The complex and multifaceted nature of EU climate legislation poses a major challenge for EU Member States. This timely book focuses on national climate action, addressing the regulatory responses required for the purposes of meeting greenhouse gas emissions reduction objectives for 2020 (and beyond). The book seeks to answer such questions as: what kind of legislative approaches should be developed to comply with EU climate law? What room for national discretion should remain? What opportunities exist to go beyond EU ambitions? In addition, distinguished authors analyse national regulatory...

This thought-provoking book offers a cross-cutting debate on EU environmental legislation from a legal perspective focussing on key themes such as regulatory instrument choice, the coherency of law, and enforceable commitments. Based on thorough investigations of several environmental domains - particularly water law, air quality law, industrial emissions law and climate and energy law - it presents the current state of EU environmental regulatory approaches and suggests potential ways for improvement. It pays close attention to the consequences of EU legislative choices for Member States and...

This timely book examines the role played by regional authorities in the EU in the transition towards renewable energy. Drawing on both academia and practice, the expert contributors explore some of the key legal questions that have emerged along the energy transition path. Specific attention is paid to support mechanisms, administrative procedures for authorizing renewable energy projects, and opportunities for allowing citizens, particularly citizens living near renewable energy projects, to participate financially in renewable energy production.

Climate Change Law, the first volume of the Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law, provides a guide to the rapidly evolving body of legal scholarship relating to climate change. This book focuses on concepts that are of concern to researchers, students and policymakers rather than on the details of national legislation. It provides a comprehensive discussion, with more than 50 structured entries developed by experts from across the world. The coverage sets mitigation and adaptation issues in their wider context, using both international and national perspectives. The core topics include the...

The European Union has succeeded in bringing into force an impressive package of regulatory measures aiming to provide a high level of environmental protection across the EU. As a result, scholars, students and practitioners are confronted with the challenge of gaining insight into this complex legislative framework and its effects. This wide-ranging Research Handbook investigates a multitude of substantive issues including waste, nature conservation, air pollution, water quality protection, chemical substantives and genetically modified organisms. Based on contributions developed by 40...