This publication documents the proceedings of the Second South Asia Judicial Roundtable on Environmental Justice, held on 30-31 August 2013 in Thimphu, Bhutan. It brought together chief justices, senior judges, and experts from various fields to consider common environmental challenges in the region, share experiences, and discuss opportunities for cooperation between judiciaries to enhance environmental adjudication and enforcement. The recommendations and the discussions led to the adoption of the Thimphu Declaration on Enhancing Environmental Justice in South Asia. The participants also agreed to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for Co-operation Amongst the South Asia Judiciaries, which aims to significantly improve the development, implementation, and enforcement of, and compliance with, environmental law.

This publication documents the proceedings of the Third South Asia Judicial Roundtable on Environmental Justice for Sustainable Green Development, held on the 8th and 9th of August 2014 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Building on work and the discussions of the previous roundtables, key themes discussed in Colombo include judicial training and capacity enhancement, regional integration and cooperation, enhancing the efficacy of the judicial system for environmental justice, and the application of Alternative Dispute Resolution methods. In addition, the event tackled specific issues relating to urban development, natural capital, gender, community forest management, and tourism. The roundtable culminated in the adoption of the Colombo Action Plan consisting of concrete steps and measures toward the development of environmental rule of law.

This book sheds light on the latest trends in environmental law by analyzing some of the main sectors of law, including administrative law, constitutional law, EU law, US Law, and human rights law. It explores the evolution of these sectors before courts and tribunals from a US-EU perspective and from the perspectives of some of the foremost academics and justices from the major jurisdictions. Supranational and national courts, both in Europe and in the US, have delivered significant environmental judgements in recent years. The corresponding case law reflects how, in many jurisdictions, environmental and climate litigation continues to expand exponentially as a tool to strengthen environmental protection, whether by pushing national governments to be more ambitious or by enforcing existing statutes and regulations. Courts, particularly after the Paris Agreement, are increasingly seeking their own role as an important player in multilevel environmental governance. Courts in both the US and EU are at the forefront of this process and their role in shaping environmental rule of law will be fundamental in the near future.

This Review and Compendium of Environmental Policies and Laws in Bhutan aims to facilitate access to information for all stakeholders engaged in the environment sector, in particular for the Judiciary and administrative officials responsible for overseeing the protection of the country's natural resources. Moreover, it seeks to empower citizens to take action in support of environmental protection. It provides background information on Bhutan, as well as an introduction and overview of key environment, natural resources, and climate change, laws, rules, policies, and regulations of the country. This publication is one of the key proposals of the Royal Court of Bhutan as a follow-up action to the Second South Asia Judicial Roundtable on Environmental Justice held in Thimphu, Bhutan on 30-31 August 2013.

From 15-18 November 2013, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chief justices and their designees convened in Bangkok, Thailand for their third roundtable on environment with the theme "ASEAN's Environmental Challenges and Legal Responses." Distinguished speakers and the judicial participants shared their knowledge and experiences in dealing with the region's environmental challenges, and the various means and innovations they have implemented to effectively address these challenges. The ASEAN judiciaries agreed on how they could advance regional collaboration and accelerate the implementation of "A Common Vision on Environment for ASEAN Judiciaries" (the "Jakarta Common Vision"), such as by establishing National Working Groups on Environment and an ASEAN Judiciaries Working Group on Environment, and prioritizing the attendance of their chief justices at the annual ASEAN Chief Justices' Roundtable on Environment that is supported by the Asian Development Bank.