Guide last updated by Katherine Read, November 2023
This guide was created by Katherine Read, Principal Library Assistant at the IALS Library.
Email katherine.read@sas.ac.uk
We'd love to hear your comments about this Research Guide.
Email ials@sas.ac.uk
This guide aims to give a brief introduction to the Library's holdings on Environmental Law and Climate Change. Please consult the Library Catalogue for complete information on current titles and locations. If you require further assistance please contact us.
Monday-Friday 9:30-17:00
Tel (0)20 7862 5790
Email ials@sas.ac.uk
This Subject Guide only lists a selection of Library resources on Environmental Law and Climate Change. To find additional resources you will need to search the Library Catalogue, which covers the complete holdings of the Library. It is possible to search for books, journals and series of law reports by author, title or keyword. Please note it is not possible to search for individual chapters, journal articles or legislation (e.g. individual Acts or SIs).
IALS Library is mainly open access and readers are able to browse the shelves in the main collection. There are two main exceptions to this:
Please request these at the Library Enquiry Desk.
For more information on understanding the catalogue record and further guidance on the location of materials please refer to our guide Classmarks and the Location of Resources in the Library.
The Library classifies textbooks either by jurisdiction (GO13, GA2 etc.) or according to subject area, examples of which include Comparative Law (SB), Public International Law (SG) and Private International Law/ Conflict of Laws (SH).
All classmark sections have a FOL section for oversize volumes, which is located on the same floor of the Library.
When you are searching the Library Catalogue for books, please note that only the current edition is held on the open shelves or in the Short Loan collection. IALS has a rich collection of previous editions held in the closed basement and these will display a Depository number on the catalogue. Please request previous editions from the Issue & Enquiry Desk.
European Union material is shelved at GO1.A1.C.7 or GO1.A8.C.71.
International material is shelved at SG75.
The following list represents a selection of textbooks on environmental law. Please check the catalogue records for further information and location. Titles marked as e-books may also be available in print. Access from home requires your IALS library barcode and your family name. E books with 'open access' status on the catalogue are available to all users of this guide.
Akanle, T. International environmental law and distributive justice 2013
Attapattu, S. and others Cambridge handbook of environmental justice and sustainable development 2021 CUP (e-book)
Bell, S. et al. Environmental law 9th ed. 2017
Birnie, P. & Boyle, A. Birnie Boyle & Redgwell's International law and the environment 4th ed. 2021
Bodansky, D. et al. Oxford handbook of international environmental law 2007
Bodansky, D. International climate change law 2017 OUP (e-book)
Cullet, P. Research handbook on law, environment and the global south 2019 Elgar (e-book)
Elgar encyclopedia of environmental law (ed. Faure) 2016- Elgar (e-book)
Fisher, E. and others Environmental law text cases and materials 2nd ed. 2019
Freestone, D. & Streck, C. Legal aspects of carbon trading: Kyoto, Copenhagen and beyond OUP 2009 (e-book)
Jans, J.H. European environmental law: After Lisbon 4th ed. 2012
Kiss, A. & Shelton, D. International environmental law 3rd ed. 2004
Krämer, L. EU environmental law 8th ed. 2015
Leal-Arcas, R. Climate change and international trade 2013 Elgar (e-book)
Leal-Arcas, R. Climate and energy governance for a sustainable future 2023 Springer (e-book)
Lee, M. EU environmental law, governance and decision making 2nd ed. 2014
Lees E. & Viñuales, J. Oxford handbook of comparative environmental law 2019 OUP (e-book)
Lothian, S. Marine conservation and international law : legal instruments for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction Routledge 2023
Makuch, K. & Pereira, R. Environmental and energy law 2012
May, J. & Daly E. Human rights and the environment : legality, indivisibility, dignity and geography 2019
Mayer, B. and Zahar, A. Debating climate law 2021 CUP (e-book)
Peeters, M. & Deketelaere, K. EU climate change policy: the challenge of new regulatory initiatives 2006
Roggenkamp, M. Energy law in Europe: national, EU and international regulation. 3rd ed. 2016
Rudall, J. Compensation for Environmental Damage under International Law. 1st ed. 2020 (e-book)
Sands, P. Principles of international environmental law 4th ed. 2018
Sands, P. & Galizzi, P. Documents in international environmental law 2nd ed. 2004
Soltau, F. Fairness in international climate change law and policy 2009
Zillman, D. Beyond the carbon economy 2008
IALS Library holds a wide selection of current serial titles on environmental law from many different jurisdictions. These are located on all floors of the Library. Some titles are only in printed volumes while others or available in both formats. For more detailed help, please refer to the guide on Finding journal articles. The following titles focus particularly on environmental law and climate change but there may be relevant articles in less specialised journals.
Buffalo environmental law journal open access
Canadian environmental law reports
Columbia journal of environmental law open access
Duke environmental law and policy forum open access
Ecology law quarterly open access
Environmental law (Northwestern School of Law) open access
Environmental law review E-journal
European energy and environmental law review
Harvard environmental law review open access
International and comparative environmental law
Journal of environmental law E-journal
Journal of planning and environment law E-journal
Natural resources and environment E-Journal
Review of European Community and international environmental law E-journal
Revue juridique de l'environnement E-journal
If you are interested in legislation or cases concerning environmental law issues in specific countries you will need to consult the legislation or law reports for that jurisdiction.
Consult the Library Catalogue to find the general classmark for the country you require. Consult consolidations of legislation, digests or indexes to trace particular acts or cases.
Academic users may also use databases like Lexis/Westlaw to find UK, US, EU or international decisions. For further information please refer to Law Databases or ask at the Library Enquiry Desk.
You may also find it useful to refer to our guides on finding Legislation and Cases or check to see if we have a Jurisdiction Research Guide for the country you are interested in.
Eagle-i is an internet portal maintained and updated by IALS library staff. It allows you to search for quality web resources on environmental law and climate change.
A valuable free source is BAILII, the British and Irish Legal information Institute which is based and maintained at IALS. It provides free access to full text UK judgments and legislation on a wide range of subjects including environmental law and climate change and also links to other free World Law databases. Jurisdictions covered in these resources include Commonwealth countries eg. AustLII (Australia) and CanLII (Canada), France, Germany, Italy, the USA and South Africa.
The following represent a sample of the available quality individual web resources on environmental law and climate change:
European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) (2021-)
https://www.impel.eu/en
Heidi Frostestad Kuehl. Basic Guide to International Environmental Legal Research. Updated May/June 2022 (Globalex)
http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/International_Environmental_Legal_Research1.htm
Deborah Paulus-Jagrič. Global warming: a comparative guide to the E.U. and the U.S. and their approaches to the U.N. framework convention on climate change and the Kyoto protocol. (Updated by Heidi Frostestad Kuehl 2019) (Globalex)
http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Climate_Change_Kyoto_Protocol1.htm