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This research determines whether and how an equitable geographic distribution of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects can be achieved. In particular, it examines whether the CDM legal regime can achieve an equitable geographic distribution of projects, or whether the issues that contribute to the inequitable distribution are fundamental to the design of the regime. The two main questions answered by this research are: how should CDM projects be distributed among countries, that is, what is the meaning of equitable geographic distribution of CDM projects; and can the CDM regime achieve this distribution? The answer to the first question defines equitable geographic distribution and outlines the factors that should be considered to help achieve this distribution, which are: greenhouse gas emission reduction potential, need (or sustainable development potential) and preferential treatment. The answer to the second question is that although the CDM regime can achieve a slightly more equitable geographic distribution than is currently the case, a truly equitable geographic distribution cannot be achieved under the regime, primarily because of the market nature of the CDM. The thesis then makes recommendations on how to achieve a distribution of CDM projects among countries that can be regarded as more equitable than the current distribution.

Based on a Ph. D. Thesis--Helssingin yliopisto, 2000. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Based on a Ph.D. thesis-Helssingin yliopisto, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references and index.

While the basic premise of precaution has been widely endorsed in environmental treaties since its inclusion in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as a legal principle, it has been framed in such vastly dissimilar ways that it continues to generate significant disagreement over its precise nature, standing and legal effect. Despite the rich and extensive scholarship aimed at clarifying its normative content and operation, the ongoing lack of consensus on when the precautionary principle is applicable and what its application entails points to fundamental definitional challenges as well as its overall limitations as a regulatory tool. This thesis attempts to move beyond this impasse by reassessing the precautionary principle in light of the distinction traditionally made in formal scientific discourse between risk and uncertainty. While this technical distinction is fundamental to defining the proper scope of the principle’s application, the thesis finds that much of the existing legal discourse has either overlooked or marginalised the risk/uncertainty dichotomy, which in turn has blurred the distinction between the principles of precaution and prevention. The thesis sets out what is meant by these analytically distinct concepts in the legal context, focusing on their implications for the processes of legal reasoning and regulatory decision-making. Having examined the conceptual underpinnings of the precautionary principle, and of the principle of prevention, the thesis proceeds to address a central research question – if uncertainty, as opposed to risk, determines the operational scope of the precautionary principle, to what extent do the current applications of the precautionary principle actually fall within its proper domain? To answer this, the thesis embarks on a deconstruction of the precautionary principle in practice by analysing how precaution has been deployed as an operational principle in particular treaty contexts. The treaty regimes examined here include: international fisheries; persistent organic pollutants; ocean dumping; sanitary and phytosanitary threats under the WTO; and atmospheric pollution and climate change. In each case, the thesis scrutinises the extent to which assumptions, obligations and measures contained therein are consistent with the theoretical underpinnings of precaution. Despite the pervasive use of the precautionary rhetoric in treaty texts and practice, the thesis ultimately finds that, for the most part, these instruments are in fact aimed at specific, scientifically-determined risks, and thus what is often upheld in the name of precaution is actually the prevention principle. The thesis argues that it is better to frame risk regulation through prevention, and not precaution, by considering the implications of abandoning the precautionary principle in those areas where the prevention principle is clearly at play. The thesis completes the analysis by addressing what is actually left for the precautionary principle and discussing some of the distinct ways in which precaution functions within its specific, circumscribed domain.

O objetivo do presente trabalho consistiu na análise das ferramentas utilizadas pelo Direito para a proteção do meio ambiente. Para a sua consecução, estudou-se doutrina, legislação, jurisprudência e dados fáticos disponíveis em veículos de mídia digital ou impressa e sítios eletrônicos oficiais. Foram, também, conduzidas entrevistas com autoridades públicas do Estado de São Paulo e visitas a proprietários de imóveis rurais. As constatações revelaram a pluralidade de ângulos sob os quais a temática da proteção do meio ambiente pode ser encarada. As principais contribuições desta pesquisa consistiram na demonstração da insuficiência do sistema de sanções negativas para a proteção do meio ambiente, sendo indispensável a criação de incentivos positivos às práticas favoráveis ao meio ambiente. Os principais temas desta dissertação foram tratados em capítulos próprios e puderam ser assim elencados: (i) o Direito Positivo e as normas jurídicas comentários quanto à positivação do Direito e a importância das normas ; (ii) a evolução do Direito Ambiental no Brasil e a sua finalidade tendências do Direito Ambiental no Brasil e a busca da proteção ambiental ; (iii) o regime de sanções negativas maneira como as sanções negativas são aplicadas e seus resultados ; (iv) o regime de incentivos maneira como os incentivos positivos são aplicados atualmente e propostas de utilização em outros casos ; (v) experiência brasileira na concessão de incentivos ambientais as previsões normativas já existentes e os resultados alcançados no Brasil ; e (vi) o Direito Internacional Ambiental e a experiência dos países na concessão de incentivos comentários sobre tratados internacionais e normas internas de outros países que utilizam incentivos positivos para a proteção do meio ambiente. Foi apresentado um conjunto de reflexões críticas com base no material analisado e no diálogo com autoridades públicas, acadêmicos e cidadãos brasileiros na vivência profissional do pesquisador. / The scope of this work was to study the tools provided by the Law for the protection of the environment. For this purpose, this work analyzed the following material: doctrine, legislation, jurisprudence and factual data available on digital or printed media channels, as well as official websites. Interviews with public authorities of the State of São Paulo and visits to rural properties were also carried out. The findings disclosed various points of view regarding environmental protection. The main contributions of this research consisted in demonstrating the failure of the system based on negative sanctions for the protection of the environment, reason why positive incentives for environmentally friendly practices must be created. This dissertation discoursed on the following main themes: (i) the Positive Law and the legal rules comments on the positivation of the Law and the importance of statutes ; (ii) the evolution of the Environmental Law in Brazil and its goal tendencies of the Environmental Law in Brazil and the pursuit of environmental protection ; (iii) the sanctions regime how penalties are applied and what are their results ; (iv) the incentives regime how positive incentives are currently applied and proposals for enforcement ; (v) the Brazilian experience in the enactment of environmental incentives the legal rules currently applicable and the results observed in Brazil ; and (vi) the International Environmental Law and the experience of countries in the giving of incentives comments on international treaties and domestic rules of countries that enacted positive incentives for the protection of the environment. The study formulated critical findings based on the material analyzed and on discussions held with public authorities, students and citizens during the professional experience of the researcher.

