Holding multinational corporations liable for their transnational environmental harms : a search for global liability

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dc.contributor.advisorStevens, Richarden_ZA
dc.contributor.authorRoxburgh, Craigen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Law. Dept. of Mercantile Law.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2023-03-07T08:57:14Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-18T07:20:35Z
dc.date.available2023-03-07T08:57:14Z
dc.date.available2023-05-18T07:20:35Z
dc.date.issued2023-03
dc.descriptionThesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH SUMMARY : For several decades, environmentalists have raised the alarm regarding the impending environmental catastrophe that results from the Anthropocene. Much attention has been given to the role that States play in contributing to ecological damage being wrought upon the Earth. However, we have only looked at the environmental destruction perpetrated by multinational companies (“MNCs”) in the past decade. Natural disasters like the Deepwater Horizon explosion have placed MNCs' dangerous impact on the environment in sharp relief. At the same time, revelations in the Carbon Majors Report and global litigation quantify the damage MNCs cause to the environment. Multinational companies (“MNCs), as a result of globalisation and trade liberalisation, are powerful entities within the global economy. Despite their size, MNCs remain primarily unregulated in international human rights law. Debates regarding who bears the duty for human rights intersect with a battle of political will between the Global North and Global South for developing binding human rights duties for MNCs. As a result, they can commit environmental harm, especially in the Global South, with relative impunity due to a lack of effective liability mechanisms. The doctrine of separate legal personality creates specific issues for holding MNCs liable for environmental harms in the Global South. Domestic courts in home States struggle to exercise jurisdiction over the environmental harms MNCs commit. In contrast, systemic barriers in host States create situations where victims are unable to seek redress within their State. To address these concerns, this thesis proposes a global liability regime founded on the principle of integrated regulation. This regime will utilise regulation at the institutional, national and international levels to enforce the environmental obligations of MNCs, rooted in the right to a healthy environment. This gives rise to multiple intersection human rights obligations which will regulate the behaviour of MNCs. This thesis recognises that such a framework requires a drastic reform in how the law and companies are conceptualised. However, such a reform would have wide-reaching implications for vindicating human rights violations.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Vir etlike dekades het omgewingsbewustes die alarm gemaak oor die naderende omgewings katastrofe wat voortspruit uit die Antropo seën. Baie aandag is gegee aan die rol wat state speel om by te dra tot ekologiese skade wat op die aarde aangerig word. Ons het egter net gekyk na die omgewings vernietiging wat die afgelope dekade deur multinasionale maatskappye ("MNK's") gepleeg is. Natuurrampe soos die Deepwater Horizon-ontploffing het MNK'e se gevaarlike impak op die omgewing in skerp verligting geplaas. Terselfdertyd kwantifiseer onthullings in die Carbon Majors-verslag en wêreldwye litigasie die skade wat MNK'e aan die omgewing veroorsaak. Multinasionale maatskappye ("MNK's), as gevolg van globalisering en handel liberalisering, is kragtige entiteite binne die globale ekonomie. Ten spyte van hul grootte bly MNK'e hoofsaaklik ongereguleer in internasionale menseregte wetgewing. Debatte oor wie die plig vir menseregte dra, kruis met 'n stryd van politieke wil tussen die Global North en Global South vir die ontwikkeling van bindende menseregte-pligte vir MNK'e. Gevolglik kan hulle omgewingskade pleeg, veral in die Global South, met relatiewe strafloosheid weens 'n gebrek aan effektiewe aanspreeklikheid meganismes. Die doktrine van afsonderlike regspersoonlikheid skep spesifieke kwessies om MNK'e aanspreeklik te hou vir omgewingskade in die globale suide. Binnelandse howe in tuis state sukkel om jurisdiksie uit te oefen oor die omgewingskade wat MNK'e pleeg. Daarteenoor skep sistemiese hindernisse in gasheer state situasies waar slagoffers nie in staat is om regstelling binne hul staat te soek nie. Om hierdie bekommernisse aan te spreek, stel hierdie tesis 'n globale aanspreeklikheid regime voor wat gegrond is op die beginsel van geïntegreerde regulering. Hierdie regime sal regulering op institusionele, nasionale en internasionale vlak gebruik om die omgewings verpligtinge van MNK'e af te dwing, gewortel in die reg op 'n gesonde omgewing. Dit gee aanleiding tot meervoudige kruis menseregte verpligtinge wat die gedrag van MNK'e sal reguleer. Hierdie tesis erken dat so 'n raamwerk 'n drastiese hervorming vereis in hoe die wet en maatskappye gekonsepsualiseer word. So 'n hervorming sal egter wydlopende implikasies hê vir die regverdiging van menseregteskendings.af_ZA
dc.description.versionMastersen_ZA
dc.format.extentix, 152 pagesen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127406
dc.language.isoen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshLiability for environmental damages en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshInternational business enterprises -- Law and legislationen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshEnvironmental law, Internationalen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshEnvironmental protection -- International cooperationen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshCorporations -- Environmental aspects -- Developing countriesen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshOffenses against the environment -- Law and legislationen_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.titleHolding multinational corporations liable for their transnational environmental harms : a search for global liabilityen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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