Table Of ContentEnvironmental Rights
The International Library of Essays on Rights
Series Editor: Tom Campbell
Titles in the Series:
Sexuality and Rights Genocide and Human Rights
Nicholas Bamforth Mark Lattimer
Disability Rights Animal Rights
Peter Blanck Clare Palmer
Democratic Rights Gender and Rights
Corey Brettschneider Deborah L. Rhode and Carol Sanger
The Right to a Fair Trial Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Thorn Brooks Manisuli Ssenyonjo
Global Minority Rights Health Rights
Joshua Castellino Michael J. Selgelid and Thomas Pogge
Indigenous Rights Citizenship Rights
Anthony J. Connolly JoShaw
Civil Rights and Security Theories of Rights
David Dyzenhaus C.L. Ten
Language and Cultural Rights Bills of Rights
Leslie Green Mark Tushnet
Group Rights Environmental Rights
Peter Jones Steve Vanderheiden
Human Rights and Corporations
David Kinley
Environmental Rights
Edited by
Steve Vanderheiden
University of Colorado at Boulder, USA
~~ ~~o~;J;n~~:up
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2012 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint oft he Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © Steve Vanderheiden 2012. For copyright of individual articles please refer to the
Acknowledgements.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only
for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Environmental rights. -(The international library of
essays on rights)
1. Environmental law. 2. Human rights.
I. Series II. Vanderheiden, Steve.
344'.046--dc23
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011945787
ISBN 9781409422969 (hbk)
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Series Preface ix
Introduction xi
PART I HUMAN RIGHTS: GENERAL
Francis 0. Adeola (2001), 'Environmental Injustice and Human Rights Abuse:
The States, MNCs, and Repression of Minority Groups in the World System',
Human Ecology Review, 8, pp. 39-59. 3
2 Jeremy Waldron (1987), 'Can Communal Goods be Human Rights?', European
Journal ofSociology, 28, pp. 296-322. 25
3 James Nickel and Daniel Magraw (2010), 'Philosophical Issues in International
Environmental Law', in Samantha Besson and John Tassioulas (eds), The
Philosophy of International Law, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 453-71. 53
PART II HUMAN RIGHTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
4 Paul Baer, with Tom Athanasiou, Sivan Kartha and Eric Kemp-Benedict (2009),
'Greenhouse Development Rights: A Proposal for a Fair Global Climate Treaty',
Ethics, Policy and Environment, 12, pp. 267-81. 75
5 Derek Bell (20 II), 'Does Anthropogenic Climate Change Violate Human Rights?',
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 14, pp. 99-124. 91
6 Simon Caney (2007), 'Human Rights, Responsibilities, and Climate Change', in
C.R. Beitz and R.E. Goodin (eds), Global Basic Rights, Oxford: Oxford University
Press,pp.227-47. 117
7 Tim Hayward (2007), 'Human Rights Versus Emissions Rights: Climate Justice
and the Equitable Distribution of Ecological Space', Ethics and International
Affairs, 21, pp. 431-50. 139
8 Stephen Humphreys (2009), 'Competing Claims: Human Rights and Climate
Harms', in Stephen Humphreys ( ed.), Human Rights and Climate Change,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 37-68. 159
9 Henry Shue (2011), 'Human Rights, Climate Change, and the Trillionth Ton', in
D.G. Arnold (ed.), The Ethics of Global Climate Change, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, pp. 292-314. 191
10 Steve Vanderheiden (2008), 'Climate Change, Environmental Rights, and
Emission Shares', in Steve Vanderheiden (ed.), Political Theory and Global
Climate Change, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 43-66. 215
vi Environmental Rights
PART III RIGHTS OF NONHUMANS, ENVIRONMENT AND FUTURITY