Atualmente, a soberania ainda é tida como um poder supremo que qualifica cada Estado diante dos demais, porém, com o desenvolvimento do DIMA, ao longo das últimas décadas, a responsabilidade de cada Estado tornou-se uma responsabilidade de toda a sociedade internacional, com relação à proteção do meio ambiente. Desta forma, os Estados não podem mais justificar a ineficácia da proteção do meio ambiente, dentro de seu território, sob o argumento do exercício supremo de sua soberania. A Sociedade Internacional tem enfrentado dificuldades, no âmbito internacional, como resultado da crise de governabilidade, das discrepâncias e dos objetivos nada solidários demonstrados pelos Estados. Há uma tensão entre a concreta e efetiva proteção ambiental, no âmbito internacional, e o suposto entrave da soberania estatal, tensão esta fundamentada em princípios tradicionais que, se ao seu tempo já tiveram seu devido valor, atualmente, já não conseguem dar respostas mais complexas exigidas pelo constante desenvolvimento do DIMA, fazendo surgir, assim, a tentativa de se explicarem novos institutos jurídicos. A presente dissertação pretende demonstrar que a soberania e a proteção do meio ambiente não são conceitos antagônicos, ao contrário, são fundamentos que se apresentam interligados, uma vez que a proteção do meio ambiente é uma das funções primordiais do Estado soberano, revelado pelo bem-estar de seu povo. Assim, o conceito de soberania deveria ser repensado, uma vez que o axioma clássico de soberania atrelada à característica da supremacia do Estado, atualmente, tem prejudicado, no âmbito interno e externo aos Estados, a efetiva e concreta aplicação das normas do DIMA, objetivando-se assim proteger o meio ambiente. / Currently, sovereignty is still regarded as a supreme power which qualifies each nation before others. However, with the development of International Environmental Law over the last decades, the responsibility of each sovereign state became a responsibility of the entire international community regarding environmental protection. Consequently, nations can no longer justify the ineffectiveness of the environmental protection within their own territory by claiming the supreme exercise of their sovereignty. The international community has been facing difficulties that result from the governability crisis, discrepancies and the self-centered goals set by nations. There is a tension between the effective environmental protection at the international level and the supposed barrier of state sovereignty. Such tension is grounded in traditional principles that can no longer meet the demands for increasingly more complex responses under International Environmental Law, which brings forth an attempt to explain new legal institutes. This work aims to demonstrate that sovereignty and environmental protection are not opposing concepts, rather, they are interconnected concepts, since environmental protection is one of the primary functions of a sovereign state, expressed by the welfare of its people. Thus, since the classical axiom of sovereignty, linked to the characteristic of the states supremacy, has undermined the effective implementation of the rules of International Environmental Law, both internally and externally, the concept of sovereignty should be rethought, with the aim of protecting the environment.

