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Green Energy Transition in China: Legal Challenges and Responses to the New Power System and Energy Internet (International Law in Asia)
by Haifeng DengThis book contributes to the scholarly and policy debate about China’s ongoing and increasingly ambitious strategies and actions in its pursuit of the green energy transition. Transitioning to a greener and more sustainable economy has become a shared policy priority worldwide in response to existential challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation. After decades of unprecedented industrialization and economic growth at the expense of the environment, this green energy transition now tops China’s development agenda. Indeed, China already has years of experience advancing climate policies and institutional and regulatory mechanisms at home and is already a major player in advocating cooperation on climate actions internationally. At the same time, the development of new electrical power systems and the energy internet in China has been shaped not only by China’s overarching economic development goals and plans but also by its international engagements and commitments, with the involvement of a diverse range of stakeholders and driving forces. This book focuses on exploring the Legal challenges encountered in the development of China's new power system and energy internet, and takes the power grid enterprises that are at the core of the energy Internet value chain as the hub to deeply explore the role of key players in China's green energy transformation in the evolution of China's climate policies and actions.
Green Events and Green Tourism: An International Guide to Good Practice
by Emma Nolan Hugues SeraphinAs the appetite for leisure travel and events continues to grow at an exponential rate, the impact on the environment and local communities is becoming an increasing concern, not least by the users of the services. Green approaches to tourism and events are growing in popularity and present an opportunity to both identify solutions to significant environmental and societal problems and new approaches to business. <P><P>Green Events and Green Tourism looks at key frameworks, guidelines, principles and benchmarks that support the application of sustainability in practice. The five sections of the book cover themes of governance, accreditation, certification, innovation, priorities, trends, ambitions and consumer behaviour, and the chapters include examples of best practice in the organisation of music and arts festivals, special interest tourism, the green management of outdoor sites and the management of sports events. Readers will benefit from insightful case studies from around the globe.
Green Finance Instruments, FinTech, and Investment Strategies: Sustainable Portfolio Management in the Post-COVID Era (Sustainable Finance)
by Ahmed Elsayed Nader NaifarIn the COVID 19 post-pandemic era, sustainable financial systems are increasingly getting the attention they deserve, and policymakers are now moving toward investment and financing decisions based on sustainable development. Green finance plays an important role in mobilizing financial resources and hedging against environmental risk to achieve financially sustainable systems. Moreover, green financial instruments offer viable alternatives for investors and regulators with regard to portfolio management and risk minimization. Over the last few years, financial technology (FinTech) has grown to become one of the most topical areas in the global financial services industry. The development of distributed ledger technology, big data, smart contracts, peer-to-peer lending platforms, biometrics, and new digital has sparked innovation in the financial services industry and the development of new financing and investment strategies. The combination of sustainability and FinTech can help policymakers to achieve ESG targets when making investment and financing decisions. This book showcases a collection of recent advances in green finance and FinTech and explores their impact in achieving sustainable finance, investment strategy-making, and portfolio management. Presenting theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical studies in the field of green finance and FinTech, it offers a valuable asset for academics, professionals, policymakers, regulators, and investors who want to understand in-depth the impact of green finance and FinTech on future investment and financing strategies in the post-pandemic era.
Green Finance and Energy Transition: Innovation, Legal Frameworks and Regulation (Contributions to Finance and Accounting)
by Nadia Mansour Lorenzo M. Bujosa VadellEconomic models must evolve to avoid irreversible consequences for our planet in the face of climate change. The question is: How can we provide a growing population with access to affordable, viable energy while preserving our environment? Green finance is a pivotal concept that guides financial actions and operations toward fostering the energy transition and combating global warming. Finance, a key player in resource allocation, now incorporates an environmental dimension alongside the pursuit of economic profitability, setting it apart from 'traditional' finance. This book presents methods to provide a framework for financial transactions, support sustainable development, combat global warming, and enhance the transparency of financial product providers.
