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Appendix B:
Using Laws to Fight for
Environmental Rights
Human rights, and sometimes environmental rights (the right to a safe,
healthy environment) are protected by the laws of many countries. This book
includes many stories about how people have worked together to make new
laws to protect their communities, or have demanded protection under laws
that already exist.
This section of the book includes information on how to use an Environmental
Impact Assessment or a lawsuit to fight for your environmental rights. It also
contains information about where to seek international help if your local and
national courts and government do not protect you.
Communities struggling to protect their environment and health often
face opposition and violence from corporations or governments that want
to take their natural resources or pursue development projects, regardless
of the harm they will cause. These projects may displace people from their
lands, create terrible pollution, endanger public safety, or produce toxics that
cause serious health problems. These are all violations of human rights and
environmental rights.
Large corporations sometimes have so much money and power they are
able to prevent governments from recognizing or enforcing laws that should
protect you. When local and national laws are not effective, there are some
international laws that may offer protections to you and your community.
The idea that people have environmental rights is a relatively new area of
law, so the definitions of what those rights are and how they apply are still
being determined. This makes every legal battle for environmental rights very
important.