 8

-Loss of biodiversity
(NB: Recent focus is now on biodiversity as opposed to single species loss- It has been recognised that the loss of one species has a flow-on effect to ecosystems as a whole)
-Species extinction
-Charismatic megafauna
(things such as Pandas) vs. not so charismatic animals such as the Patagonian toothfish. Often hard to get public support over something not as ‘charismatic’
-Trade in endangered animals

Question 9

What are some problems associated with the international environment issue area of: Polar regions?

(5)

Answer 9

• Claims of sovereignty, e.g. Antarctica
• Pollution
• Access to minerals
• Conservation of living resources
• And, charismatic megafauna again…

Question 10

What are some problems associated with the international environment issue area of: the atmosphere?

Answer 10

• Ozone depletion
• Climate change
• Air pollution

Question 11

How is poaching of endangered species more of an environmental issue for poorer countries?

Answer 11

A starving villager cares more about putting food on the table than the environment or conservation
(either by eating the tiger, or killing the tiger that eats his cattle)

Question 12

Why are environmental issues often not at the top of a poorer countries agenda?

(5)

Answer 12

• Access to living and non-living resources
• Bigger impact on local resources in poorer countries.
• Alleviating hunger or providing better infrastructure may be ahead of saving the tigers
• They also feel as though they have a right to development just like the richer countries have had in the past (especially because it has been the wealthier countries that have caused most of the problems)
• NB: Environmental law is often seen as a wealthy person’s luxury