Ved Nanda

World Climate Change: The Role of International Law and Institutions is a collection of papers on global climate problems prepared for a two-day conferences held in 1980 at the University of Denver College of Law. The papers describe and evaluate the present state if our efforts to reduce or adapt to manmade stresses on the global environment.

World Climate Change: The Role of International Law and Institutions is a collection of papers on global climate problems prepared for a two-day conferences held in 1980 at the University of Denver College of Law. The papers describe and evaluate the present state if our efforts to reduce or adapt to manmade stresses on the global environment.

There is a broad consensus that climate change presents the international community with a formidable challenge. Yet progress on all fronts - prevention, mitigation, and adaptation - has been slow. Ved P. Nanda finds an explanation for this disparity in the sharp divide between the developed and developing countries. Developing countries demand that major industrialized nations provide the necessary resources and technology to address climate change, while many developed countries seek firm commitments and timetables on action from the developing countries. The result is a stalemate.Climate Change and Environmental Ethics contains first-rate research and thinking from scholars from multiple disciplines - ethics, ecology, philosophy, economics, political science, history, and international law. What distinguishes this volume from recent work on climate change are two of its special features. One is the multi-disciplinary backgrounds of the scholars, their stellar experiences, and the wisdom with which they express not simply their philosophy and theory but also their suggestions for concrete, specific action in practical terms. The second is the special niche this volume fills in its overarching theme of the need for a renewed environmental ethic that can bring together these disparate but interconnected views.This volume explores alternative ways of conceiving our relation to the natural world. A spirit of international cooperation and collaboration is needed to meet the challenge. The reader is compelled to think anew about our understanding of the scientific and technical issues, as well as our values and ethical responsibilities regarding climate change.

There is a broad consensus that climate change presents the international community with a formidable challenge. Yet progress on all fronts - prevention, mitigation, and adaptation - has been slow. Ved P. Nanda finds an explanation for this disparity in the sharp divide between the developed and developing countries. Developing countries demand that major industrialized nations provide the necessary resources and technology to address climate change, while many developed countries seek firm commitments and timetables on action from the developing countries. The result is a stalemate.Climate Change and Environmental Ethics contains first-rate research and thinking from scholars from multiple disciplines - ethics, ecology, philosophy, economics, political science, history, and international law. What distinguishes this volume from recent work on climate change are two of its special features. One is the multi-disciplinary backgrounds of the scholars, their stellar experiences, and the wisdom with which they express not simply their philosophy and theory but also their suggestions for concrete, specific action in practical terms. The second is the special niche this volume fills in its overarching theme of the need for a renewed environmental ethic that can bring together these disparate but interconnected views.This volume explores alternative ways of conceiving our relation to the natural world. A spirit of international cooperation and collaboration is needed to meet the challenge. The reader is compelled to think anew about our understanding of the scientific and technical issues, as well as our values and ethical responsibilities regarding climate change.

Set against the backdrop of deteriorating living conditions for hundreds of millions of people in developing and debtor countries, this volume concentrates on the structural adjustment policies designed to facilitate debt repayment and to stabilize indebted economies and the effects these policies have on the human rights of affected peoples. Conducted by contributors from various disciplines, this analysis provides distinctive insights into the relationship between international economic decisions and human welfare.The volume begins with general chapters on the issue of world debt; the various perceptions of debtors and creditors and the general consequences of the crisis. The specifics of the right to development are presented along with an explanation of and a rationale for this particular project on debt and human rights. The social, political, and economic consequences of the debt crisis and of the adjustment policies designed to alleviate it are presented by academic analysts as well as economists involved in dealing with poverty and equity issues at the international financial agencies. The book concludes with contributions from NGO representatives. These chapters discuss policy change and popular participation. The complex issues of debt and international economics are examined from a variety of perspectives. World Debt and the Human Condition's unifying element is a shared concern for the advancement of human dignity and the protection of the basic human rights of all those affected by the current international debt crisis and by current international economic policies and development strategies.

Written by a distinguished group of social scientists, the essays address critical aspects of the global refugee situation. The contributors analyze the current problem from the perspectives of law, ethics, and social science, paying particular attention to the linkages and conflicts between international and national refugee issues and concerns. Arguing that a serious gap exists between the obligations undertaken by government delegations to the various refugee conventions and what is actually required to meet the needs of the displaced, the contributors issue a call for concerted international action to address the refugee challenge, explore alternatives to existing policies, and suggest choices consistent with the goal of human dignity for all. Following an introductory chapter on the nature of the refugee problem, the volume is divided into four parts. The contributors first explore international responses to the refugee problem examining such issues as the rights of refugees under international law, the problem of accountability, and conflicting trends in Western European refugee policies. In a section devoted to the United States response, topics covered include U.S. refugee policy in Africa, Central American refugees, the role of Congress and the courts, and trends in U.S. immigration law and policy. The following chapters address the response of citizens and church-affiliated groups while the concluding section examines ways in which countries can act both to avert the flow of refugees and provide more effective protection for those that need it. An excellent set of readings for courses in international relations and international law, this volume is an important step towards the solution of the international refugee crisis.

The intertwining of development and human rights is the subject of the twelve essays collected by the editors. The individual authors extensively examine the commonly held belief that economic development cannot take place in Third World countries without the short term sacrifice of political liberty and demonstrate that there is considerable evidence to the contrary. Following a theoretical stage-setting that concentrates on the severe power limitations and the dependency of weak Third World states, case studies focus on such issues as state terrorism, food, the right to modernize, refugees, and support of apartheid in Latin America, the People's Republic of China, the Middle East, and Africa. Several essays concern the implementation of human rights and the role of multinational corporations and international nongovernmental organizations in protecting them. The final essay considers the international framework of government, law, and organization as a means for implementing human rights development in the Third World.