Justification

It is widely assumed that environmental policy is increasingly setting the parameters for the development of law and regulation in the energy and natural resources sectors. The pervasiveness of environmental considerations is such that no major project will now be commenced without, for example, a detailed examination of potential liability to environmental regulatory risk in the future. However, it is also evident that the energy and natural resources industry has an important influence on the form and effectiveness of environmental policies and laws. This is evident in the discussions on measures to combat the effects of climate change.

Researchers at CEPMLP have been studying issues that arise from this `energy-environment interface’ for many years. Historically, they have arisen most conspicuously in the oil and mining sectors. With the advent of climate change policies, and the legal schemes designed to implement them, new issues are arising that cut across all energy and natural resource sectors. They also underscore the inter-disciplinary aspect of research in this field, especially the role of law and economics.