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Environmental Victims and State Sovereignty: A Normative Analysis

Peter Penz develops perspectives on environmental victimology through a meticulous discussion in relation to state sovereignty and national borders. In an earlier issue of {Social Justice}, Merideth and Brown (1995) provided an outline of the practical aspects of this debate, in relation to the Mexican maquiladoras. “If you want to get there–I wouldn’t start from here” is a common quip, expressing frustration in relation to international agencies, global governance, and cross-border ecopolitics. We must nonetheless start from here–the nation-state–though Pent quickly takes his argument from a succinct appreciation of its benefits to the point at which “a federal system of divided authority, extended down to the local level and up to the global level” starts to appear feasible.

democracy, environmental justice movement, environmental protection, ethics, federalism, international relations, sovereignty, state, role of the, victims’ rights

Citation: Social Justice Vol. 23, No. 4 (1996): 41-61