Chapter 9. Access to Environmental Justice in the South West Pacific

Abstract

The political and legal framework necessary to ensure access to environmental justice at the national level requires the existence of broad civil and political rights. The focus of this chapter is access to environmental justice under national legal systems in South West Pacific island countries. The issues are explored in two case-studies concerning Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Procedural rights owe their existence to broad civil and political rights such as the right to free association and the right to information and popular participation in political processes. Access to environmental justice issues can be usefully considered in the apparent failure of constitutional rights and environmental protection laws in PNG. In the South Pacific Islands region, the Solomon Islands is the third largest nation in terms of population and GNP, and the second largest in terms of land area. Keywords: environmental justice; national legal systems; Papua New Guinea; Solomon islands; South West Pacific island