Fall 2009 (23.3) Feature

The Right to Relocation: Disappearing Island Nations and Common Ownership of the Earth

In recent work I have tried to revitalize the standpoint of humanity's commonly owning the earth. This standpoint has implications for a range of problems that have recently preoccupied us at the global level, including immigration, obligations to future generations, climate change, and human rights. In particular, this approach helps illuminate what moral claims to international aid small island nations whose existence is threatened by global climate change have. A recent proposal for relocating his people across different nations by President Tong of Kiribati is a case in point. My approach vindicates President Tong's proposal.

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More in this issue

Fall 2009 (23.3) Review

What's Wrong with the United Nations and How to Fix It by Thomas G. Weiss

Drawing on his own UN experience and studying it from outside, Weiss clears away a lot of the debris of superficial critiques to uncover the ...

Fall 2009 (23.3) Feature

Justice and the Convention on Biological Diversity

By legislating for a system of justice-in-exchange covering nonhuman biological resources in preference to a free-for-all situation, the Convention on Biological Diversity provides a small ...

Fall 2009 (23.3) Essay

More Money, Less Cure: Why Global Health Assistance Needs Restructuring

Is more money for global health always good news? No, argues Esser, who suggests that many of the problems that plague decision-making in global health ...