What is the Point of International Environmental Law Scholarship in the Anthropocene?

'What is the Point of International Environmental Law Scholarship in the Anthropocene?' in Pedersen, O.W. (ed.), "Perspectives on Environmental Law Scholarship: Essays on Purpose, Shape and Direction", Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK (2018): 121-139.

Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 19/25

20 Pages Posted: 10 May 2019

See all articles by Tim Stephens

Tim Stephens

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law

Date Written: May 3, 2019

Abstract

This chapter considers the implications of the Anthropocene for the study of international environmental law. This new ‘human era’ in Earth’s history upends many traditional assumptions about the purpose and function of environmental law. It has decisively erased the (already untenable) distinction between the human and natural worlds such that many of the historic concerns of environmental law (such as wilderness protection) now appear as vainglorious acts in the face of global environmental transformation. As the Anthropocene challenges our understanding of international environmental law, so it must necessarily challenge our understanding of research in the field. The chapter argues that if international environmental law research is to maintain its meaning and relevance, it will need to draw on the insights provided by Earth systems science and Earth systems governance literature and embrace clear objectives to maintain a habitable planet.

Keywords: Antarctica, Anthropocene, international law, Antarctic Treaty System, international environmental law, polar regions, climate change, Earth System Governance, Earth System Science

JEL Classification: K10, K30, K32, K33

Suggested Citation

Stephens, Tim, What is the Point of International Environmental Law Scholarship in the Anthropocene? (May 3, 2019). 'What is the Point of International Environmental Law Scholarship in the Anthropocene?' in Pedersen, O.W. (ed.), "Perspectives on Environmental Law Scholarship: Essays on Purpose, Shape and Direction", Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK (2018): 121-139., Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 19/25, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3382013

Tim Stephens (Contact Author)

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law ( email )

New Law Building, F10
The University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia

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