Book Reviews : Water Pollution as a World Problem: The Legal, Scientific and Political Aspects. The Report of a conference held at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. Europa Publications for the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies. £3.50
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787100301209 |
| Date | 01 December 1971 |
| Author | Robert Waller |
| Published date | 01 December 1971 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
1027
port.
It
will
be
a
long
slow
process
and
in
the
meantime
we
must
rely
for
the
most
part
on
good
statecraft
for
the
peaceful
solution
of
disputes
or
where
a
solution
is
not
possible,
for
handling
the
dispute
in
such
a
way
that
the
minimum
of
friction
and
disruption
is
caused.
This
book
is
quite
the
most
admirable
survey
of
the
problems
of
inter-
national
peace-keeping
in
the
nuclear
age
that
I
have
yet
come
across.
It
makes
a
most
convincing
plea
for the
careful
study
of
good
statecraft
and
anyone
seeking
to
practice
this
supreme
art
should
read
it.
HARLECH
Water
Pollution
as
a
World
Problem:
The
Legal,
Scientific
and
Political
Aspects.
The
Report
of
a
conference
held
at
the
University College
of
Wales,
Aberystwyth.
Europa
Publications
for
the
David
Davies
Memorial
Institute
of
International
Studies.
£3.50.
The
defence
of
the
environment
against
pollution
is
only
too
often
a
blatant
example
of
injustices
created
by
inequalities
of
wealth
and
power.
The
polluters
are
the
State
itself,
through
nationalised
industries
and
local
authority
waste
disposal
methods,
as
well
as
private
industry,
by
which
is
frequently
meant
powerful
international
combines;
these
industries
are
sometimes
backed
by
the
government
and
local
authorities
who
have
unemployment
on
their
minds
and
the
need
for
more
finance
from
increased
rates
and
taxes.
The
defenders
are
most
likely
to
be
a
disorganised
rabble
of
indignant
citizens
trying
to
cadge
free
advice
and
enrol
voluntary
sup-
porters
with
knowledge
and/ or
authority
in
the
right
places
or
raise
enough
money
to
be
presented
at
Inquiries
with
able
legal
representation.
For
these
Prince
Charmings
of
Conservation
rushing
to
the
defence
of
the
Cinderella
of
the
Environment,
a
book
of
this
kind
has
long
been
needed:
it
brings
together
the
ecological
and
legal
aspects
of
water
pollution
both
on
a
national
and
world
basis.
Here
we
find
under
one
cover
the
views
of
the
scientist,
the
administrator
and
the
lawyer
on
pollution
caused
by
nuclear
thermal
wastes,
oil,
chemical
residues
including
pesticides,
industrial
wastes
and
sewage
with
a
massive
appendix
on
the
Canadian
Arctic
Waters
Pol-
lution
Bill
together
with
the
texts
of
several
international
agreements
on
the
protection
of
wild
life.
All the
speakers
have
experience
in
their
respective
fields,
but
no
less
interesting
are
the
contributions
to
the
discussions
and
no
punches
are
pulled.
The
loopholes
and
weaknesses
of
the
law
and
in
the
procedures
for
enforcing
it
are
well
aired.
One
scientist
suggested
that
the
protesters
at
an
Inquiry
should
have
free
legal
aid
in
presenting
their
case
against
potential
polluters
- which
would
do
something
to
remedy
the
inequalities
mentioned
above.
But
the
best
of
lawyers
are
hampered
by
inadequate
laws
which
do
not
take
account
of
the
subtle
and
multifarious
sources
of
pollution
and
its
massive
annual
increase
that
requires
absolute
legal
limits
to
contain
it.
A
polluted
water
system
is
like
a
victim
who
has
had
not
one
poisoned
dagger
but
dozens
stuck
in
him,
each
one
with
a
different
poison
or
degree
of
poison.
These
may
be
only
slightly
toxic - best
described,
as
one
speaker
said,
as
’detrimental’
-
but
which
may
add
up
to
a
lethal
dose
for
the
system
and
those
who
depend
on
it.
Often
it
is
not
possible
to
detect
when
and
where
the
dagger
was
inserted.
Where,
then,
is
an
anti-pollution
police
force
well
trained
in
the
latest
scientific
means
of
detection
who
are
able
to
bring,
if
necessary,
irrefutable
evidence,
in
legal
terms,
to
the
courts
of
Inquiry
and
able
to
match
the
resources
available
to
the
polluters?
Had
local
government
reform
intro-
duced
regional
governments
such
a
force
might
have
been
brought
nearer
to
reality,
for
most
of
the
major
polluters
have
regional
organisations.
On
a
county
basis
there
is
a
crippling
limitation
both
of
resources
and
area
covered.
Although
pollution
has
a
local
source,
the
unity
of
nature
spreads
the
emissions
from
that
source
over
the
globe.
Where
the
pollution
of
the
sea
is
concerned,
the
nations
are
in
the
same
helpless
positions
as
local
government
within
the
nation
if
inter-
national
agreements
cannot
be
reached.
One
of
the
most
important
dis-
cussions
in
this
book
is
on
the
compatibility
of
the
freedom
of
the
seas
with
pollution
control.
The
arguments
resemble
those
that
led
to
the
enclosure
of
the
mediaeval
commons.
Cannot
justice
be
done
this
time
both
To continue reading
Request your trial