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14 - Piercing the state veil in pursuit of environmental justice

from Part III - State sovereignty and state borders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2009

By
Jonas Ebbesson
Edited by
Jonas Ebbesson  and
Phoebe Okowa
Jonas Ebbesson
Affiliation:
Stockholms Universitet
Phoebe Okowa
Affiliation:
Queen Mary University of London
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Summary

Environmental law and justice across state borders

State borders do not mark out correctly who is concerned by decisions, acts and omissions – whether by public authorities or private entities – that affect health and the environment. Nor do state borders adequately define how far pursuits for justice should go in such cases. Rather, basic legal conceptions of state sovereignty and responsibility, jurisdiction and civil liability are challenged by transboundary effects on health and the environment and by transboundary corporate structures; and these features trigger particular concerns of procedural, distributive and corrective justice across state borders.

Situations of transboundary effects on health and the environment range from local settings, where only two neighbouring countries are involved, to global contexts; and they pertain to pollution, use of natural resources, stress on ecosystems, and trade in hazardous goods and wastes. These transboundary features reflect the current paradigm of international environmental law, which is primarily focused on inter-state concerns. Yet, as I will argue, it is not sufficient to consider these cases as inter-state only. From a justice viewpoint, it should be considered which interests are taken into account and who is capable of participating in decision-making and challenging decisions concerning activities with transboundary impact. Are they the interests only of those persons in the state of the activity or also those affected across state borders? And in which state, that of the activity or that of the harm, should justice be pursued?

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Environmental Law and Justice in Context , pp. 270 - 294
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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