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The Changing Arctic and the European Union provides a balanced and up-to-date overview of the multidimensional change taking place in the Arctic regions. Against this background, the role of the European Union regarding Arctic developments is considered, including the ongoing process of formulating an umbrella EU Arctic policy. In particular, the themes of climate change, maritime transport, fisheries, offshore oil and gas extraction, mining, land use and sociocultural change are discussed. The book comprises primarily an updated and expanded version of the report Strategic Assessment of Development of the Arctic: An assessment conducted for the European Union, produced for the European Commission. The report was to a great extent based on the interaction with Arctic stakeholders.

This book examines'The Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context', which celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its adoption in 2011, and its'Kiev Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment'which came into force in July 2010. In addition to contributing to international environmental law, the Convention has prompted significant changes to European environmental law. The chapters in this collection explain the role of transboundary environmental impact assessment in international and European law, and explore the relationship between international and European law in the context of potential application of the Convention. They also examine examples of the Convention in practice, and consider the potential application of the Protocol. While the focus of the book is on the situation in the European Union, reference is made to the relationship between EU and non-EU member states, notably in connection with important cases in the Arctic, the Danube Delta and the Baltic Sea.

Climate change is affecting the Arctic environment and ecosystems at an accelerating speed, twice the rate of the global average. This is opening the Arctic to transportation and resource development and creating serious challenges for local communities and indigenous peoples. Climate Governance in the Arctic considers two aspects of climate change from an institutional perspective. It focuses on how relevant regimes, institutions and governance systems support mitigation of climate change. It also examines the extent to which the varying governance arrangements in the Arctic support adaptation and the development of adaptation processes for the region. The book's focus on Arctic governance offers unique insights within climate change mitigation and adaptation research.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a well-established instrument of Environmental Law and policy that aims to ensure that potential adverse environmental effects of human activities are assessed before decisions on such activities are made. The instrument is increasingly being applied in respect of activities that may cause environmental effects across the borders of a state. In this book, thirteen systems of Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (TEIA) are assessed that exist or are in development in different parts of the world. Although TEIA is generally associated with EIA between territorial states, this book takes a broader approach and is divided into three sub-parts: Transboundary EIA between states, EIA for activities in international and shared areas, and EIA required by international financial institutions. Knowledgeable experts (scholars and practitioners) provide an overview of the history, content, and practice of the individual systems and, based on these discussions, the state of the art concerning TEIA and possible future developments are discussed.