Green Governance
by David Bollier Burns H. WestonThe vast majority of the world's scientists agree: we have reached a point in history where we are in grave danger of destroying Earth's life-sustaining capacity. But our attempts to protect natural ecosystems are increasingly ineffective because our very conception of the problem is limited; we treat "the environment" as its own separate realm, taking for granted prevailing but outmoded conceptions of economics, national sovereignty, and international law. Green Governance is a direct response to the mounting calls for a paradigm shift in the way humans relate to the natural environment. It opens the door to a new set of solutions by proposing a compelling new synthesis of environmental protection based on broader notions of economics and human rights and on commons-based governance. Going beyond speculative abstractions, the book proposes a new architecture of environmental law and public policy that is as practical as it is theoretically sound.
Green Growth: Learning By Doing in East Asia and Europe
by Joseph Sarkis Diego A. Vazquez-BrustThis volume is a practical guide that helps the reader build a quick, evidence-based understanding of green-growth strategies and challenges. Its cogent analysis of real-life case studies enables policy makers and company executives identify successful strategies they can adopt, and pitfalls they can avoid, in drafting and implementing green growth policies. The contributors' empirical assessment of these studies identifies the structural conditions required for economic growth to be compatible with environmental sustainability and how the transition to a new economic paradigm should be managed. A crucial addition to the debate now beginning in earnest around the world, this volume attempts to understand how we can nurture a new-born model of sustainable growth and help it evolve to maturity.
Green Harms and Crimes
by Ragnhild Aslaug SollundThe book presents discussions of the application of Stan Cohen's theories alongside empirical contributions in the fields of critical and green criminology. Taken together, the authors critically address harms and crimes against the environment, as well as against human and nonhuman victims.
Green Human Resource Management Research: Issues, Trends, and Challenges (Sustainable Development Goals Series)
by Pascal PailléIn contemporary times, most organizational functions (such as finance, marketing, and supply chains) have assessed their impact on the environment. HR has lagged behind other disciplines in discussions of sustainability, though the literature on this topic has grown significantly in recent years. This book, engaging SDGs 4 and 8, among others, examines green HRM from a variety of perspectives. Divided into three sections, it explores the process of human resource acquisition, the connection between green HRM practice and employee behavior, and international perspectives of green HRM. The final chapter presents a summary analysis of topics discussed in the book and outlines potential future paths of research for the field. This volume, featuring leading researchers from across the globe, further develops this emerging field for HR and organizational behavior scholars.
Green IT in Practice
by Gary HirdOrganisations are becoming increasingly concerned about climate change, and are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact. A brand with a genuine commitment to the green agenda will be more valued by its customers, and cutting energy consumption means that your business can also cut costs. The IT department has a vital role to play in minimising the carbon footprint of your organisation. Green IT in Practice, Second edition provides guidance on how to implement a Green IT programme. It will help you to formulate a Green IT policy, curb demand for data storage capacity, and lower the electricity consumption of the datacentre. A specific chapter looks at how server and desktop virtualisation can enable your business to save energy and space. Based on his first-hand experience of successfully implementing Green IT initiatives for the John Lewis Partnership, the author describes the specific problems that JLP confronted, and explains the solutions that he found for them. He gives a fascinating account of how Green IT has enabled one of Britain's best-loved companies to make significant improvements in efficiency. This second edition has been updated to reflect the progress that JLP's Green IT programme has made since 2008. The author shows how IT can be harnessed to help reduce carbon emissions across the whole organisation, pointing to the success of IT initiatives at Waitrose in improving demand forecasting and reducing food miles.
Green Innovation in Central and Eastern Europe (Routledge Research in Sustainability and Business)
by Dagmara Lewicka Iryna Bashynska Svitlana Filyppova Olha ProkopenkoGreen Innovation in Central and Eastern Europe aims to explore the crucial role of green innovation in guiding organisations towards sustainable development amidst contemporary environmental challenges.It comprehensively examines the concept of the green economy, highlighting its essential features and its significance in promoting organisational sustainability. The study delves into the global state of green economy development, analysing trends in renewable energy, circular economy practices, and green technology innovations. Additionally, it investigates the role of international organisations in supporting the green economy and its impact on global trade and business opportunities. The monograph also addresses strategic planning processes that enable enterprises to integrate sustainability goals into their business strategies, with a focus on social and environmental aspects. It evaluates recycling as a central component of the circular economy, considering its economic and environmental impacts, and underscores the importance of green leadership in fostering a sustainable organisational culture through ethical decision-making and environmental considerations.The book will cater to a diverse audience, including professionals, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders committed to steering organisations towards sustainable development. It serves business executives and managers looking to integrate eco-conscious strategies within their organisations, researchers and academics in environmental science and business management, policymakers involved in crafting environmental policies, and environmental advocates seeking practical approaches to advance green initiatives. The content is particularly pertinent to professionals in the European Union and Central and Eastern European countries, with specific insights and case studies from Poland, Estonia, and Ukraine.
