Isn't the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn't it our responsibility to bring this about?
Maurice StrongRead
The concept of national sovereignty has been an immutable, indeed sacred, principle of international relations. It is a principle which will yield only slowly and reluctantly to the new imperatives of global environmental cooperation. It is simply not feasible for sovereignty to be exercised unilaterally by individual nation states, however powerful. The global community must be assured of environmental security.
Interpretation
What this quote means
National sovereignty is a key principle in international relations, but it must adapt to global environmental needs.
This quote highlights the tension between the traditional notion of national sovereignty and the emerging necessity for global cooperation on environmental issues. Maurice Strong argues that while sovereignty has traditionally been viewed as an absolute right of individual nations, the pressing challenges of environmental security demand a collective approach that transcends unilateral actions by powerful states. The idea is that true security can only be achieved when nations work together to tackle global environmental crises.
Themes
SovereigntyEnvironmentCooperationGlobalSecurity
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on climate policy, one might reference this quote to emphasize the need for collective action.
More from Maurice Strong
All quotes →After all, sustainability means running the global environment - Earth Inc. - like a corporation: with depreciation, amortization and maintenance accounts. In other words, keeping the asset whole, rather than undermining your natural capital.
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A citizen of an advanced industrialized nation consumes in six months the energy and raw materials that have to last the citizen of a developing country his entire lifetime.
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