University of Washington Press International Environmental Law and Asian Values: Legal Norms and Cultural Influences

Following decades of vigorous economic expansion, Asia isconfronting the environmental consequences of unfettered development.This poses a challenge because of the strong bias of prevailingcultural systems in the region toward the goal of lifting standards ofliving over achieving ecological sustainability. This book juxtaposes international environmental norms and practiceswith relevant Asian policies and their applications in key areas. RodaMushkat examines the fundamental principle of public participation inenvironmental law-making, as well as the “rights approach,”against the emergence of democratic and human rights norms in theregion. The complex relationship between trade and the environment isalso discussed in light of the strong regional emphasis on economicgrowth, trade liberalization, and the aversion to conditionalities.Given regionalization processes in Asia-Pacific and elsewhere, thiswork seeks to establish to what extent such processes have led to theregionalization of international environmental law. International Environmental Law and Asian Values concludesthat, although some gaps can be identified between internationalimperatives and regional responses, “Asian values” have notproved to be an insurmountable barrier to the spread of internationalenvironmental legal ideas. On the whole, the region is responding toimpulses emanating from the global arena rather than resisting themconsciously. The analysis and conclusions of this comprehensive and original workwill be of considerable interest to scholars of international law andrelations, environmental policy, comparative culture, economicdevelopment, and social change.