Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

The  assessment  principle prescribes: if the consequences 
of  an  action  or  project  can  signifi cantly  affect  the  environ ment 
or human health, they must be assessed before such an action or 
project is permitted (commenced). If it becomes evident after the 
assessment that the action or project in question will adversely affect 
the environ ment or human health, the government may allow it on 
condition that the expected positive result for society as a whole 
will exceed the harm that the respective action or project will have 
caused to the environ ment and society.
The assessment principle clearly attests to the aforementioned 
anthro po centrism of environ mental law. Moreover, ‘the expected 
positive result for society as a whole’ may be related to the im ple-
men tation of economic interests, such as the construction of roads, 
dams, pipelines, nuclear power plants. Therefore, the environ mental 

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ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
legislative regulation is aimed not so much at prohibiting any 
negative impact on the environ 
ment than at controlling and 
minimising this impact as far as reasonably practicable.