Environmental Laws with Application: A review

Abstract

The environmental situation in Egypt constrains the national drive towards sustainable development. Degradation of natural resources is a significant threat to agriculture and tourism, as well as to continued economic growth. Air and water pollution, as well as improper waste disposal, furthermore, cause significant health problems, lowers the quality of life, and even lead to increase mortality rates. The protection of the environment, in the sense of ecologically rational management of natural resource, is perceived today as a necessary condition for social and economic development. Therefore, the Egyptian government established in 1994 the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs (MSEA) and its executive arm, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) with the objective of integrating the environmental dimension into the national policies, plans, programs and projects and an immediate focus on the reduction of pollution rates for the protection of natural resources, biodiversity and the historical and cultural heritage, within the framework of sustainable development. The Egyptian government established the environmental law no. 4 of 1994 then its executive regulation in 1995 (EEAA, 2002), promulgating the Environment Law amended by Law no. 9 / 2009. The question, can environmental laws play a role in protecting the environment in Egypt?.