AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF FOURTEEN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROFESSORS AND PRACTITIONERS

The brief asserts that customary international law requires states to exercise due diligence to prevent significant transboundary environmental harm, a principle rooted in the 'sic utere' doctrine and affirmed by the International Court of Justice and various international declarations. It argues that the 1988 U.N. Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances does not act as lex specialis to displace this obligation because the Convention focuses on cooperation against drug trafficking rather than state liability for environmental damage.

• The obligation to prevent significant transboundary environmental harm is a fundamental principle of customary international law, derived from the 'sic utere tuo ut alienum non laedus' principle, which prohibits a state from using its territory to harm another.
• International jurisprudence, specifically from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, confirms that the duty to respect the environment of other states is part of the corpus of international law.
• The duty to prevent transboundary harm is not an absolute liability but is governed by a due diligence standard, which requires states to implement appropriate and proportional regulations and controls based on the degree of risk.
• The 1988 U.N. Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances does not displace the customary obligation to prevent transboundary harm via the principle of lex specialis because it does not address state responsibility or liability for such harm.
• The 1988 Convention's Article 14, which requires states to take due account of environmental protection during eradication operations, is consistent with and reinforces the customary international obligation to prevent significant transboundary harm.

APA

Hunter, D., III, W. J. S., Bonine, J., Bruch, C., Burns, D. W., Flatt, V. B., Kravchenko, S., Lennon, E., Muffett, W. C., Orellana, M., Pendergrass, J., Werksman, J., Wold, C., & Zaelke, D. (n.d.). AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF FOURTEEN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROFESSORS AND PRACTITIONERS. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/Ecuador_Transboundary_AmicusBrief_11OCt11.pdf

Chicago

Hunter, David, William J. Snape, III, John Bonine, Carl Bruch, Dr. Wil Burns, Victor B. Flatt, Svitlana Kravchenko, et al. AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF FOURTEEN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROFESSORS AND PRACTITIONERS. Center for International Environmental Law, n.d. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/Ecuador_Transboundary_AmicusBrief_11OCt11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hunter |first1=David |last2=III |first2=William J. Snape, |last3=Bonine |first3=John |last4=Bruch |first4=Carl |last5=Burns |first5=Dr. Wil |last6=Flatt |first6=Victor B. |last7=Kravchenko |first7=Svitlana |last8=Lennon |first8=Erika |last9=Muffett |first9=W. Carroll |display-authors=etal |title=AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF FOURTEEN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROFESSORS AND PRACTITIONERS |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |url=https://www.ciel.org/Publications/Ecuador_Transboundary_AmicusBrief_11OCt11.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hunterndamicus, author = {Hunter, David and III, William J. Snape, and Bonine, John and Bruch, Carl and Burns, Dr. Wil and Flatt, Victor B. and Kravchenko, Svitlana and Lennon, Erika and Muffett, W. Carroll and Orellana, Marcos and Pendergrass, John and Werksman, Jacob and Wold, Chris and Zaelke, Durwood}, title = {{AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF FOURTEEN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROFESSORS AND PRACTITIONERS}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/Publications/Ecuador_Transboundary_AmicusBrief_11OCt11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }