The International Law of Environmental Impact Assessment: Process, Substance and Integration

by Neil Craik

• ISBN13: 9780521879453
• ISBN10: 0521879450
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-17
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The central idea animating environmental impact assessment (EIA) is that decisions affecting the environment should be made through a comprehensive evaluation of predicted impacts. Notwithstanding their evaluative mandate, EIA processes do not impose specific environmental standards, but rely on the creation of open, participatory and information rich decision-making settings to bring about environmentally benign outcomes. In light of this tension between process and substance, Neil Craik assesses whether EIA, as a method of implementing international environmental law, is a sound policy strategy, and how international EIA commitments structure transnational interactions in order to influence decisions affecting the international environment. Through a comprehensive description of international EIA commitments and their implementation with domestic and transnational governance structures, and drawing on specific examples of transnational EIA processes, the author examines how international EIA commitments can facilitate interest coordination, and provide opportunities for persuasion and for the internalization of international environmental norms.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Table of cases	p. xiii
Table of international instruments	p. xvi
Introduction
Introduction and overview	p. 3
EIAs and the process and substance of international law	p. 3
Proceduralism, transnationalism and integration	p. 6
EIAs and compliance	p. 11
Overview	p. 14
Method	p. 16
Background norms
Domestic origins of international EIA commitments	p. 23
Introduction	p. 23
Elements of domestic EIA processes	p. 25
Domestic EIA structure: process and substance	p. 34
The roles of domestic EIA processes	p. 37
EIA in developing countries	p. 42
Application of domestic EIA beyond the state	p. 45
Conclusion	p. 51
EIAs and general principles of international environmental law	p. 54
Introduction	p. 54
Nondiscrimination	p. 55
The harm principle	p. 59
The duty to cooperate	p. 68
The proceduralization of the harm principle	p. 72
Sustainable development	p. 77
Conclusion	p. 82
EIA commitments in international law
Sources of international EIA commitments	p. 87
Introduction	p. 87
Explicit EIA commitments	p. 90
Formally non-binding instruments	p. 90
MEAs as a source of international EIA	p. 96
EIA guideline documents	p. 105
International organizations	p. 108
EIA and interstate disputes	p. 111
Customary obligations to perform EIAs	p. 120
Elaboration of existing EIA commitments	p. 126
Conclusion	p. 129
The structure of international EIA commitments	p. 132
Introduction	p. 132
Screening	p. 133
Scoping and the contents of EIA reports	p. 139
Notification and consultation	p. 141
Public participation	p. 146
Final decisions	p. 150
Post-project monitoring	p. 153
Strategic environmental assessment	p. 155
Implementation	p. 159
Conclusion	p. 161
Determinants of international EIA commitments	p. 161
Structure of EIA commitments	p. 167
The role of EIA commitments in international law
EIAs and compliance	p. 175
Introduction	p. 175
Implementation, compliance and effectiveness	p. 178
Process-oriented compliance models	p. 182
The managerial model	p. 182
Transnational legal process	p. 187
Legitimacy and compliance	p. 189
Process values: transparency, participation and discursiveness	p. 194
Transparency	p. 194
Participation	p. 196
Discursiveness	p. 198
EIAs as transnational legal processes	p. 200
Substantive values: normativity and context	p. 208
Standards and norms in EIA processes	p. 209
Context and EIAs	p. 212
Science as a normative influence	p. 216
Conclusion	p. 225
EIAs, interests and legitimacy	p. 228
Introduction	p. 228
EIAs and interest-coordination	p. 229
EIAs and interest-transformation	p. 235
EIAs and legitimacy	p. 244
Conclusion	p. 251
Conclusion
EIAs and the process and substance of international environmental law	p. 257
Introduction	p. 257
Proceduralism, transnationalism and integration in international environmental governance	p. 258
Process-oriented approaches and EIAs	p. 267
Proceduralization as a form of governance	p. 271
The effectiveness of international EIA commitments	p. 274
Conclusion: an action-forcing mechanism for international environmental law	p. 279
Appendices
List of international instruments containing EIA commitments	p. 283
Espoo Convention	p. 294
Antarctic Protocol, Annex I	p. 309
Bibliography	p. 313
Index	p. 327
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