As the need for steps to curb climate change grow manifold, the need for better laws to protect the environment becomes one of the natural first steps in the process. As the global community heads toward a better, more efficient and effective legal framework to help control actions that affect climate change, we look at some of the strictest and most effective laws related to climate justice from around the globe.
Lithuania
Being at the top of the Environmental Democracy Index, there’s no surprise that Lithuania has some of the most effective and rigorous climate laws. The country’s laws give full environmental information access to the public as well as the right to make environmental claims in the court, under its Environmental Protection Law. What this means is that the public can effectively challenge the government’s decisions that could possibly violate any of the country’s environmental laws. Apart from this, Lithuania’s Law on Waste Water Management, passed in 2012, helped the country achieve a household and industry wastewater treatment rate of 97 per cent in 2012 itself. The law also increased the compensation rates ten-fold on issues related to environmental damage.
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Africa
While most countries have now started imposing plastic-ban laws, countries in the African continent are responsible for the successful enactment of some of the most extreme plastic bans. While in Kenya, the use of plastics can attract fines up to $40,000 or up to a four-year jail sentence, in Rwanda, the same can lead to up to six months of jail time. Morocco went on ban plastic manufacture, import, export and use in 2016 as well. In just a span of three years, the law led to 743,600 inspections, more than 7,500 tons of seized and destroyed plastic, and over 750 court judgments leading to fines of over $520,000.
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Palau
This island country on the Pacific Ocean has made great progress in terms of environmental justice. Palau has the biggest no-fishing zone in the world, thanks to its strict fishing prohibition laws. Only 20 per cent of Palau’s waters are open for domestic fishing, thus protecting about 500,00 square kilometres of waters and aquatic life that it is home to.
Palau has also banned certain kinds of sunscreens that are toxic to the marine environment and most importantly, harm coral beds in waters surrounding the island. This came after it was hit by coral bleaching in both 1998 and 2010, following changes in sea temperatures.
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Bolivia
Bolivia’s unique Law of Rights of Mother Earth, passed in 2010, made history by being the world’s first law to grant all nature equal rights to humans. The law grants specific rights to Mother Earth and her constituent life systems, including human communities. These include the right to life; the right to maintain vital cycles and processes free from human alteration; the right to clean water and air; the right not to be polluted; and the right to live unaltered and free of contamination.
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France
France recently increased taxes for high polluting cars in the country. A vehicle that breaches emission limits of 184kg/km Co2 that would previously attract an additional levy of $14,000, has been increased to $22,240. France, like many other countries, has also banned a number of single-use plastic products. Late last year, the capital city of Paris also announce that it would become completely bike-friendly by 2026.
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USA
This global superpower often finds itself in the proverbial controversial water when it comes to environmental protection. That said, it still ranks third on the Environmental Democracy Index thanks to its most stringent environmental laws. These include the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act that impose restrictions on emissions and pollutants discharged in the air and water resources respectively.
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