Environmental rights, also known as the human rights or constitutional rights that are used for the protection of the environment, have proliferated over the last forty-five years. However, the precise levels of protection that they represent has since been a major question associated with this phenomenon. Environmental Rights: The Development of Standards systematically investigates this question by analyzing the emerging standards of environmental protection that are associated with such rights and the way that those associations are becoming formalized. It covers all of the relevant human rights treaties to illustrate how environmental rights standards are emerging in this dynamic area. Bringing together an elite group of scholars, this book discusses significant new insights into the way that environmental rights are developing, the standards of protection that they confer, and the way that standards in the field of environmental rights can potentially be further developed in the future.

'This compendium is a timely, valuable, and insight-filled addition to the blossoming literature on environmental rights. Moving from vague aspirations to concrete standards is a daunting challenge for environmental rights, but urgently needed, and the authors have collectively contributed to a huge advance in our understanding.'David R. Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment and University of British Columbia, Vancouver

'This brilliant collection offers a lasting contribution to our understanding of the issues at the intersection of environmental protection and human rights. The distinguished contributors offer sophisticated analysis of the international, regional and municipal legal frameworks crucial for effective rights-based environmental governance.'Donald K. Anton, Griffith University, Australia

'The emergence of environmental rights in the international legal landscape reflects growing awareness of the serious environmental stresses confronting our planet. The essays in this collection make a valuable contribution to understanding how environmental rights have been translated into standards that set out more specific levels of protection. Ultimately, this process of translation and specification of environmental rights is key to their actual application and relevance.'Marcos A. Orellana, Director of Environment and Human Rights Division, Human Rights Watch, and George Washington University