This chapter provides an economic perspective of environmental law and policy with regard to both normative and positive dimensions. It begins with an examination of the central problem in environmental regulation: the tendency of pollution generators in an unconstrained market economy to...

Despite the fact that “heavy skies” (gravioris caeli) have been identified and legally classified as a serious concern since ancient times, air pollution still leads to millions of avoidable deaths and significantly impacts the climate. Today more than ever, the protection of people and a...

Across the globe, renewable energy policy is changing. The change is coming so quickly that it appears the world is now on the cusp of a new future. The renewable energy policy of the past is on its way out; a new and different policy is taking its place. That new policy has different end goals,...

Although a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol has not materialised yet, the 2009 Copenhagen meeting underlined the importance of China in international debates on climate and energy. This is not only based on China’s current climate emissions, but also on its expected energy use and economic...

The climate change problem forces the government to implement a policy protecting its society and economy against the possible damage that might be caused by changing weather conditions. At the same time, it can be questioned to what extent citizens are able to (and should) take responsibility...

Promotion of renewable energy has become one important priority in the political agenda worldwide. However, financing of renewable energy projects, especially the small-scale ones, is not always streamlined and banks may not always be willing to invest in such projects. This fact is accentuated...

This paper asks whether the European Union's (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme has encouraged investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in developing countries. So far, it has produced very little investment in either in spite of the EU's decision to allow credits for projects...

Drastic reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are needed in order to mitigate the effects of climate change. The European Union (EU), a leader in climate change mitigation, has adopted an ambitious strategy to achieve its mitigation goal. A piece of this strategy is the Renewable Energy...

According to WHO data, NCDs account for nearly 86% of deaths and 77% of the disease burden in Europe. These alarming rates have led the European Union to progressively acknowledge the impact of NCDs on the EU’s economy and the well-being of its citizens. Thus, despite its limited competence in...

The EU environmental policy is challenged by current international development (withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate accord, melting of the Arctic, changes in climate, extreme weather events), the sustainable development policy agenda and also by public pressure. The interest of the...