New Book Available:
Environmental Impact Assessment in the Arctic
A Study of International Legal Norms
By Timo Koivurova
To order a copy of this book see the Ashgate Publishing website:
http//www.ashgate.com
Environmental Impact Assessment in the Arctic presents a probing
examination of the norms of international law that apply to the planning
stage of large-scale activities such as hydro-carbon exploitation,
mineral extraction and forestry. These stationary activities, i.e. those
that are intended to remain at a single location for a period of time,
pose grave threats to the Arctic environment, since the development of
technology has made it profitable to exploit natural resources even in
such harsh regions. While the norms that regulate the situation as it
applies to environmentally harmful stationary activities can be
categorized as, in the main, belonging to international environmental
law, international human rights law and international minority rights
law are also relevant. As well as outlining the establishment of the
Arctic Council, involving Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, the
USA, Canada and the Russian Federation, which established a strategy for
the protection of the Arctic environment and examining how the
cooperation process is working, the book also takes a detailed look at
the influential Espoo Convention.
Contents
Introduction: Approach of the Thesis; Structure of the Thesis. The Legal
Status of the Arctic as a Physical Space: Territorial Sovereignty over
the physical space of the Arctic; Areas of jurisdictional competence in
the Arctic waters; The overlapping claims of states to physical space in
the Arctic; International areas. Intentional Norm-Making in
International Law: The Case of Arctic Cooperation: The Arctic
cooperation process; The creation of contractual rules in international
law; Problems related to the legal status of instruments adopted in the
Arctic cooperation process; Conclusion. Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) Norms in the Arctic: Introduction to the EIA procedure; EIA in the
arctic conditions; EIA obligations on the national environmental
protection systems of the Arctic states; EIA norms in transboundary
context; EIA norms in transboundary watercourses; EIA norms in
international areas; Conclusion on the EIA norms in the Arctic; EIA
norms in action in the Arctic: the case of the Vuotos reservoir.
Transboundary EIA in the Arctic: The development of the idea of a
transboundary EIA procedure; The Espoo convention; Conclusion.
Concluding Remarks. Index.
Reviews
'This book presents an in-depth and comprehensive discussion of the
legal issues relating to the protection of the Arctic environment. In
particular, it provides a thorough analysis of environmental impact
assessment norms. Students and researchers of international and
environmental law, and international lawyers dealing with Arctic issues,
will certainly find the book to be most useful.' Dr Tuomas Kuokkanen,
University of Helsinki, Finland
'The high level attained by this work, the topical nature of his
research, the comprehensive manner in which the topic addressed by it
has been analyzed, as well as the balanced conclusions reached in it,
make it a useful contribution to existing knowledge in this discipline.'
Dr Erik Franckx, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Further Information
Affiliation: Timo Koivurova, Northern Institute for Environmental and
Minority Law, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland
ISBN: 0 7546 2283 5
Published by Ashgate Publishing 2002
http//www.ashgate.com
Publication Date: 09/2002
Number of Pages: 450 pages
Binding: Hardback
Binding Options: Available in Hardback only
Book Size: 219 x 153 mm
British Library Reference: 341.7'62'091632
Library of Congress Reference: 2002103984