Part I Conceptualizing the Role of Courts in Protecting the Environment1. The Nature of Courts 2. Bridging the Gap Between Aspiration and Outcomes: The role of the Court in ensuring Ecologically Sustainable Development 3. The Legitimate Role of Rights-Based Approaches to Environmental Conflict Resolution Part II Taking the Lead: The Court as Trailblazer for Environmental Protection4. Ghana’s Courts and Environmental Rule of Law 5. Activities of the Brazilian Judiciary Aimed at Combating Global Warming in the Amazon and Cerrado Biomes 6. Procedural and Substantive Innovations Propounded by the Indian Judiciary in Balancing the Protection of Environment and Development: A Legal Analysis Part III Access to Justice for the Environment 7. Inviting Civil Society to the Table: The Case of the African Commission 8. Collective Environmental Litigation in Colombia: An Empirical Assessment 9. Are Courts Colour Blind to Country? Indigenous Cultural Heritage, Environmental Law and the Australian Judicial System 10. What Chinese Courts Could Learn From the U.S.A.: The Approach of Public Interest Litigation Under the New China Environmental Protection Law11. Protection of Environmental Rights of Citizens in the Courts of Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine Part IV Courts in Action12. The Challenge of Bringing Transnational Corporations to Justice for Environmental Damage: A Case Study of Texaco Oil Company and Chevron vs Lago Agrio Plaintiffs 13. Enhancing Corporate Responsibilities to Fulfill the Right to a Clean Environment: Lessons Learned from Indonesian Courts 14. The Urgenda case: A Successful Example of Public Interest Litigation for the Protection of the Environment? 15. U.S.A. Climate Change Adjudication: The Epic Journey from a Petition for Rulemaking to National Greenhouse Gas Regulation 16. A Review of Environmental Courts and Tribunals for Civil Society Organisations and the Judiciary 17. Swedish Environmental Courts ? Specialized Civil and Administrative Courts Index