Compendium Vol. III/Prelims
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Compendium of Judicial Decisions on Matters Related to Environment NATIONAL DECISIONS Volume III October 2001 ISBN: 92-807-2096-1 Compendium of Judicial Decisions on Matters Related to Environment ii National Decisions — Volume II A INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 B BACKGROUND TO ENVIRONMENTAL LITIGATION ............................................................................................ 3 1. The Legal Basis of Civil Action .......................................................................................................................... 3 (a) Judicial Review ........................................................................................................................................ 3 (b) Judicial review as a statutory remedy ...................................................................................................... 4 (c) Judicial review as a common law remedy ............................................................................................... 4 2. Action in Private Law .......................................................................................................................................... 4 (a) Trespass .................................................................................................................................................... 4 (b) Nuisance ................................................................................................................................................... 4 (c) Strict Liability: The Rule in Rylands v Fletcher ...................................................................................... 4 (d) Negligence ................................................................................................................................................ 5 3. The Remedies ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 4. The Protection of the Riparian Owner’s Right to Water ..................................................................................... 5 5. Background to Civil Law Systems ...................................................................................................................... 6 (a) An Example of a Civil Law Judicial System: The French Judicial System............................................ 6 (b) French Case Law and Environmental Liability ....................................................................................... 8 C: THEMATIC OVERVIEW OF JUDICIAL DECISIONS (IN ENGLISH) .................................................................... 11 (1) The Overview ..........................................................................................................................................11 (2) Texts........................................................................................................................................................ 21 I FORUM AND JURISDICTION .................................................................................................................................... 23 1. Recherches Internationales Quebec v Cambior Inc & Home Insurance & Golder Associes Ltd (1998), Superior Court, (Canada) ................................................................................................................................... 24 2. Lubbe v Cape plc, 20 July, 2000 (UK) .............................................................................................................. 36 3. Felicia Adjui v The Attorney General, Misc. 811/96 (Ghana) .......................................................................... 48 II POLICE POWER AND COMPULSORY ACQUISITION IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ................... 53 4. United States v Riverside Bayview Homes Inc 474 US 121 (1985), (United States of America) ................... 55 5. Auckland City Council & TranzRail Ltd v The Auckland Regional Council, Decision No A 28/99, (New Zealand) .................................................................................................................................................... 62 6. Pollution Control Board v M.V. Nayudu, 1999 S.O.L. Case No 53 (India) ..................................................... 96 7. Namarda Bachao Andolan v Union of India and Others (India) ..................................................................... 108 8. Judicial Power (Chile) ...................................................................................................................................... 174 III ENFORCEMENT ........................................................................................................................................................ 179 9. Ramakrishnan v State of Kerala, O.P NO 24166 of 1988 (India) ................................................................... 180 10. Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v Union of India, PIL 981-97, (India) ......................................................... 200 11. The Barbuda Council v Attorney General & Others, No 456 of 88 (Antigua & Barbuda) ............................ 202 iii IV BURDEN OF PROOF ................................................................................................................................................. 219 12. Environment Agency v Empress Car Co. (Abertillery), 2 WLR (1998) UK .................................................. 220 13. Environment Agency v Brock plc, (1998) Envr. LR (UK) ............................................................................. 230 V. RIGHTS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO RESOURCE UTILIZATION ............................................................... 237 14. Kemai v The Attorney General, High Court of Kenya at Nairobi Civil Case No 238 of 1999 (OS) ............. 238 VI ANIMAL PROTECTION ............................................................................................................................................ 249 15. Leonardia Safaris v Premier of Gauteng Province 1999, (South Africa)........................................................ 250 16. Environmental Foundation Ltd v Ratnasiri Wickramanayake O.P. No 24160 of 1998, (Sri Lanka) ............. 254 D CASES IN FRENCH ................................................................................................................................................... 259 17. En L’affaire Lopez Ostra c. Espagne, Cour Europeenne des Driots De L’Homme ........................................ 260 18. Affaire Gurre Et Autre c. Italie (116/1996/735/932), Cour Europeenne des Driots De L’Homme................ 272 19. La Societe British Airways v Ministre Public ................................................................................................. 286 20. Protection De La Nature, Tribunal Correctionnel De Gap, 12 octobre 1988 ................................................. 296 21. Pollution Des Eaux, Conseil D’Etat, 1975 ...................................................................................................... 304 22. Carrieres - Etude D’Impact, Conseil D’Etat, 1988.......................................................................................... 308 23. Jurisprudence, Conseil D’Etat, 1978 ............................................................................................................... 310 24. Pouvoi No 95-85-253, La Cour de Cassation, Chambre Criminelle............................................................... 314 25. Pourvoi No 95-82-165, La Cour De Cassation, Chambre Criminelle ............................................................ 318 26. Pourvoi No 93-85-158, La Cour De Cassation, Chambre Criminelle ............................................................ 322 27. Pourvoi No 96-83-344, La Cour De Cassation, Chambre Criminelle ............................................................ 326 E CASES IN RUSSIAN .................................................................................................................................................. 331 28. Joint Stock Company Okean and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine ............................................................................................................................................. 332 iv A INTRODUCTION This publication has been developed in pursuance of the particularly from Africa, urgently to assimilate and aims of Agenda 21, particularly chapter 8 which recognizes, understand the concepts and principles rising from the among other things, the need to facilitate information developing jurisprudence. This is because the rate of exchange, including the dissemination of information on growth of the corpus of modern statute law in the effective legal and regulatory instruments in the field of environmental field is singularly rapid in Africa. In most environment and development. This will encourage their countries awareness of the potential of judicial intervention wider use and adoption. in the environmental filed has grown largely because citizens have instituted proceedings in courts. But in other Consequently, the Compendium of Judicial Decisions was countries the effectiveness of the judicial mechanisms is devised with two objectives. First, it aims to create still weak because of lack of information and a dearth of awareness and enthusiasm among lawyers and non-lawyers human