Sixteenth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Environmental issues are inherently global in nature – not only do pollutants in air and water ultimately affect all life on Earth but the current warming of the planet cannot possibly be restricted to any single region. And while individual nation states understandably desire autonomy for their citizens and within their own borders, the global issues we collectively seek to address requires a cooperation that such autonomy often obstructs. Even well-intentioned nations, who gather at global summits and pledge their commitment to the environment at large, often return home to conditions which prevent the very cooperation they just pledged. And of course, those who feel they will not benefit from such agreements, or who did not contribute to the problem in the first place, have even less reason to change their ways. Attempts to unify the nations of Earth and make such cooperation more likely have been increasing for over a century now - first with The League of Nations and presently through The United Nations – but even on a global scale, we all recognize the difficulties involved in uniting a population that is now over eight billion strong. Feeding, clothing, and housing this still growing number is challenging enough, but reconciling the political, economic, and religious differences makes genuine cooperation even more difficult. Since the one thing that unites us all is the sustenance this planet has always provided, the purpose of this paper is to show how environmental issues themselves can overcome our most entrenched nationalistic differences.