This important book makes an original and modern contribution to the study of "international environmental law", addressing its development over three time periods: the traditional period, the modern era, and the post-modern period. Kuokkanen's thesis is this: in the traditional period there was no clear distinction between the protection of the environment and the exploitation of natural resources; during the modern period the subjects became completely separated; and in the post-modern era there has been an effort to reconcile economic interests and environmental concerns.
The work challenges the reader to think about international environmental law and its development within a broader framework, and through a lens which differs from that taken elsewhere. The book presents an impressive panorama of the principal international legal developments over the past century in this area, and successfully pinpoints the tensions between environmental and economic objects over the past century. A timely and important contribution.