The vulnerability of children to harmful environmental conditions is of global concern for several reasons. First, many environmental hazards cross national borders. Toxic chemicals, for example, move in international trade, as does hazardous waste. Polluted water flows from one country into another, as does polluted air. Because these threats are international in scope, they cannot be dealt with by action only at the local and national levels. Additionally, pressures resulting from activities at the international level, such as increased global trade, create or exacerbate many other environmental health threats. International markets, for example, can drive the demand for child labor that so often occurs in environmentally unhealthy conditions. Moreover, because some environmental health threats impact individuals or communities who have limited power and capacity to address the problem, regional or global assistance may provide the only meaningful way for them to address the problem. Finally, addressing these vulnerabilities is central to sustainable development, which depends on the protection of human rights and the environment.
What actions can we take at an international level to address these concerns? What tools and avenues for action are available to individuals, civil society organizations, health practitioners, or government officials who care about protecting the health of our children from environmental threats?
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) believe that international law provides a logical starting point for individuals, institutions, and countries to work together to address many of the major environmental health threats. International law and institutions provide specific opportunities for action—ranging from mechanisms to hold one’s national government accountable for its international environmental obligations, to resources for capacity- building and information-sharing for health initiatives. Using International Law and Institutions to Protect Children’s Environmental Health explains what international law is and what it can be used to do. This handbook systematically describes how each key international and regional law and institution is relevant to efforts by civil society, government officials, individuals, and institutions to protect the environmental health of children. It is a resource that a wide range of actors can use to move forward with authority and savvy to protect children’s health.