Although environmental laws are rarely able to provide the simple solutions that people want from them, they are essential for the future of our planet. This book explores how legal responses are shaped in response to the problems facing the environment today, and the socio-political conflicts facing environmental legislation.

Troubles -- Environmental problems --The substance of environmental law -- The history of environmental law -- Expanding legal imagination -- The significance of nation states -- Power and accountability in environmental law -- Ensuring the effectiveness of environmental law -- The many forms of environmental justice -- Lessons.