Factors in the Development of a Global Substantive Environmental Right

• Main Author: Stephen James Turner
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2013-12-01
• Series: Oñati Socio-Legal Series
• Subjects: Desarrollo sostenible; derechos ambientales; actores no-estatales; empresas; corporaciones; Organización Mundial del Comercio (WTO); bancos de desarrollo multilateral (MDB).
• Online Access: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2247839

<p>Owing to the fact that there is currently no international treaty that provides a globally accepted substantive human right for the protection of the environment (Anton and Shelton, 2011; Turner, 2009) there is a case for considering how such a right could or should be developed. This paper considers certain aspects of the potential development of such a right by focussing on key non-state actors that make decisions, which can affect the environment. Consideration is given to three different types of non-state actors: companies (corporations), the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and multilateral development banks (MDBs). It specifically examines their &lsquo;constitutional&rsquo; purposes and the overall legal constraints that their decision-makers are bound to comply with, and where applicable, the legal obligations that they impose upon their members.</p><p>Therefore, this approach to the issue focuses on the legal foundations that determine how such actors make decisions and how that can affect the environment. This paper provides a broad perspective to illustrate the commonalities between the actors that are discussed in relation to their decision-making processes. Ultimately it provides an argument in support of the formal development of an international treaty that would create a global substantive environmental right. However it posits that such a treaty should inter alia be designed and framed in a manner, that would develop reformed legal obligations for the types of non-state actors discussed.</p> <hr /><p>Debido al hecho de que actualmente no existe ning&uacute;n tratado internacional que proporcione un derecho humano globalmente aceptado para la protecci&oacute;n del medio ambiente (Anton y Shelton 2011, Turner 2009) hay un argumento para considerar c&oacute;mo podr&iacute;a o deber&iacute;a desarrollarse tal derecho. Este documento considera algunos aspectos del desarrollo potencial de tal derecho, centr&aacute;ndose en los principales actores no estatales que toman decisiones que pueden afectar el medio ambiente. Se consideran tres tipos de actores no estatales: las empresas (corporaciones), la World Trade Organisation (WTO, Organizaci&oacute;n Mundial del Comercio) y los bancos de desarrollo multilateral (MDB, Multilateral Development Banks). Se examinan espec&iacute;ficamente sus prop&oacute;sitos "constitucionales" y las restricciones legales generales que est&aacute;n obligados a cumplir quienes toman las decisiones, y cuando sea aplicable, las obligaciones legales que imponen a sus miembros.</p> <p>Por lo tanto, este enfoque de la cuesti&oacute;n se centra en los fundamentos jur&iacute;dicos que determinan c&oacute;mo estos actores toman decisiones y c&oacute;mo eso puede afectar al medio ambiente. Este documento ofrece una perspectiva amplia para ilustrar los puntos en com&uacute;n entre los actores que se analizan, en relaci&oacute;n con sus procesos de toma de decisiones. En &uacute;ltima instancia, proporciona un argumento en apoyo del desarrollo formal de un tratado internacional que crear&iacute;a un derecho ambiental sustantivo global. Sin embargo, plantea que dicho tratado debe entre otras cosas, estar dise&ntilde;ado y enmarcado de manera que desarrollar&iacute;a obligaciones legales reformadas para los actores no estatales analizados.