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This report chapter analyzes the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as a pioneering legal instrument that integrates environmental conservation with economic and trade goals. It specifically examines the CBD's regime for the trade of genetic resources, its recognition of the role of local and indigenous communities in sustainable production, and the contrast between the CBD's ecological economics approach and the neoclassical economic views prevalent in traditional trade agreements like GATT and NAFTA.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the intersection of lead pollution and human rights, detailing the severe health impacts on children and adults and how these impacts violate international legal standards regarding the right to life, health, housing, and information.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the severe health impacts of lead contamination and its implications for fundamental human rights, including the rights to life, health, adequate housing, and access to information. It highlights the extreme vulnerability of children and workers, particularly in developing countries, and identifies key sources of exposure such as leaded fuel, paint, and battery manufacturing.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the intersection of mercury pollution and human rights, detailing the neurotoxic effects of various forms of mercury and how these impacts violate the rights to life, health, food, and information, particularly for children and workers in artisanal mining.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the adverse health effects of mercury pollution and its implications for fundamental human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, and information. It highlights the vulnerability of children and fetuses, the impact of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and specific historical disasters such as the Minamata event.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the health and human rights implications of phthalates, a group of industrial chemicals used as plasticizers. It details how these substances act as endocrine disruptors, affecting reproductive health, development, and metabolic systems, and argues that their ubiquity violates several international human rights, including the rights to health, adequate housing, and information.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the health impacts of phthalates—industrial chemicals used as plasticizers—and argues that their ubiquity and toxicity violate several fundamental human rights, including the rights to health, life, adequate housing, and information.

This document is a selected bibliography titled "HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY," compiled by David Downes for the Center for International Environmental Law and dated July 1, 1992. It provides a curated list of legal cases, United Nations reports, World Bank operational directives, and academic literature concerning the intersection of human rights, indigenous peoples' rights, and environmental protection.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes a leaked draft of the investment chapter of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The analysis concludes that the draft largely mirrors or expands upon the investor-state protections found in NAFTA Chapter 11, which the authors argue undermines democratic governance, environmental protection, and national sovereignty by granting corporations the power to challenge domestic laws in international tribunals.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should apply the full spectrum of international law—including human rights, the law of the sea, and customary law—to determine State obligations regarding climate change. It counters arguments from 'big polluters' who claim that the UN climate regime (UNFCCC and Paris Agreement) is the sole relevant legal framework and that its obligations are merely procedural. The document asserts that States have longstanding duties to prevent transboundary environmental harm and protect human rights, which necessitates a phase-out of fossil fuels and the provision of reparations for climate-related injuries.

This executive summary by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that stricter regulations on hazardous chemicals stimulate innovation and the commercialization of safer alternatives. While noting the risk of 'regrettable substitution,' the document provides six policy recommendations to ensure that chemical innovation leads to a healthier market.

This policy brief advocates for the creation of an international fund and a no-fault insurance fund, financed by user fees, to help countries manage invasive alien species. It emphasizes the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development as a critical juncture for transitioning from policy development to implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, citing high economic costs of invasive species in Australia, Africa, and the United States as justification for action.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the impact of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on sustainable development, specifically critiquing the draft Chapter on IPRs within the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The author argues that the FTAA proposes "TRIPS-plus" standards that exceed multilateral requirements, potentially hindering public health, food security, and technological development in developing countries by restricting regulatory flexibility and expanding private patent rights.

This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) chapter of the draft Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement. The author argues that the draft represents a 'TRIPS-plus' approach that increases protection levels beyond the WTO's TRIPS Agreement, thereby reducing the regulatory flexibility of developing countries to address public health, food security, and sustainable development.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy critiques the draft IPR chapter of the FTAA, noting that it fails to prohibit patents on life and includes proposals that tighten TRIPs standards. The statement highlights the removal of language regarding technology transfer and transparency, and notes the US push for UPOV implementation for plant patents.

This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law and the International Rivers Network analyzes the establishment of the World Bank's Inspection Panel on September 21, 1993. The authors evaluate whether this new mechanism for citizens and NGOs to request investigations into Bank-funded projects truly increases accountability, highlighting concerns regarding the panel's independence from Bank leadership and its lack of public transparency.

This research paper critiques a utilitarian (Millsian) approach to the intersection of international trade and environmental protection, arguing instead for a Kantian framework. The author contends that environmental imperatives—such as species preservation—are categorical duties that should not be balanced against economic benefits. The paper proposes a model of "competitive sustainability" to harmonize environmental standards upward through market incentives and trade rule reforms.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the Protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants (LRTAP POPs Protocol) and evaluates its suitability as a model for global negotiations on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The author argues that while the Protocol is a positive regional step, it is inadequate as a global model because it focuses on risk management and air transmission rather than total elimination and pollution prevention, and it lacks provisions for developing countries.

This research paper examines the conceptual and legal intersections between international human rights law and international environmental law, focusing on the Inter-American System of Human Rights. The author argues that while the two regimes historically differed in approach—human rights being anthropocentric and environmental law oscillating between anthropocentric and biocentric—they are increasingly integrated. The document analyzes how human rights tools, such as precautionary measures and state responsibility for the acts of third parties, are used to protect environmental rights and reviews regional jurisprudence from the Inter-American, African, and European systems to illustrate the environmental dimensions of the rights to life, property, and information.

The document outlines various definitions of nanomaterials used by the ISO, OECD, the European Union, and agencies in the US and Canada. It notes that while many rely on a size range of 1nm to 100nm, specific criteria (such as particle distribution percentages in the EU or property-based definitions in the US and Canada) vary. The author argues that these differing definitions lead to legal uncertainty and inconsistent safety assessments across different jurisdictions and product types.