STEP INTO THE FUTURE: REPOSITIONING ADJUDICATION AS A KEY ASPECT OF INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE

Abstract

The world is witness to the increase in ecological threats and crisis from diverse sources which has resulted in the decline of its biodiversity. Though international environmental governance seeks to address the issue, it is quite evident that existing international legal and governance mechanisms have not been potent enough to adequately address this decline. In light of contemporary reflections on international environmental law, it is vital to evaluate the place of international adjudication in environmental governance. By evaluating select environmental cases determined by extant international institutions in the past, the adjudicative role played by these institutions in environmental related disputes will be weighed against the backdrop of aspirations for an alteration in the current design for international environmental governance. Analysis of environmental disputes that have been subjected to international adjudication by extant international institutions highlight legal gaps that should be addressed for the purpose of establishing an effective international environmental governance regime.