International environmental law was the focus of a meeting of more than a hundred judges and lawyers at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.
The "Johannesburg Principles on the Role of Law and Sustainable Development" were adopted at the Global Judges Symposium organized by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). It states, "…the fragile state of the global environment requires the Judiciary, as the guardian of the Rule of Law, to boldly and fearlessly implement and enforce applicable international and national laws ..." Nice words and it's a start, but without U.S. support The Johannesburg Principles will certainly have rough going.
Americans live in geographic and cultural isolation. Getting their attention is a tough assignment. Getting them tuned-in to saving the planet may be even tougher. But the time for politeness is over. People and nations around the world are in a battle of survival largely because of American reliance on fossil fuels. And if foreign countries and their people have to get in our face, or boycott our businesses, or sue us in order to save themselves, then so be it.
If these strategies don't work, the case for violence will be made. For the peoples of the world, protecting the environment is a question of life and death, not comfort or convenience.
Lynn Landes http://www.EcoTalk.org
Links:
· http://www.earthvision.net/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=21994
· http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/elp/climatechange.doc
· http://www.climatelawsuit.org
The "Johannesburg Principles on the Role of Law and Sustainable Development" were adopted at the Global Judges Symposium organized by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). It states, "…the fragile state of the global environment requires the Judiciary, as the guardian of the Rule of Law, to boldly and fearlessly implement and enforce applicable international and national laws ..." Nice words and it's a start, but without U.S. support The Johannesburg Principles will certainly have rough going.
Americans live in geographic and cultural isolation. Getting their attention is a tough assignment. Getting them tuned-in to saving the planet may be even tougher. But the time for politeness is over. People and nations around the world are in a battle of survival largely because of American reliance on fossil fuels. And if foreign countries and their people have to get in our face, or boycott our businesses, or sue us in order to save themselves, then so be it.
If these strategies don't work, the case for violence will be made. For the peoples of the world, protecting the environment is a question of life and death, not comfort or convenience.
Lynn Landes http://www.EcoTalk.org
Links:
· http://www.earthvision.net/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=21994
· http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/elp/climatechange.doc
· http://www.climatelawsuit.org