Green Jujitsu: The Smart Way to Embed Sustainability into Your Organization (Doshorts Ser.)
by Gareth KaneBusiness has recently woken up to the need to address environmental sustainability in a meaningful way. No longer is it sufficient to have an environmental policy or environmental management system – substantial changes to business practice are required. Culture change is widely regarded as the most vital and the most difficult element of this paradigm shift. The standard methods of "switch it off" stickers, awareness presentations and proclamations from the top have proved incapable of delivering the shift in attitudes required. Green Jujitsu is a completely different way of looking at culture change for environmental sustainability. Instead of trying to correct your colleagues’ perceived "weaknesses", it focuses instead on playing to their strengths to get them truly interested and engaged. This principle is applied to the "elephant model" of culture change: providing clear guidance, inspiring people emotionally and altering the working environment. These techniques are illustrated with case studies from the author’s own experience of facilitating culture change on the front line in some of the world’s leading organizations.
Green Logic: Ecopreneurship, Theory and Ethics
by Robert IsaakEconomic activity imposes increasing costs on the global environment. The lack of progress being made in environmental management is often not as much a question of economics, technology or even of interest, as it is of perception, assumptions and how one approaches problems. Green Logic seeks to highlight the key questions regarding entrepreneurship and sustainability in terms of motivation, government intervention and ethics. Written by the highly regarded author of Managing World Economic Change, this important and accessible new book aims to examine how "Green Logic" works, how it differs from other logics and how green thinking can be targeted in order to create environmentally responsible businesses in an era of rapid change. Key questions addressed in depth include:What are the minimal ethical principles to guide environmental living and working? What motives and obstacles characterise ecopreneurship? What principles of creativity and entrepreneurship can be used as tools? In short, what does it really take to motivate entrepreneurs to design and start up green businesses? Green Logic is suitable for both business and academic audiences and significantly pushes forward the debate on environmental responsibility.
Green Neighbourhoods and Eco-gentrification: A Tale of Two Countries (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)
by David Pearlmutter Elise Machline Moshe Schwartz Pierre PechThis SpringerBrief brings together a series of studies that delve into the details of French and Israeli green building practices and tell a tale of two countries which deviates considerably from what first impressions might suggest. In-depth data analysis, interviews with stakeholders, and on-the-ground documentation are used to paint a portrait of green neighborhoods in both large and small cities, and to shed light on the diversity of outcomes and the intricate web of interests leading to each one.In the Israeli cases, these dynamics reflect the fact that the private sector has become increasingly dominant in the residential building field, following a decades-long process in which the welfare state has shrunk, and the government has distanced itself from large social programs.The French solution to this dilemma is to mandate the inclusion of subsidized housing within its ecoquartiers, with the declared aim of promoting a diverse 'social mix' of population.Green building has yet to prove itself as a solution for the masses. The sale price of an apartment in a certified green building is significantly higher than what would be justified by either the additional construction costs required to build it, or the energy and water saving potential that can be realized by using it. The tale of two countries presented here suggests that neither the mechanisms of the market nor the proclamations of a welfare state can easily overcome this dilemma. What is needed is a new type of thinking, which can only emerge once the concept of "value" reflects not only the realities of a free-market economy, but also those of a planet which turns out to be distinctly limited in its resources.
Green Public Ethics: Adopting Ethical Reasoning in Policy Processes
by Jan OlssonThis book argues that ethical reasoning should be adopted into policy processes in order to improve environmental regulations. It considers how public administrators and civil servants play key roles in policy making and implementation, and demonstrates how the inclusion of green public ethics at every stage of the policy process could drastically enhance sustainable development initiatives. Filling an important void in the literature on policymaking and environmental ethics, the book draws from empirical case studies to demonstrate how ‘green’ ethical reasoning can be utilised by practitioners and stakeholders in democratic governments. It will appeal to all those interested in public policy, public administration, philosophy and environmental studies.
