Transboundary Environmental Governance in Asia: Practice and Prospects with the UNECE Agreements

Providing a strong comparative analysis of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) treaties and protocols in an Asian context, this important book is specifically concerned with treaty implementation and compliance. Until recently, the primary application of UNECE treaties has been in Europe; however UNECE membership by Asian states in the Caucasus and Central Asia, and the ability of UN states in general to accede to many of them, means that Asia is now very relevant in this context.

Including a case study on Central Asia, the core focus of the book is on the five UNECE treaties: public participation, water and air pollution, environmental impact assessment and industrial accidents. Twelve related protocols are also dealt with, including: pollutant release and transfer registers, strategic environmental assessment, civil liability, water and health, and air pollutants. For these, prospects for the future, as well as current practice, are assessed.

Environmental scholars and consultants, international environmental lawyers, practitioners and policymakers in institutions such as treaty regime secretariats, national ministries and international financial institutions, will find this book to be of particular interest and value.

Simon Marsden, Professor and Chair in Energy Law, School of Law, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Stirling, UK and Elizabeth Brandon, Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Law, City University of Hong Kong