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"Introduction" [2012] ELECD 645; in Le Bouthillier, Yves; Cohen, Alfie Miriam; Gonzalez Marquez, Juan Jose; Mumma, Albert; Smith, Susan (eds), "Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Law" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012)

Book Title: Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Law

Editor(s): Le Bouthillier, Yves; Cohen, Alfie Miriam; Gonzalez Marquez, Juan Jose; Mumma, Albert; Smith, Susan

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781781003282

Section: Chapter 1

Section Title: Introduction

Number of pages: 8

Extract:

1. Introduction

We can all agree that the international community, through legal and other
means, needs to pursue both the alleviation of poverty and the protection of
the environment. Ending poverty would be to truly respect Article 1 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights that states that `All human beings are
born free and equal in dignity and rights'. Protecting the environment is the
only way to ensure the survival of this and future generations and to also
acknowledge, as stated in Article 1 of the Earth Charter, that `all beings are
interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to
human beings.'
The relationship between the alleviation of poverty and the protection of
the environment is a complex one. There is every reason to believe that
poverty and environmental degradation go hand in hand: extreme poverty,
with the need to survive until the next day or the next year, can lead to severe
environmental depletion and irreversible damages. In turn, depletion of natural
resources by both private and public actors, resources on which communities
have relied for their economic, social and cultural well being, can cause a long
slide into poverty. All around the world, poverty is found in contaminated
lands, near waste sites, and close to polluting industries. This is no mere coin-
cidence (Shelton, Sabzwari and Scott, Cohen and Jáuregui, Paddock). There
are, however, situations where alleviation of poverty and the protection of the
environment appear to be at odds with ...