An Integrated Legal and Technological Framework for a Reform of Environmental Law - Based on Digital Monitoring and Smart Regulation

Abstract

The challenges of environmental degradation and the complexity of modern-day ecological crises have brought into sharp focus the inadequacies of conventional forms of regulation. This is because the more conventional forms of regulation that are driven by the need for inspections, reporting, and enforcement are increasingly found unable to enforce compliance or respond effectively to environmental violations. This paper seeks to establish that digital forms of environmental regulation and smart regulation are revolutionary opportunities that need to be leveraged in reconfiguring environmental regulation enforcement along more transparent, efficient, and fair lines. In particular, the paper zeroes in on the emerging role of Internet of Things technology, Artificial Intelligence, Satellite Remote Sensing Technology, and Real-Time Compliance Technology in enabling proactive environmental regulation. In doing this, it also engages with the challenges of integrating such technologies into different forms of environmental regulation, including an exploration of issues relating to India.