Book review : Geoffrey Garver, ecological law and the planetary crisis : a legal guide for harmony on Earth (Routledge 2022)

Abstract

‘The Anthropocene’ has developed a wide range of meanings within the scholarly community. In essence, the term encapsulates the innate understanding that humans have become (and perhaps always were) a pressing force on the environment. Short-term objectives in politics, and a legal system that prioritizes growth and the deeply enshrined protection of property rights have been criticized for their role in the decay of nature. Yet, it has been difficult to grasp precisely how law and governance may play a positive role, that can lead to a ‘good’ environmental outcome. In the volume Ecological Law and The Planetary Crisis: A Legal Guide for Harmony on Earth, Geoffrey Garver has made a significant contribution to the literature by developing a framework to reform law and governance within the Anthropocene, in part to address the systemic problems outlined above.