Abstract

Ethiopia offers an important case study on the role of law in regulating industrial pollution in developing countries. In the past decade, Ethiopia’s pursuits toward rapid economic growth have been at a high cost, with serious implications for the environment through industrial pollution. Ethiopia has taken steps to introduce industrial pollution legislation since 2002 with a view to eliminating or, when not possible, to mitigating pollution as an undesirable consequence of social and economic development activities. However, the Proclamation has not fared well with regard to the realization of its schemes and strategies. The new pollution control legislation i.e. The Industrial Park Proclamation No. 886/2015 embodies schemes and strategies to resolve the underlying tension in the country’s development agenda—the tension between the need to industrialize and to regulate industrial pollution. The legislation envisages that economic growth and environmental protection are possible at the same time. The effectiveness of Proclamation No. 886/2015 which deals with Industrial Parks remains to be seen.