Transboundary Pollution: Evolving Issues of International Law and Policy
The International Conference on “Transboundary Pollution: Evolving Issues of International Law and Policy” took place on 27 – 28 February 2014 at Orchard Hotel, Singapore. The Conference was organized by the Centre for International Law (CIL) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and was chaired by Professor S Jayakumar and Professor Tommy Koh.
In view of recent cases of serious pollution in Asia, such as the smoke haze from Indonesia and the Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan, the Conference aimed to review the evolving rules and principles of international law governing transboundary pollution and to raise awareness among regional governments of their rights and responsibilities.
Under the theme “Transboundary Pollution: Evolving Issues of International Law and Policy”, the Conference was divided into seven sessions to examine the international legal principles governing transboundary pollution; the pratical application of the state responsibility doctrine in the context of transboundary pollution and the international legal framework that has been established to address transboundary pollution of the marine environment, nuclear pollution and air pollution.
The Conference drew some of the top experts in the world on international environmental law, including, among others, Professor Alan Boyle,University of Edinburgh; Professor Günther Handl, Tulane University; Professor Stephen McCaffrey, University of the Pacific; Professor Nicholas A. Robinson, Pace University and Professor Catherine Redgwell, University of Oxford.
The Conference was attended by more than 90 delegates, including academics around the world; government officials from ASEAN member states, China, South Korea, and Japan; officials from the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) and representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Conference Materials
Welcome Remarks by Professor Tommy Koh
Closing Remarks by Professor S Jayakumar
A page has been created for the Conference participants. To access the page, click on the button below.
Media
“Cooperation is key to tackling haze issue”, The Straits Times, 28 February 2014
“Experts say draft haze Bill won’t solve issue in long term”, Channel News Asia, 28 February 2014 (Click here for TV interview)
“Anti-haze laws ‘could spur on-the-ground enforcement in Indonesia’”, Today Online, 28 February 2014
“Conference unravels the legal complexities of transboundary pollution”, NUS News, 3 March 2014