A presente dissertação tem como objetivo o estudo da situação jurídica do Ártico perante o direito internacional público, o que nos leva tanto à análise dos regimes jurídicos internacionais aplicáveis quanto à sua eventual coordenação e aplicação por um ente jurídico internacional de cooperação próprio, o Conselho do Ártico. Para tanto, teremos como referenciais paradigmáticos o direito internacional dos espaços e o direito internacional do meio ambiente. Sendo assim, iniciamos apresentando uma série de categorias jurídicas fundamentais a fim de elucidar o estudo proposto. Entre tais categorias jurídicas, a de território e a de espaços internacionais (direito internacional dos espaços), por um lado, e a de espaço ambiental internacional e a de área de interesse comum da humanidade (direito internacional do meio ambiente) são as mais importantes. Em seguida, analisamos o Ártico perante o direito internacional dos espaços, levando em consideração os seus dois domínios principais, o terrestre e o marítimo. No capítulo posterior, abordamos o Ártico perante o direito internacional do meio ambiente, por meio da identificação e estudo dos principais tratados aplicáveis ao ecossistema ártico. Com isso, no último capítulo, analisamos como esse complexo normativo internacional e a particular situação jurídica do Ártico são recepcionados pelo Conselho do Ártico. Por fim, concluímos com a nossa classificação da situação jurídica do Ártico, bem como o modelo do conjunto de normas jurídicas internacionais incidentes sobre o mesmo / The present dissertation aims at studying the legal status of the Arctic under international law which lead us both to the study of the applicable international legal régimes as well as its eventual coordination and application by a specific international legal entity of cooperation, the Arctic Council. For that reason, the study will be carried on using two paradigmatic references: international law of spaces and international environmental law. This being so, we initiate by introducing an array of fundamental legal institutions with the purpose of the clarifying the proposed study. Among such legal institutions the most important are territory and international area (international law of spaces), on the one hand, and international environmental area as well as common concern of mankind (international environmental law), on the other hand. Afterwards we analyze the Arctic under the international law of the spaces bearing in mind its two main dominions, the terrestrial and the maritime. In the following chapter we study the Arctic under the international environmental law by identifying the main treaties applicable to its ecosystem. In the last chapter we study how this normative international set of rules as well as the legal status of the Arctic are Arctic Council. At the end of this dissertation point out our classification to the legal status of the Arctic and to the array of international legal rules applicable to it.

Os órgãos que compõem o Sistema de Solução de Controvérsias da OMC possuem competência para analisar reclamações fundadas nos denominados acordos abrangidos e formular conclusões e recomendações sobre a conformidade das medidas impugnadas com os referidos acordos. Para interpretar as disposições destes acordos, estes órgãos podem recorrer às regras costumeiras de interpretação previstas na Convenção de Viena sobre o Direito dos Tratados de 1969. Estas regras de interpretação, por sua vez, permitem àqueles órgãos recorrer a espécies normativas produzidas fora do contexto da OMC como subsídios para esclarecer o sentido dos termos das disposições dos acordos abrangidos. Ao se valer destas espécies normativas, os referidos órgãos estarão também, inevitavelmente, interpretando as disposições destes. Nesse contexto, esta pesquisa teve por objetivo analisar de que forma as espécies normativas tradicionais de Direito Internacional do Meio Ambiente (convenções, costumes e princípios gerais de direito) foram interpretadas pelos órgãos do OSC em três casos escolhidos para representar o problema. Os resultados da análise dos casos demonstraram que espécies normativas do Direito Internacional do Meio Ambiente são efetivamente admitidas no processo interpretativo dos acordos abrangidos, o que pode se dar de forma vinculante ou não, bem como podem influenciar efetivamente na interpretação destes acordos, confirmando-lhes o significado ou lhes atribuindo um significado não explícito, embora as conclusões desta interpretação nem sempre resultem em posicionamentos totalmente favoráveis às medidas unilaterais adotadas pelos Membros da OMC a título de preocupação ambiental. / The organs that make up the dispute settlement system of the WTO have power to examine complaints founded in so-called covered agreements and formulate conclusions and recommendations on the compliance of the contested measures with the agreements. To interpret the provisions of these agreements, these organs may make use of interpretation customary rules of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969. These rules of interpretation, in turn, allow those organs resort to normative species produced outside the context of WTO as subsidies to clarify the meaning of the terms of the provisions of the covered agreements. By borrowing these normative species, those bodies will also inevitably interpreting the provisions of these. In this context, this study aimed to examine how traditional normative species of International Law of the Environment (conventions, customs and general principles of law) were interpreted by the DSB organs in three cases chosen to represent the problem. The case analysis results showed that normative species of International Law of the Environment are effectively admitted in the interpretive process of the covered agreements, which can occur in binding or not, and can effectively influence the interpretation of these agreements, confirming them the meaning or assigning them a no explicit meaning, although the conclusions of this interpretation does not always result in favorable positions to fully unilateral measures adopted by WTO Members in respect of environmental concern.

Climate change is the greatest environmental international problem facing the world today. This paper begins with a review of the climate change regime to date showing the mistakes that were made leading to failure in Copenhagen. It looks at China’s unique position in the international community and concludes that a meaningful climate change solution is not possible without China’s participation. It examines the concepts of CBDR and fairness to determine whether it is fair for the world to demand China’s participation. It looks at characteristics which should be present in a fair climate change solution, and concludes with a brief look at international trade law to determine what alternatives would be available to a coalition of willing states to encourage China’s participation in a global solution or, in a worst case scenario, to form an effective solution without China’s willing participation.