Suggestion to Assess New Framework Legislation to Protect Biodiversity – Climate Change Act of 2015 as a Reference Point
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33344/vol16iss1pp24-52Keywords:
environmental rights, framework legislation, climate change law, biodiversity law, biological diversity, democracy, participatory rights, governmental planningAbstract
This article suggests an assessment of new national framework legislation related to biodiversity loss (called “Biodiversity Act”) to be performed in Finland. Such new framework legislation could partly be inspired by the national Climate Change Act (609/2015), and it could inter alia, promote the following aspects explored in this article: realisation of fundamental rights, more effective and coherent governmental planning, and participative democracy.
As the central conclusion of the article, a multidisciplinary assessment of new biodiversity-related framework legislation is recommended. Further research regarding the Biodiversity Act should evaluate the realisation of fundamental environmental rights in the context of biodiversity loss. It would benefit from the study of the impacts of national climate change framework legislation, while also elaborating the differing regulatory aspects of biodiversity loss and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Legislation aiming to halt the biodiversity loss should be studied holistically to assess the need and opportunities for legal reforms and connections between branches of legislation, also accounting for the legal development on supranational level.
