Environmental Justice and the Rights of Unborn and Future Generations: Law, Environmental Harm and the Right to Health

Description

The traditional concept of social justice is increasingly being challenged by the notion of a humankind that spans current and future generations. This book, with a foreword by Roger Brownsword, is the first systematic examination of how the rights of the unborn and future generations are handled in common law and under international legal instruments. It provides comprehensive coverage of the arguments over international legal instruments, key legal cases and examples including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, industrial disasters, clean water provision, diet, HIV/AIDS, environmental racism and climate change. Also covered are international agreements and objectives as diverse as the Kyoto Protocol, the Millennium Development Goals and international trade. The result is the most controversial and thorough examination to date of the subject and the enormous ramifications and challenges it poses to every aspect of international and domestic environmental, human rights, trade and public health law and policy.

Laura Westra is Professor Emerita (Philosophy), University of Windsor, PhD in Law, Osgoode Hall Law School and Adjunct Professor of Social Science, York University, Canada.

'Laura Westra's book is a welcome addition to the growing body of work on environmental jurisprudence and the link to social justice' Elizabeth May, Executive Director, Sierra Club of Canada 'If outrage against social injustice galvanizes your life, Laura Westra's magisterial Environmental Justice and the Rights of Unborn and Future Generations is the single book you must read and use this year' Robert Goodland, former Chief Environmental Adviser to the World Bank Group 'Westra brings another important interdisciplinary perspective on this topic.' Journal of Human Rights