11 Joel Feinberg (1980), 'The Rights of Animals and Unborn Generations', in Rights,
Justice, and the Bounds of Liberty: Essays in Social Philosophy, Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, pp. 159-83. 241
12 James A. Nash (1993), 'The Case for Biotic Rights', Yale Journal of International
Law, 18,pp.235-49. 267
13 Christopher D. Stone (1972), 'Should Trees Have Legal Standing?-Toward Legal
Rights for Natural Objects', Southern California Law Review, 45, pp. 450-50 I. 283
14 Axel Gosseries (2008), 'On Future Generations' Future Rights', Journal of
Political Philosophy, 16, pp. 446-74. 335
15 Richard P. Hiskes (2005), 'The Right to a Green Future: Human Rights,
Environmentalism, and lntergenerational Justice', Human Rights Quarterly, 27,
pp. 1346-64. 365
16 Edith Brown Weiss (1990), 'Our Rights and Obligations to Future Generations for
the Environment', American Journal of International Law, 84, pp. 198-207. 385
17 Clark Wolf (1995), 'Contemporary Property Rights, Lockean Provisos, and the
Interests of Future Generations', Ethics, 105, pp. 791-818. 395
PART IV RIGHTS TO A SAFE ENVIRONMENT
18 John Y. Pearson, Jr (1970), 'Toward a Constitutionally Protected Environment',
Virginia Law Review, 56, pp. 458-86. 425
19 Christopher Miller (1995), 'Environmental Rights: European Fact or English
Fiction?', Journal of Law and Society, 22, pp. 374-97. 455
20 Holmes Rolston Ill (1993), 'Rights and Responsibilities on the Home Planet',
Yale Journal of International Law, 18, pp. 251-79. 479
21 Dinah Shelton (1991-92), 'Human Rights, Environmental Rights, and the Right
to Environment', Stanford Journal of International Law, 28, pp. I 03-38. 509
N arne Index 545
Acknowledgements
The editor and publishers wish to thank the following for permission to use copyright material.
Jean T. Blackstone for the essay: Joel Feinberg ( 1980), 'The Rights of Animals and Unborn
Generations', in Rights, Justice, and the Bounds of Liberty: Essays in Social Philosophy,
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 159-83. Originally published in William
Blackstone (ed.), Philosophy and the Environmental Crisis, Athens, GA: University of
Georgia Press. Copyright© 1974 William Blackstone & University of Georgia Press.
Cambridge University Press for the essays: Tim Hayward (2007), 'Human Rights Versus
Emissions Rights: Climate Justice and the Equitable Distribution of Ecological Space', Ethics
and International Affairs, 21, pp. 431-50; Stephen Humphreys (2009), 'Competing Claims:
Human Rights and Climate Harms', in Stephen Humphreys ( ed. ), Human Rights and Climate
Change, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 37-68; Henry Shue (2011), 'Human
Rights, Climate Change, and the Trillionth Ton', in D.G. Arnold (ed.), The Ethics ofGlobal
Climate Change, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 292-314.
Copyright Clearance Center for the essays: Francis 0. Adeola (200 I), 'Environmental Injustice
and Human Rights Abuse: The States, MNCs, and Repression of Minority Groups in the
World System', Human Ecology Review, 8, pp. 39-59. Copyright© 2001 Society for Human
Ecology; Edith Brown Weiss (1990), 'Our Rights and Obligations to Future Generations
for the Environment', American Journal of International Law, 84, pp. 198-207. Copyright
© 1990 American Society of International Law; John Y. Pearson, Jr (1970), 'Toward a
Constitutionally Protected Environment', Virginia Law Review, 56, pp. 458-86. Copyright
© 1970 Virginia Law Review; Dinah Shelton (1991-92), 'Human Rights, Environmental
Rights, and the Right to Environment', Stanford Journal of International Law, 28, pp. 103-
38. Copyright© 1991-92 Stanford Journal of International Law.
European Journal of Sociology for the essay: Jeremy Waldron (1987), 'Can Communal Goods
be Human Rights?', European Journal of Sociology, 28, pp. 296-322. Copyright © 1987
AES.
