Courts

Illegal killing and trade is a major threat to wildlife particularly in Africa. The current levels of elephant and rhino poaching are the highest in decades driven by burgeoning demand for ivory. East African countries, especially Tanzania, are increasingly implicated as source or transit countries for illegal ivory and rhino horn.

How can we guarantee a right to life or a right to health without also guaranteeing a decent environment in which to exercise these rights? It is becoming increasingly obvious that a high quality environment is key to the fundamental human rights of life and health, and associated rights such as the right to clean water, adequate housing, and food. This book canvasses a range of law and policy issues concerning human rights and the environment.

Environmental law has failed us all. This book exposes what is wrong with environmental law and offers transformational change based on the public trust doctrine. An ancient and enduring principle, the trust doctrine asserts public property rights to crucial resources. Its core logic compels government, as trustee, to protect natural inheritance such as air and water for all humanity.