International Water Law - Volume IV Selected Documents Concerning the International Rivers, Transboundary Groundwaters, Lakes and other Natural Resources- Regional Issues: Europe

by Tofan, Claudia; Strambu, Simona

• ISBN13: 9789058508034
• ISBN10: 905850803X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-31
• Publisher: International Courts Association

Summary

Water is essential not only to individual humans, but also to human societies. Yet potable water is an increasingly scarce resource, particularly when viewed against the backdrop of an expanding global population, changing water technologies, and the prospect of global climate change.The world's 261 international river basins, covering 45 percent of Earth's land surface (excluding Antarctica), are shared by more than one nation. Even the most cordial and cooperative of neighboring nations have found it difficult to achieve mutually acceptable arrangements to govern their transboundary surface waters, even in relatively humid regions where fresh water usually is found in sufficient abundance to satisfy most or all needs. Therefore water law is a very important international topic of legislation. The UN has held several important conventions on water law. They set many new standards in international water law, such as the "no-harm rule," and equitable utilization. This collection discusses those UN rules, but also gives a complete overview on several other sources of international law concerning water. Is provides an in-depth study of several issues that arise when making a legal framework on this boundary crossing phenomenon.