States, corporations, and other actors worldwide have committed to measures aimed at bringing down global emissions to net zero by the year 2060 or earlier. While the need for a clean energy transition is clear, incoherently designed transition programs can pose complex environmental, social, and governance risks, including legal liability and protracted disputes. At the same time, the rush for minerals needed to manufacture clean energy technologies raises fundamental questions–most crucially, how to ensure the exploration and development of energy transition minerals in a manner that does not exacerbate resource conflicts, resource nationalism, human rights violations, protectionism, energy insecurity, social exclusions, and inequity, especially in conflict-affected and high-risk regions. By studying the legal and regulatory systems of Africa, Asia, Europe, Australasia, and North and South America through the themes of sovereignty, security and solidarity, Net Zero and Natural Resources Law provides an in-depth discussion of tools and techniques for addressing the legal and contract risks relating to the clean energy transition. This book offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the nature, scope, and guiding principles of natural resources law and policy in a net zero era. Consideration is given to the integrated resource governance roadmap that is needed to improve coherence and coordination in the design, financing, and implementation of energy transition programs across the entire natural resource value chain.

States, corporations, and other actors worldwide have committed to measures aimed at bringing down global emissions to net zero by the year 2060 or earlier. While the need for a clean energy transition is clear, incoherently designed transition programs can pose complex environmental, social, and governance risks, including legal liability and protracted disputes. At the same time, the rush for minerals needed to manufacture clean energy technologies raises fundamental questions–most crucially, how to ensure the exploration and development of energy transition minerals in a manner that does not exacerbate resource conflicts, resource nationalism, human rights violations, protectionism, energy insecurity, social exclusions, and inequity, especially in conflict-affected and high-risk regions. By studying the legal and regulatory systems of Africa, Asia, Europe, Australasia, and North and South America through the themes of sovereignty, security and solidarity, Net Zero and Natural Resources Law provides an in-depth discussion of tools and techniques for addressing the legal and contract risks relating to the clean energy transition. This book offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the nature, scope, and guiding principles of natural resources law and policy in a net zero era. Consideration is given to the integrated resource governance roadmap that is needed to improve coherence and coordination in the design, financing, and implementation of energy transition programs across the entire natural resource value chain.

Unique in focus--and easily accessible to those with limited background in ecology, biology, and economics--this book explores natural resource management "in context" in a functional, applied framework by integrating ecology, history, planning, economics, and policy into coverage of "each" natural resource (renewable living, land-based resources and non-renewable, non-living resources), and by providing a balanced, guarded optimistic view of the most current research and technology's capability to overcome natural resource problems. It offers a rich assortment of examples and visuals throughout. Natural Resources: An Overview. History of Natural Resource Ecology, Economics, and Policy. The Ecological Foundations of Natural Resource Management. An Introduction to Economics. An Introduction to Planning, Policy, and Administration. Atmosphere and Climate. Water Resources. Soils: The Physical Resource. Ecosystem and Landscape. Forests and Forestry. Rangeland and Range Management. Outdoor Recreation. Farmland and Food Production. Urban Land-Use Management. Wildlife Conservation. Fishery Conservation and Management. Biodiversity and Endangered Species. Mineral Resources. Non-renewable Energy Resources. Renewable Energy: The Sustainable Path to a Secure Energy Future. Economic Systems. Natural Resources and International Development. Integrated Resource Management and Future Issues. For managers on public and private lands, forestors, wildlife biologists, marine biologist, earth scientists, farmers, range, hydrologists, urban planners, environmental scientists, conservation biologists, economists, politicians, and others interested in natural resource management.