Introduction to International Environmental Law, by Timo Koivurova, published by Routledge, 2014, 240pp., £60.00, paperback.

• Published date: 01 July 2014
• Date: 01 July 2014
• Author: Nengye Liu
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12077

Book Review

Introduction to

International

Environmental Law,by

Timo Koivurova, published

by Routledge, 2014, 240pp.,

£60.00, paperback.

Do we really need another book on

international environmental law?

This was my first question upon

picking up Timo Koivurova’s new

book Introduction to International

Environmental Law. There are after

all many textbooks on the subject,

such as International Law and the

Environment,1the Oxford Hand-

book of International Environmen-

tal Law2and the Routledge

Handbook of International Envi-

ronmental Law,3to name but a few.

In spite of my initial scepticism, I

found reading this book to be an

enjoyable experience and the book

itself a necessary addition to the

field, as it provides the non-

specialist with access to the complex

world of international environmen-

tal law.

This book provides an inspirational

conversation with a thoughtful and

experienced international environ-

mental lawyer. Though humbly

calling himself a student of the dis-

cipline, Koivurova is a veteran in the

field. This 240-page book, unlike

others, gives a concise overview of

international environmental law

and the relations and agreements

among nations to facilitate environ-

mental protection. Koivurova pres-

ents the view that if the reader who is

interested in the subject is given a

general view of it and the tools to

make sense of it, he or she will

learn much more efficiently. In my

opinion, the book not only success-

fully provides a generalized account

of international environmental law

for beginners, but also crystallizes

Koivurova’s extensive research

experience on the discipline accu-

mulated over several decades.

The book’s focus on general issues

rather than specific treaties con-

nects the dots of the evolution of

international environmental law

and provides useful background

for those embarking on research

on various facets of the area. It

comprises seven chapters. Chapter

1 considers the basic issues in

international environmental law.

Chapter 2 reviews the history of

international environmental law.

Chapter 3 surveys ways of enacting

and developing international envi-

ronmental law. Chapter 4 focuses

on principles of international envi-

ronmental law. Chapter 5 examines

specific topics within international

environmental law. Chapter 6

briefly examines responsibility for

environmental damage. Finally,

Chapter 7 offers an excellent view

on the future of international envi-

ronmental law.

Koivurova acknowledges the ques-

tions often faced by international

lawyers on the nature of interna-

tional law such as: Why is interna-

tional law necessary? And can

international law provide solutions

for the deterioration of the global

environment? Koivurova provides

excellent answers to these ques-

tions, explaining that international

law is certainly useful but it is insuf-

ficient to address the excessive

expectations placed upon it, such as

it being the sole instrument for

the prevention of climate change.

Koivurova argues that soft law

instruments are useful tools that

provide quicker responses to inter-

national environmental problems

than their binding counterparts.

He thoroughly discusses the prin-

ciple of territorial sovereignty in

international environmental law,

illustrated by some interesting

developments regarding restrictions

of sovereignty, including the Euro-

pean Union and the Svalbard Treaty.

Rather than introducing many sub-

branches, Koivurova focuses on

marine environmental law, the pro-

tection of international water-

courses, conservation of biological

diversity and protection of the atmo-

sphere. He discusses the fragmenta-

tion of international environmental

law as a problem and compares this

with international trade law. At the

end of the book, Koivurova calls for

new ways of thinking, for example,

by including concepts such as ‘plan-

etary boundaries’ and by adopting a

holistic approach to environmental

problems. He also discusses the idea

of establishing a World Environ-

mental Organization, which has

attracted huge interest from schol-

ars while obtaining little political

support from States.

I do have a few minor criticisms.

Koivurova posits that liability rules

seldom have any practical signifi-

cance in dealing with transboundary

environmental damage. This is due

to the preference of contracting

parties to put scarce resources into

preventing environmental damage

rather than on clarifying the rules

of restitution. In this regard,

1P. Birnie, A. Boyle and C. Redgwell, Inter-

national Law and the Environment (Oxford

University Press, 2010).

2D. Bodansky, J. Brunnée and E. Hey (eds.),

The Oxford Handbook of International Envi-

ronmental Law (Oxford University Press,

2007).

3S. Alam, J.H. Bhuiyan, T.M.R. Chowdhury

and E. Techera (eds.), Routledge Handbook

of International Environmental Law

(Routledge, 2013).

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Review of European Community & International Environmental Law

RECIEL 23 (2) 2014. ISSN 2050-0386 DOI: 10.1111/reel.12077

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