Title: Geothermal energy in the framework of international environmental law
Abstract: This chapter will analyze international environmental treaties and laws applicable to geothermal development, with the aim of considering legislation as something to keep in mind when developing a geothermal project. It is absolutely vital to know the environmental legislation at work in each country and specifically that which applies directly to geothermal projects. If you know the law, you can avoid legal sanctions and/or penalties, problems with environmental groups, and difficulties with the communities surrounding the geothermal project. We will also see how environmental conservation is actually an economic plus for development companies since environmental impact management has become part of sound business strategy. This is why, today, we can say "green sells." Before analyzing environmental legislation we will tour the evolution of Environmental Law, so that we appreciate its status as a young branch of law, particularly compared with legislation that dates as far back as the Roman Empire, as some Civil Law does. Additionally, we need to know that law has been the answer to the need for an obligatory tool to guard the conservation of our environment. With the aim of fully understanding Environmental Law, we will analyze other related concepts. In this context, we will see that "Sustainable Development" is a foundational bedrock concept to this branch of law, and we will analyze how this is reflected in the legislation of many countries. In the same way, we will analyze the pros and cons of renewable energies and particularly, geothermal energy; we will see when and why geothermal energy became of special interest to the world at large. Finally, we will look at some public and private institutions, which promote the development of geothermal energy through various programs and agreements, so that countries with geothermal potential will have the means necessary to use a native, reliable, and environmentally friendly resource in an equally environmentally friendly way.
Publication Year: 2016
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 3
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