Ottinger, Richard L.

This volume is a companion to The Law of Energy for Sustainable Development. Here the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law assembles for the first time a volume of legal instruments which can be recognized as constituting the core of the law of energy for sustainable development. This volume will be an essential reference for all those involved in environmental and energy research.

The research focus for the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law in 2003 was a timely and challenging one, entitled 'The Law of Energy for Sustainable Development'. As contemporary world politics demonstrates, energy resources and generation are crucial issues facing the international community. As research on energy law, at the international, regional, and national level is in its infancy, the insights provided by the contributors to this volume are a significant addition to the field.

Energy has recently emerged at the forefront of sustainable development. The United Nations Development Programme’s World Energy Assessment (2000) linked energy and most of the ills of modern society in both developed and developing countries. The World Summit on Sustainable Development selected energy as one of its five major agenda issues, devising a Plan of Implementation emphasising the role of energy in eradicating poverty.