Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change: The Limits and Opportunities of Law in Conserving Biodiversity
Year: 2012
Type: preprint
Abstract: Climate change is likely to exacerbate existing pressures on ecosystems, habitats and biodiversity, as well as give rise to new pressures. Current baseline pressures on natural environments, such as habitat and biodiversity loss, pollution, fire and the spread of weeds and introduced animal species, are likely to increase. New pressures could also arise in the future, ranging from direct pressures such as sea-level rise to indirect pressures on settlement patterns and economic activities. The implementation and effectiveness of strategies to enable biodiversity to adapt to climate change is dependent in part on the law. This article suggests that the existence of the current baseline pressures that ecosystems, habitats and species face is evidence that the existing laws are inadequate. Hence, continuation of the existing laws, with their limitations, will not reduce the baseline pressures. The limitations in existing laws that result in the current baseline pressures will also inhibit the prevention, control and mitigation of new pressures that occur as settlement patterns and economic activities adapt to climate change. Therefore, identification and reform of the limitations of the existing laws are needed to reduce baseline pressures and prevent, control and mitigate new pressures.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Author: Brian Preston
Institution: Western Sydney University
Language: English
Topic: Environmental law and policy
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W259700172