Authorities in the fields of environmental and international law and policy, political science, environmental technology, and public administration compare and contrast the ways in which the United States and the European Union handle similar environmental issues.The contributors critically analyze the influence of culture and history on the way apparently similar developed democracies handle the same problems; they examine the center-state relationship as it applies to EU member countries in contrast to states within the United States; they look at the challenge of transboundary, international, and global environmental problems, and how these relate to the still-emerging geopolitical reconfigurations involved in such structures as NAFTA and the EU; and they examine how transnational resources are handled in the North American and EU contexts. Randall Baker has assembled leading experts who examine significant issues for policymakers and environmentalists in North America and Western Europe.

Rationale: The Underlying IssuesThe Rationale Behind This Study by Randall BakerThe European Union and the United States: Two Systems ComparedEuropean and American Political Decision-Making by Willem G. van HasseltThe European Union: Evolution, Nature and Trends by B.J.S. HoetjesThe Role of International LawInternational Environmental Law: A Stocktaking by Menno T. KammingaWhy Do States Take on International Environmental Law Obligations: A Comparison of the United States and The Netherlands by Mary Ellen O'ConnellTransparency and Locus Standi: Instrumental or Intrinsic Values in European (Environmental) Law? by Ellen HeyEnvironmental Law and PolicyThe Evolution, Operation, and Future of Environmental Management in the European Union by Ernst R. KlatteThe Evolution, Operation, and Future of Environmental Policy in the United States by Paul Weiland, Lynton K. Caldwell, and Rosemary O'LearyCase Studies: Air and Water Quality ManagementAir Pollution Policy in the European Union by Kenneth HanfAir Pollution Control in the United States by A. James BarnesWater Quality ManagementThe European Approach to Water Pollution Control by Carel H.V. de VilleneuveThe United States Approach to Water Pollution Control by Ralph R. BauerThe Uneven Geography of Managing Urban Storm Water: A Comparison of Two State Programs by Greg LindseyWater Pollution Control in an EU Member State: The Netherlands by Vincent W. J. van den BergenTransnational Dimensions to Water Management: The Great Lakes by Lynton Keith CaldwellWaste ManagementThe EU Regulation of Waste: Free Circulation or Self-Sufficiency? by Ida J. KoppenManaging the River Rhine and Its Basin by Hans WesselRegulation of Solid and Hazardous Waste in the United States by J.B. RuhlIndex