The Future of Technology Transfer Under Multilateral Environmental Agreements

July 2007
Citation:
37
ELR 10547
Issue
7
Author
James Shepherd

Editors' Summary: A myriad of social, economic, and legal barriers stand in the way of transferring environmentally sound technologies from developed to developing countries. The international regime that could facilitate this transfer is, at the present time, nonbinding and vague. In this Article, James Shepherd explores the potential for technology transfer under multilateral environmental agreements. Using the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Montreal Protocol as case studies, he summarizes lessons learned and identifies the barriers standing in the way of technology transfer. He then focuses on the current role played by governments and industry, and he concludes with some suggestions to assist governments, private enterprise, and international organizations in facilitating transfer of environmentally sound technologies.

James Shepherd is Clerk to the Hon. Justice Kenny, Federal Court of Australia, and a former Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute. He would like to thank Carl Bruch for his guidance and advice, and Stephanie Altman for her research assistance.
Article File