Green Public Procurement under WTO Law: Experience of the EU and Prospects for Switzerland (European Yearbook of International Economic Law #9)
by Rika KochThis book investigates the strategic use of public procurement as a way to establish “buying green” as a common practice – not only in the EU, but all over the world. However, imposing environmental requirements may affect the conditions of competition between suppliers, especially between local and foreign ones. This is particularly relevant for signatory states to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), a plurilateral WTO agreement that aims at liberalizing public procurement markets. So how can these countries strike a balance between trade concerns and using the environmental potential of public procurement? What scope does the GPA 2012 leave for environmental criteria and how are signatory states making use of it? The need for answers to these questions is becoming even more pressing with the increasing use of green public procurement (GPP). This book discusses approaches to finding legal solutions to this question, using a multilayered approach to do so: In a first step, an analysis of the pertinent GPA provisions serves to delineate the scope for GPP under WTO law. In a second step, an evaluation of the implementation of the respective provision at the regional and national level by the EU and Switzerland helps reveal the impact of the GPA on its signatory states. While the book chiefly focuses on the legal framework for GPP, it also takes into account the latest developments in jurisprudence and policy initiatives. It concludes by proposing practical solutions regarding the specific design of GPP policies and measures in compliance with the GPA. The comparative approach applied in the book, focusing on the implementation of the WTO/GPA by two selected signatories, makes it an informative and insightful resource for practitioners, policymakers and legal scholars from all GPA signatory countries, extending its relevance beyond the selected examples (the EU and Switzerland).
Green Shipping - Schiffsbetrieb und Umweltschutz: Sachstand und derzeitige Entwicklung
by Uwe JacobshagenKurzbeschreibung: Ergänzend zu den im Springer Vieweg-Verlag erschienen Büchern „Schiffsbetriebstechnik“ (Dr. Pfaff), „Umweltschutz und Gefahrguttransport für Binnen- und Seeschifffahrt“ (Jacobshagen) sowie „Wasserwirtschaft in der gewerblichen Schifffahrt“ (Jacobshagen) sollen die Zusammenhänge zwischen dem notwendigen Einsatz von Technik für den Schiffsbetrieb und die daraus resultierenden Einflüsse auf die Umwelt, insbesondere der Meeresumwelt, dargestellt werden. Es werden dazu die technischen Vorgänge an Bord von See- und Binnenschiffen sowie von Sportbooten beschrieben und die vorhandenen sowie entworfenen Rechtsgrundlagen erläutert. Der Einfluss der Schiffsbetriebstechnik auf den Umweltzustand soll dabei durch Statistiken, Einzelfälle und Sachverhalte erklärt werden. Besonderer Bedeutung kommt dabei der Verwendung von Betriebsstoffen zu, wobei die Arten und insbesondere Alternativen beschrieben werden sollen.
Green Transitional Justice (Transitional Justice)
by Rachel Killean Lauren DempsterThis book rethinks the boundaries of transitional justice, urging scholars and practitioners to confront the often-overlooked nexus between mass violence and ecological harm.Through an in-depth analysis of the field’s limitations – such as its anthropocentric legalism, neocolonial practices, and alignment with neoliberalism – the book critiques the historical marginalisation of Nature in transitional justice discourse and practice. It argues that ignoring environmental harm not only undermines the possibility of holistic justice but also perpetuates structural violence and inequality. In response, the book sketches a ‘greener’ transitional justice, integrating principles from environmental justice, Indigenous knowledge systems, and ecocentric perspectives. It explores the possibilities of recognising Nature as a victim of mass violence, adapting existing mechanisms to incorporate environmental harm, and fostering transformative approaches premised on the interdependence of human and ecological well-being.This book is written for students, researchers, and practitioners of transitional justice and fields related to conflict transformation, peacebuilding, environmental protection, and development.
