The globalization of commerce is changing the practice of environmental law. The rapid expansion of international trade in goods and services makes it increasingly necessary for environmental and natural resource lawyers to be acquainted not only with their own country’s environmental legal authorities, but also those of other nations and international legal developments. Moreover, countries are increasingly borrowing concepts and standards from treaties and other nations’ environmental law schemes. Against this backdrop, this panel will sensitize practitioners to those international environmental issues that in-house counsel may expect environmental attorneys to be familiar with. The panelists will address questions such as the extent to which countries have adopted the EU’s approach to chemical or hazardous waste management, the assessment of environmental impacts from projects and how liability may arise for releases of pollutants. Panelists will also discuss relevant international trade law developments and countries’ measures to ensure public access to environmental information, limit water and air pollution, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The information provided will help attendees better understand how developments in foreign countries and at the international level are affecting the practice of environmental law in the United States.
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