Zeidler: Klimahaftungsklagen. Die Internationale Haftung für die Folgen des Klimawandels

Sophie Zeidler has published Klimahaftungsklagen. Die Internationale Haftung für die Folgen des Klimawandels (Duncker & Humblot 2021). Here's the abstract:

Die Autorin beleuchtet die internationale privatrechtliche Haftung für die Folgen des Klimawandels und deren gerichtliche Geltendmachung. Hierbei werden die rechtsordnungsübergreifend auftretenden materiell-rechtlichen Probleme einer privatrechtlichen Klimahaftung, sowie damit zusammenhängende Fragen der internationalen Zuständigkeit unter der Brüssel Ia-Verordnung und des Internationalen Privatrechts unter der Rom II-Verordnung bei Klimahaftungsklagen untersucht. Die Arbeit kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass die privatrechtliche Klimahaftung aufgrund der materiell-rechtlichen Hürden kein erfolgsversprechendes Instrument ist, um der globalen Herausforderung Klimawandel auf rechtlichem Wege zu begegnen. Die Brüssel Ia-Verordnung und die Rom II-Verordnung stellen dagegen flexible Regelungsinstrumente dar, welche auf das neuartige Phänomen der Klimahaftungsklagen angemessen reagieren können.

Schoenbaum: Liability for Damages in Oil Spill Accidents: Evaluating the USA and International Law Regimes in the Light of Deepwater Horizon

Thomas J. Schoenbaum (George Washington Univ. - Law) has published Liability for Damages in Oil Spill Accidents: Evaluating the USA and International Law Regimes in the Light of Deepwater Horizon (Journal of Environmental Law, Vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 395-416, Nov. 2012). Here's the abstract:

This article compares the international regime that creates liability for damages for oil spilled into the sea with the most significant national law on oil pollution liability, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) enacted by the USA, which remains outside the international regime. US law is particularly relevant at this time because the Deepwater Horizon litigation growing out of the 2010 spill by a BP-owned oil concession is the first big case under the OPA 90 law. The US oil liability regime is much broader and more comprehensive than the international regime, which is limited to oil spills from ships carrying oil as cargo in bulk (oil tankers). This deficiency highlights the need for a more comprehensive oil pollution liability regime, since the current international regime would not have covered the Deepwater Horizon incident. The international regime and US law are markedly different also with respect to the types of damages recoverable, the procedure involved to file a claim, and various limitations on liability. The pending Deepwater Horizon case, which is now at an early stage in the US District Court in Louisiana, may last many years and may provide landmark rulings on many controversial and important issues, such as liability for pure economic loss damages and for damages to natural resources.

Murphy on Crawford et al. on the Law of International Responsibility

Sean D. Murphy (George Washington Univ. - Law) has posted Book Review of The Law of International Responsibility (James Crawford, Alain Pellet, and Simon Olleson eds.) (American Journal of International Law, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

If one were to affix a label to the first decade of work by the UN International Law Commission in this century, a good one to choose would be the “decade of codifying international responsibility.” No fewer than five projects relating to that general topic were brought to a conclusion by the Commission in the space of ten years, constituting a formidable effort at codification that may well influence the field of public international law for years to come. Given that the Commission had spent decades considering, as part of a single project, myriad aspects of state responsibility, in some respects these five projects may be seen as the product of a “divide and conquer” approach. Rather than a single instrument, the Commission produced five instruments directed at different slices of the field, with considerable variations among them in breadth, form, and the understanding of whether they reflect settled law. The book under review here, edited by Professor Crawford, Alain Pellet, and Simon Olleson, reflects an important effort to illuminate the law in this area through expert commentary by academics and practitioners.

Montjoie: Droit international et gestion des déchets radioactifs

Michel Montjoie has published Droit international et gestion des déchets radioactifs (L.G.D.J. 2011). Here's the abstract:

La gestion des déchets radioactifs a une place particulière, ayant des conséquences juridiques, dans l’ensemble des activités nucléaires, caractérisée par une réelle complexité, présente surtout dans la phase finale du stockage. L’objet de l’ouvrage est de rechercher s’il existe, au plan international, un encadrement juridique cohérent et complet relatif à la prévention des risques transfrontières et à la réparation des dommages nucléaires dus aux déchets radioactifs. La focalisation sur le droit international public se justifie par le fait que le domaine de la gestion des déchets radioactifs se caractérise par un cadre international très présent et par la place de la responsabilité des États dans cette activité. Les dispositions concernant la prévention sont étudiées en faisant la distinction entre risques « techniques » (sûreté, protection de l’environnement) et risques « politiques » (sécurité nucléaire et garanties nucléaires). Dans le domaine de la réparation des dommages, l’étude porte sur l’adéquation du régime de responsabilité civile nucléaire à la spécificité des accidents dus aux déchets radioactifs.