Green-Eyed Lady: A Mystery (The Jack MacTaggart Mysteries #2)
by Chuck Greaves"Take John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee, Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware, and the best of John Grisham's protagonists, shake and serve, and you'll have Jack MacTaggart." —Chelsea CainAward-winning author Chuck Greaves returns with the rollicking sequel to his acclaimed debut novel, Hush Money.U.S. Senate candidate Warren Burkett has a history of marital infidelity. Three weeks before Election Day, Burkett comes to the aid of a beautiful green-eyed lady, only to find himself alone and naked in a stranger's home from which a priceless painting is missing. As the resulting scandal threatens to tilt the election, the painting turns up in a most unexpected place . . . and so does a dead body.Hired to defend Burkett and unravel the deepening mystery, Jack MacTaggart must traverse a minefield of ruthless politicians, felonious art dealers, swarming paparazzi, the amorous wife of Burkett's billionaire opponent, her mobbed-up brother, and a district attorney with an old score to settle.With the electoral clock ticking and the press following his every move, Jack's investigation leads him on a roller-coaster ride through the lofty heights and gritty depths of Los Angeles and Southern California, lending new meaning to the adage that all's fair in love and politics.
Greener Manufacturing and Operations: From Design to Delivery and Back
by Joseph SarkisThis timely work examines one core corporate function that has a profound and direct impact on corporate environmental performance – manufacturing and operations. This area has been of concern in recent years to researchers and practitioners in fields ranging from the social and natural sciences to management and technical engineering. The book reflects this diversity with global contributions on topics such as design for the environment, total quality environmental management, green supply chains, reverse logistics, environmental management systems and standards, industrial ecology, closed-loop manufacturing, life-cycle management, pollution prevention (P2), environmental technologies and energy efficiency. The aim and scope of Greener Manufacturing and Operations is to capture state-of-the-art and future practices in environmental manufacturing and operations practices and issues in one concise volume. The book is therefore a fluid mix of case studies, empirical research, and applied theoretical works incorporating both conceptual ideas whose time will come to practical applications which managers and practitioners can apply immediately. Comprehensive in its coverage of the key issues, contributions range from a focus on the internal operations of a single function within an organization to a consideration of industrial manufacturing practices from a macro-economic level. A number of levels of decision-making are also represented: from long-term strategic issues such as supply chain design, to traditional short-term operations decision-making and planning issues such as production planning. Many of the principles developed and presented here can also be extended to the more general process management of service organizations. The book is organized into four major sections: operations strategy and policy; manufacturing and operations practice; tools for managing greener operations and manufacturing; and, finally, case studies. Greener Manufacturing and Operations will be an essential aid for managers, engineers, students, researchers, and consultants wishing to understand the various issues, principles, and tools for managing the operations and manufacturing function in a more environmentally-benign and sustainable manner.
Greener Marketing: A Global Perspective on Greening Marketing Practice
by Martin Charter Michael Jay PolonskyBuilding on the strengths of the material published in the hugely successful first edition of Greener Marketing, this important new title examines on a global scale the progress of environmental marketing in the 1990s and considers how social issues are increasingly becoming critical factors in how corporations meet the ever-growing demands and expectations of customers. Despite the fact that such issues are increasingly important in marketing activities around the world, it is difficult for practitioners to keep up to date with complex and rapidly changing information and ideas. The purpose of this book is to provide practitioners and academics with best-practice examples and actionable recommendations on how to implement and appraise green marketing activities. It will provide information and ideas for those involved in marketing on how to incorporate environmental and social considerations, as well as providing new perspectives on marketing for environmental managers. To achieve a comprehensive viewpoint, the book is split into three sections. The first sets out the strategic issues and rationale for green marketing, the second addresses tactical issues in more detail, and the third provides detailed international case studies. Topics addressed by the global set of contributors include the growing area of products versus services, environmental product development, green marketing alliances, environmental communications, green consumers, eco-tourism and environmental marketing in developing countries. reener Marketing is not only a sequel to the successful first volume, but redefines global progress towards the successful marketing of greener products and services.
Greener Marketing: A Responsible Approach to Business
by Martin CharterAn examination of the progress of environmental marketing on a global scale. It considers how sustainability issues are increasingly becoming critical factors in how corporations meet the ever-growing demands and expectations of customers. The purpose of the book is to provide practitioners with best-practice examples and actionable recommendations on how to implement green marketing activities. It provides information and ideas for those involved in marketing on how to incorporate green considerations into the marketing mix, as well as providing perspectives on marketing for environmental managers. To achieve a comprehensive viewpoint, the book is split into three sections. The first sets out the strategic issues and rationale for green marketing, the second addresses tactical issues in more detail, and the third provides detailed, international case studies. Topics addressed by the contributors include the growing debate around products versus services, environmental product development and eco-innovation, green marketing alliances, environmental communications, green consumers, eco-tourism and the problems associated with green marketing in developing countries.
