Environmental Law and the Loss of Paradise

Abstract:     
This book review explores the central idea “now traveling the planet,” “that ordinary people have the right to go to court to defend their environment.” It examines Professor Oliver Houck’s new book recounting eight cases from eight countries where attorneys went to court to protect irreplaceable landscapes and preserve national treasures. At a time when policymakers are preoccupied with the size of footprints (carbon footprints, water footprints, development footprints), the book advances an argument for no footprints at all. The review examines Houck's contribution to the growing literature about the nature of international lawmaking and transboundary legal process, and argues that his case studies help to ground that literature. The review also explores how the comparative cases demonstrate the importance of environmental democracy and challenge ideas of sustainable development.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 32

Keywords: Transboundary Legal Process, International Law, Environmental Law, Conservation, Environmental Law and Economics, Law and Democracy, Transboundary Networks, Sustainable Development, Environmental Ethics

JEL Classification: K32, K33, Q20, Q26

Accepted Paper Series