The topic for my research paper is
international environmental threats and its effect on sovereignty. The argument for my research paper is that the
concept of sovereignty should be reconsidered when it comes to the issue of environmental
threats. I believe states should be
given the right to dictate to neighboring states how they should handle
activities that produce air pollution and exploits natural resources in its
territory. I will use the case of China
and India, which harbors a large dense population of people. However, my research will not be limited to
using China and India as my only sources of evidence, but rather draw from more
examples of other states. My topic is
such a contentious issue, because every state is sovereign and has authority
over its own affairs. A state cannot
simply go into another state and command how it should govern its people. This contradicts the definition of
sovereignty.
This world is inflicted with the
problem of climate change. This is due
in part to an immense rise in carbon dioxide levels in the ozone layer and the
abusive treatment of natural resources.
There are states that are often not practicing good environmental
measures and activities are negatively impacting neighboring states through the
environment. I will investigate how
sovereignty makes it difficult for environmental issues to get resolved. In addition, I will seek ways the world can
approach this problem.
References
Chamberlain, David M. 2006. "The Green State: Rethinking Democracy and
Sovereignty."
Environmental Practice 8 (2): 135-136.
http://search.proquest.com/docview/215463524?accountid=14696.
Clark, William C.
1995. "Enhancing Compliance with Environmental Agreements -- Intentional
Oil Pollution at Sea by Ronald Mitchell / the New Sovereignty by Abram Chayes
and Antonia Chayes / Imposing Duties by Malcolm Sparrow." Environment
37 (4): 1. http://search.proquest.com/docview/224021458?accountid=14696.
Litfin, K. T.
1997. "Sovereignty in World Ecopolitics." International Studies
Quarterly 41: 167-204. http://search.proquest.com/docview/16536040?accountid=14696.
Oliver, Christopher. 2005. "THE TREADMILL OF PRODUCTION UNDER NAFTA:
Multilateral Trade,
Environmental Regulation, and National
Sovereignty." Organization & Environment 18 (1): 55-71. http://search.proquest.com/docview/219872787?accountid=14696.
Piddington, Kenneth. 1989. "Sovereignty and the Environment." Environment
31 (7): 18.
Great topic. I know there have been international conferences in which countries have made pledges to cut their carbon emissions, however the treaties are non binding in that none of the signature countries are required to fulfill their obligations and there is also no system of accountability of countries that do not. You could also talk about that nuclear power plant disaster in Japan and how that has affected multiple Pacific nations.
ReplyDeleteYour topic is interesting and I especially like that you identified how states cannot intervene in the affairs of other states. With this being the case how would you answer your question. As Chad stated there have been international conferences like the Kyoto Protocol that bring countries together however these conferences do not bind these states. You can also study the reasons why states may not want to reform their environment policy. (industry, jobs etc) As well as steps NGO (ex:IMF) bodies can take in effecting policy changes.
ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI like your topic and it is relevant to the topic of sovereignty because environmental issues transcend borders. Have you tried to include the US in your investigation? The US pollutes more than any other country, even more so than China and India. It might seem logical for the US to tell other countries how to clean up, but the reality is our mass consumption and our private enterprises abroad are taking advantage of the lack of regulations abroad. We tend to think otherwise of the US because our streets are not filled with liter, as some rivers and streets are abroad, but I think you will be surprised by what you find if you address the degradation induced by the US. Then, the topic of sovereignty becomes even messier: should the developed states, the biggest polluters, dictate the development processes abroad? Good luck exploring!