Earth Trusteeship and the Sovereign State: Transforming International Environmental Law [Hardcover]

Introduction?Part I Transforming International Environmental Law?1. In Search for Direction?2. The Earth System Approach 3. Dealing with Complexities?4. Ecological Integrity?Part II Examining State Sovereignty?5. The Concept of State Sovereignty?6. Sovereignty and International Environmental Law?7. The Duty to Protect?Part III Incorporating Earth Trusteeship?8. Sovereignty and Trusteeship?9. The State as Earth Trustee?Conclusion

This book makes an argument for the legal role and responsibility of sovereign states in the trusteeship of the earth.

Klaus Bosselmann is Professor of Law at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

This book makes an argument for the legal role and responsibility of sovereign states in the trusteeship of the Earth.

In 1972, the first photo of the Earth  Blue Marble  sparked the imagination and need to care for our planet. In the same year, the worlds first UN conference on the environment adopted the Stockholm Declaration, proclaiming that the Earths natural resources and ecosystems must be safeguarded for the benefit of present and future generations . Today, the Earths ecological systems deteriorate at accelerating speeds, as if Earth does not matter to law and governance. But what if it does? Earth system science and related jurisprudence provide clear guidance for effective law and governance, in particular the trusteeship responsibilities of sovereign states. This book closes the gap between the promises of international environmental agreements and the concept of state sovereignty. Maintaining that state sovereignty is not an end in itself, but rather a means to protect the autonomy and freedom of citizens, the book develops the argument that sovereignty includes fiduciary duties for matters of global lƒ&