Reflections on a decade of change in international environmental law*
Lavanya Rajamani Professor of International Environmental Law, University of Oxford, UK

Search for other papers by Lavanya Rajamani in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
and
Jacqueline Peel Professor of Law, Melbourne Law School, Australia

Search for other papers by Jacqueline Peel in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Restricted access

This article examines the profound ways in which international environmental law has evolved over the last decade in response to a shifting geopolitical context, as well as a better understanding of the possibilities and limits of global regulation to address complex, polycentric and intractable environmental harms. It identifies as emerging trends in the field the maturation of the customary norms and fundamental principles of international environmental law, in addition to changes in its modes of implementation and the actors involved in those processes. This article also highlights the increasing activity at the interface with other fields of law and policy that has expanded the sites at which international environmental law is made, applied and implemented. It concludes by asking whether this body of international law remains ‘fit for purpose’ as it seeks to adapt to constraints on its nature and operation imposed by the current architecture of international law and politics.

Contributor Notes

This article is adapted from our introduction to the second edition of the Oxford Handbook of International Environmental Law (OUP, Oxford 2021). We are deeply indebted to the authors who contributed thoughtful and scholarly chapters to the Handbook, contributions that have deepened our understanding of the field, and upon which we gratefully build. We are also grateful to Rebekkah Markey-Towler for her excellent assistance with this article.

You are not authenticated to view the full text of this chapter or article.

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Purchase

Pay to Access Content (PDF download and unlimited online access)

Other access options

Redeem Token

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institutional Access

Personal login

Log in with your Elgar Online account

Login with your Elgar account