Greener Purchasing: Opportunities and Innovations
by Trevor RusselEvery organization, public and private, no matter what its size, purchases goods and services. Large organizations also have considerable influence over the practices of their suppliers. As greener purchasing practices have become more common in large organisations, the implications for companies in the supply chain have similarly increased. Yet greener purchasing policies remain the exception rather than the norm in large organizations. Why is this? And how can environmental purchasing practices that have produced tangible business benefits for a number of companies worldwide receive wider take-up? Greener Purchasing: Opportunities and Innovations has been published to facilitate the development and dissemination of best practice in environmental supply chain and procurement management worldwide. Divided into four sections, covering "The Public Sector", "The Private Sector", "Innovations" and "Case Studies", this book brings together international expertise from four continents, including contributions from organisations such as the US EPA, Environment Canada, Procter & Gamble, Xerox and The Body Shop, as well as describing burgeoning new initiatives such as the Japanese and European Green Purchasing Networks. It provides a number of checklists and examples on how to establish and maintain successful greener purchasing and supply chain practices in order to bring not only environmental, but business value to organisations of all sizes. The book is essential reading for purchasing officers, environmental managers, CEOs, consultants, academics and students interested in the topic around the world.
Greenergized: A Business Fable on Clean Energy
by Dennis PosadasRenewable energy versus fossil fuels: the debate rages on, worldwide. At stake is nothing less than the protection of our planet from the ravages of climate change. But the costs involved in making the switch to clean energy are daunting. How do we pay for solar and wind energy? Do we scrap all our gasoline-driven autos? How do we move forward?Although the importance of this topic is hard to overstate, it nevertheless consistently fails to engage at the level that it so patently needs to. This is what has led technology expert and seasoned commentator Dennis Posadas to approach the issues in a new and intriguing way. Posadas understands that we respond best to narratives, and that is why he has written what he describes as a "green thinking fable". In this fable, we meet Daniel, a young graduate of the fictional Oriental College, who is thrust into a debate between José, an oil man, and Professor Ruiz, an advocate of clean energy. We follow the lines of argument as Daniel's awareness increases, and he experiences a paradigm shift in his thinking. We see how his short-term outlook focusing on the cost of renewable energy evolves into long-term thinking about the cost of not making the shift to renewables. Posadas's business fable puts the issues in front of the general reader in an engaging and digestible way. It covers concepts such as solar, wind, electric vehicles, waste to energy, feed-in-tariffs, carbon tax, intermittent sources, cost of fossil fuels, health impact of fossil fuel use, energy efficiency, and other relevant topics necessary for understanding this debate. The story and characters may be fictional, but the situations and the technology discussions are based on current facts. Decide for yourself where you stand on the renewables versus fossil fuels debate, and discuss this story with your friends and colleagues. Greenergized is a much-needed route into the issues surrounding the most serious debate our generation faces. And it pulls off the brilliant trick of being highly readable at the same time.
Greening Chinese Business: Barriers, Trends and Opportunities for Environmental Management
by Ulrich Steger Lu Wei Fang ZhaobenThis work analyses and interprets Chinese managers' perceptions of environmental management and regulatory enforcement practices in Chinese enterprises. Most importantly, it identifies the bottlenecks to environmental protection in Chinese firms, and presents a roadmap of how they can be overcome.
Greening Criminology in the 21st Century: Contemporary debates and future directions in the study of environmental harm (Green Criminology)
by Matthew Hall Angus Nurse Gary Potter Nigel South Tanya Wyatt Jennifer MaherIn the 21st century, environmental harm is an ever-present reality of our globalised world. Over the last 20 years, criminologists, working alongside a range of other disciplines from the social and physical sciences, have made great strides in their understanding of how different institutions in society, and criminal justice systems in particular – respond – or fail to respond – to the harm imposed on ecosystems and their human and non-human components. Such research has crystallised into the rapidly evolving field of green criminology. This pioneering volume, with contributions from leading experts along with younger scholars, represents the state of the art in criminologists’ pursuit of understanding in the environmental sphere while at the same time challenging academics, lawmakers and policy developers to explore new directions in the study of environmental harm.