The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has appointed a new council of senior legal figures to advance the role of law, justice and good governance in achieving sustainable development.

The nine-member advisory council includes Chief Justices, senior judges, auditors and legal academics. Led by UNEP, it will provide strategic guidance to the international community in improving the legal foundations for achieving international environmental goals, and overcoming legal barriers to inclusive sustainable development.

The establishment of the International Advisory Council for the Advancement of Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability follows a major meeting of Chief Justices, Attorneys General and Chief Prosecutors, Auditors General, government ministers and other members of the global legal community in Brazil in June 2012.

The Centre for Law and the Environment together with the UK Environmental Law Association held a one day conference on November 9th 2012.  It brought together some of the leading players in the development of regulatory sanctions with a special focus on the environmental law where the Environment Agency and others are experimenting with new approaches provided by Part III Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 and based on proposals of Professor Macrory.

On the day of the conference the Government announced its new policy in relation to Orders granting new sanctioning powers to regulators.  Essentially all the new sanctions will continue to be available but civil financial penalties will be restricted to larger companies.

With the increased awareness surrounding environmental issues on an international scale – and accompanying “green” legislation from various government agencies – a casual observer might think there would be a coinciding increase in demand for environmental law services or consultation.

But that’s not necessarily the case. Peter Brosse, a partner at Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis in Woodmere, said he hasn’t seen any such increase.

A proposed amendment to the Environmental Protection Law was handed to the Standing Committee of the National People Congress on Wednesday, says an article in Beijing News Daily. Excerpts:

But the Ministry of Environmental Protection's proposal raises new concerns, because it does not entitle the environmental authorities to the powers and rights they deserve and there is still no legal support for the public to take part in environmental impact assessment.

Instead, governments and other administrative departments still have the power to interfere with the professional decision-making process on environmental protection.