John Wiley & Sons for the essays: Axel Gosseries (2008), 'On Future Generations' Future
Rights', Journal of Political Philosophy, 16, pp. 446-74. Copyright© 2008 Axel Gosseries
and Blackwell; Christopher Miller (1995), 'Environmental Rights: European Fact or English
Fiction?', Journal ofL aw and Society, 22, pp. 374-97. Copyright© 1995 Blackwell Publishers
Ltd.
Johns Hopkins University Press for the essay: Richard P. Hiskes (2005), 'The Right to a Green
Future: Human Rights, Environmentalism, and Intergenerational Justice', Human Rights
Quarterly, 27, pp. 1346-64. Copyright© 2005 Johns Hopkins University Press.
viii Environmental Rights
MIT Press for the essay: Steve Vanderheiden (2008), 'Climate Change, Environmental Rights,
and Emissions Shares', in Steve Vanderheiden ( ed. ), Political Theory and Global Climate
Change, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 43--66. Copyright © 2008 Massachusetts Institute
of Technology.
Oxford University Press for the essays: James Nickel and Daniel Magraw (2010),
'Philosophical Issues in International Environmental Law', in Samantha Besson and John
Tassioulas (eds), The Philosophy of International Law, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.
453-71. Copyright© 2010 James Nickel and Daniel Magraw; Simon Caney (2007), 'Human
Rights, Responsibilities, and Climate Change', in C.R. Beitz and R.E. Goodin (eds), Global
Basic Rights, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 227--47. Copyright© 2007 Simon Caney.
Taylor & Francis Group for the essays: Paul Baer, with Tom Athanasiou, Sivan Kartha and
Eric Kemp-Benedict (2009), 'Greenhouse Development Rights: A Proposal for a Fair Global
Climate Treaty', Ethics, Policy and Environment, 12, pp. 267-81. Copyright© 2009 Taylor &
Francis; Derek Bell (2011), 'Does Anthropogenic Climate Change Violate Human Rights?',
Critical Review ofI nternational Social and Political Philosophy, 14, pp. 99-124. Copyright
© 2011 Taylor & Francis.
University of Chicago Press for the essay: Clark Wolf (I 995), 'Contemporary Property
Rights, Lockean Provisos, and the Interests of Future Generations', Ethics, 105, pp. 791-818.
Copyright© 1995 University of Chicago.
Yale Journal oflnternational Law for the essays: James A. Nash (1993), 'The Case for Biotic
Rights', Yale Journal of International Law, 18, pp. 235--49; Holmes Rolston III (1993),
'Rights and Responsibilities on the Home Planet', Yale Journal ofI nternational Law, 18, pp.
251-79.
Every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently
overlooked the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangement at the first
opportunity.
Series Preface
Much of contemporary moral, political and legal discourse is conducted in terms of rights and
increasingly in terms of human rights. Yet there is considerable disagreement about the nature
of rights, their foundations and their practical implications and more concrete controversies as
to the content, scope and force and particular rights. Consequently the discourse of rights calls
for extensive analysis in its general meaning and significance, particularly in relation to the
nature, location of content of the duties and responsibilities that correlate with rights. Equally
important is the determination of the forms of argument that are appropriate to establish
whether or not someone or some group has or has not a particular right, and what that might
entail in practice.
This series brings together essays that exhibit careful analysis of the concept of rights
and detailed knowledge of specific rights and the variety of systems of rights articulation,
interpretation, protection and enforcement. Volumes deal with general philosophical and
practical issues about different sorts of rights, taking account of international human rights,
regional rights conventions and regimes, and domestic bills of rights, as well as the moral and
political literature concerning the articulation and implementation of rights.
The volumes are intended to assist those engaged in scholarly research by making available
the most important and enduring essays on particular topics. Essays are reproduced in full
with the original pagination for ease of reference and citation.
The editors are selected for their eminence in the study of law, politics and philosophy.
Each volume represents the editor's selection of the most seminal recent essays in English
on an aspect of rights or on rights in a particular field. An introduction presents an overview
of the issues in that particular area of rights together with comments on the background and
significance of the selected essays.
TOM CAMPBELL
Series Editor
Professorial Fellow, The Centrefor Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE),
Charles Sturt University, Canberra
