Towards a "second Generation" in Environmental Laws in the Asian and Pacific Region: Select Trends

The IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) is proud to present this compilation of thought pieces from experts belonging both to the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) and the IUCN Environmental Law Centre, both part of the ELP -- the world's leading environmental law network. The strong involvement of CEL members from North and Southeast Asia and Oceania in the symposium that led to this publication, and in its preparation, is a particularly pleasing feature of this initiative.While we continue to strive towards the improvement of the first generation of environmental laws and their effective implementation, our rapidly changing world also requires us to excite some critical thinking about the second generation of environmental laws. The symposium was an attempt to fuel discussion on what we have achieved with the first generation, what we need to do for the second generation, and how we can bridge these two generations. Through this book we have attempted to capture the provoking thoughts raised during the symposium, which recent developments have validated to be pressing concerns for the world.The articles cover a broad range of issues that are of interest, especially to the Japanese audience for which the symposium was designed, but also to the broader regional and international community. They examine the issues from the national, regional, and international perspectives, and focus not only on State action, but also on the contributions of a regional financial institution, the Asian Development Bank, which has been a staunch supporter of the ELP's capacity building programme in the Asian and Pacific region.