State responsibility for the global ecosystem : the case of the polar regions

TL;DRAbstract

A new sense of state responsibility for the global ecosystem has emerged over the last three decades. It embraces doctrines such as sustainable development, the 'polluter-pays' principle, the precautionary principle, intergenerational equity and the common heritage of mankind. When coupled with international security and economic considerations, the development of these concepts heralds the emergence of a new international environmental order and its attendant circle of interdependence which binds all states. The emergence of shared concerns about humanity's impact on the global environment has its roots in a series of environmental crises which have served to confirm the planet's vulnerability and underscored the need for joint responsibility towards the global ecosystem. However, the acceptance by states of this responsibility has not been pervasive as inter-state cooperation from within the traditional framework of sovereign independence has always been problematic. But this study a

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