ABSTRACT

This book presents an overview of the field of environmental law and policies within the European Union, from theoretical foundations to major issues and applied governance solutions.

Drawing on expertise from renowned academics and practitioners from different disciplines, EU Environmental Governance: Current and Future Challenges helps readers to understand the main legal, political and economic issues of environmental protection since the adoption of the Paris Agreement by the European Union in 2015, until the 2020 Brexit, European Green Deal and coronavirus outbreak. The authors examine a broad range of sensitive and topical environmental issues including climate change, air pollution, waste management and circular economy, nuclear waste, biodiversity, agriculture, chemicals, nanotechnology, the environmental impacts of trade and environmental conflicts, presenting both current insights and future challenges. Overall, this volume exposes the reader to a vast array of empirical case studies, which will bolster their training and help tackle the environmental challenges faced by Europe today.

This book is a valuable resource for students, researchers and policymakers across a broad range of fields, including environmental law and policies, environmental economics, climate science and environmental sociology.

chapter |11 pages

Introduction

EU environmental governance: current and future challenges

part I|42 pages

EU climate policy and air quality

chapter 1|19 pages

An update on EU climate policy

Recent developments and expectations

part II|43 pages

Waste management

chapter 3|22 pages

The dilemma of EU waste policy and circular economy

Deconstructing the environmental regulation of an electronic tablet

chapter 4|19 pages

The European governance of radioactive waste

A story of stakeholders’ involvement

part III|47 pages

Agriculture

part IV|38 pages

Chemicals and nanotechnology

chapter 7|16 pages

EU chemicals regulation

A systematic approach to tackling complexity

chapter 8|20 pages

EU environmental risk regulation

QSAR models for chemicals and nanotechnology governance?

part V|48 pages

Reconciling environmental concerns with market imperatives

chapter 9|20 pages

At the crossroads of trade and environment

The growing influence of environmental policy on EU trade law

chapter |9 pages

Conclusions