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Den suveräna statens skyldighet att skydda miljön

Ljunglöf, Simon LU (2020) LAGF03 20202
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
This thesis explores the possibility of environmentally motivated intervention (which in the essay is defined as ecological intervention), with the purpose to force another state to stop global effect pollution, and how such a solution would affect the international legal and political climate. The thesis is based on the underlying environmental law and international law principles to provide a deeper understanding of the subject.
Historically, there has been an idea in international law that every state should be free and equal regardless of matters concerning the state's domestic or "sovereign" affairs. Sovereignty means that each state should have complete and exclusive control over its own territory, however, how far this... (More)
This thesis explores the possibility of environmentally motivated intervention (which in the essay is defined as ecological intervention), with the purpose to force another state to stop global effect pollution, and how such a solution would affect the international legal and political climate. The thesis is based on the underlying environmental law and international law principles to provide a deeper understanding of the subject.
Historically, there has been an idea in international law that every state should be free and equal regardless of matters concerning the state's domestic or "sovereign" affairs. Sovereignty means that each state should have complete and exclusive control over its own territory, however, how far this "exclusivity" extends is disputed.
As state sovereignty has started to have an increasingly bigger role in environmental issues in the early 2000s, it has become clearer that states cannot exercise sovereignty in isolation and that the effect of one state's activities can easily encroach on another state's integrity through pollution. The state's responsibility towards its citizens and other states has therefore become an important issue.
The fact that global warming seriously affects the sustainability of the Earth’s limited resources, means that lawyers and researchers have begun to investigate whether and how it is possible to stop states from performing dangerous environmental pollution.
One such proposal is "ecological interventions", which can be defined as "the threat or use of force by one state (or coalition of states) within the territory of another state, without the consent of that state to prevent environmental damage".However, the proposals have received criticism from several states. Partly because they are based on the criminalization of massive ecosystem destruction, so-called “Ecocide”; a crime that was not included in the Rome Statute when it was proposed in 2010.
Hence, a de lege feranda situation has therefore arisen, as there are very few ways to force a sovereign state to end environmental degradation that seriously harms the environment. However, this may change. The international community's acceptance of a particular subject is the basis for the political concern to act in its defense. As climate change accelerates and natural disasters become more common, a legislation may be needed that creates the opportunity to intervene in acute environmental hazards. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Den här uppsatsen utforskar möjligheten till miljömässigt motiverad intervention (vilket i uppsatsen är definierat som ekologisk intervention), med syfte att tvinga upphörande av annan stats miljöförstöring med global påverkan, och hur en sådan lösning skulle påverka det internationella klimatet politiskt och juridiskt. Uppsatsen utgår ifrån de bakomliggande miljörättsliga och folkrättsliga principerna för att ge en djupare förståelse på ämnet.
Historiskt sett har det funnits en idé i internationell rätt att varje stat ska vara fri och jämlik oberoende av saker som rör statens inhemska eller ”suveräna” angelägenheter. Med suveränitet menas att varje stat ska ha en fullständig och exklusiv kontroll över sitt eget territorium , hur långt... (More)
Den här uppsatsen utforskar möjligheten till miljömässigt motiverad intervention (vilket i uppsatsen är definierat som ekologisk intervention), med syfte att tvinga upphörande av annan stats miljöförstöring med global påverkan, och hur en sådan lösning skulle påverka det internationella klimatet politiskt och juridiskt. Uppsatsen utgår ifrån de bakomliggande miljörättsliga och folkrättsliga principerna för att ge en djupare förståelse på ämnet.
Historiskt sett har det funnits en idé i internationell rätt att varje stat ska vara fri och jämlik oberoende av saker som rör statens inhemska eller ”suveräna” angelägenheter. Med suveränitet menas att varje stat ska ha en fullständig och exklusiv kontroll över sitt eget territorium , hur långt denna “exklusivitet” sträcker sig är dock omtvistat.
I takt med att statlig suveränitet började få en allt större roll i miljöfrågor i början av 2000-talet har det blivit tydligare att stater ej kan utöva suveränitet isolerat och att effekten av en stats verksamhet lätt kan inkräkta på en annan stats integritet genom t.ex. miljöförstöring.
Statens ansvar gentemot sina medborgare och andra stater har därför blivit en viktig fråga.
Faktumet att den globala uppvärmningen har en allvarlig påverkan på jordens begränsade resurser, har gjort att jurister och forskare börjat undersöka om och hur man kan man kan förmå stater som bedriver farlig miljöförstöring med global påverkan att upphöra med detta.

Ett sådant förslag är “ekologiska interventioner”, som kan definieras som “hotet eller användningen av våld av en stat (eller koalition av stater) inom en annan stats territorium, utan samtycke från den staten för att förhindra miljöskador”. Förslagen har dock fått kritik från flera stater, bland annat eftersom de bygger på kriminaliseringen av massiv ekosystemsförstörelse, s.k. “ekomord”; ett brott som inte blev inkluderat i Romstadgan när det kom på förslag 2010.
Det har därför uppstått ett de lege ferenda-läge, då det finns ytterst få sätt att tvinga en suvären stat att upphöra med miljöförstöring som allvarligt skadar miljön. Detta kan dock komma att ändras. Det internationella samfundets acceptans av ett visst ämne utgör grunden för den politiska angelägenheten att agera i dess försvar. I takt med att klimatförändringarna går snabbare och naturkatastrofer blir allt vanligare kan det på sikt behövas ett lagrum som skapar möjlighet att intervenera på akuta miljöfaror. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ljunglöf, Simon LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20202
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Internationell miljörätt, Mänskliga rättigheter, Intervention, R2P
language
Swedish
id
9041790
date added to LUP
2021-04-13 13:44:34
date last changed
2021-04-13 13:44:34
@misc{9041790,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores the possibility of environmentally motivated intervention (which in the essay is defined as ecological intervention), with the purpose to force another state to stop global effect pollution, and how such a solution would affect the international legal and political climate. The thesis is based on the underlying environmental law and international law principles to provide a deeper understanding of the subject.
Historically, there has been an idea in international law that every state should be free and equal regardless of matters concerning the state's domestic or "sovereign" affairs. Sovereignty means that each state should have complete and exclusive control over its own territory, however, how far this "exclusivity" extends is disputed.
As state sovereignty has started to have an increasingly bigger role in environmental issues in the early 2000s, it has become clearer that states cannot exercise sovereignty in isolation and that the effect of one state's activities can easily encroach on another state's integrity through pollution. The state's responsibility towards its citizens and other states has therefore become an important issue.
The fact that global warming seriously affects the sustainability of the Earth’s limited resources, means that lawyers and researchers have begun to investigate whether and how it is possible to stop states from performing dangerous environmental pollution.
One such proposal is "ecological interventions", which can be defined as "the threat or use of force by one state (or coalition of states) within the territory of another state, without the consent of that state to prevent environmental damage".However, the proposals have received criticism from several states. Partly because they are based on the criminalization of massive ecosystem destruction, so-called “Ecocide”; a crime that was not included in the Rome Statute when it was proposed in 2010.
Hence, a de lege feranda situation has therefore arisen, as there are very few ways to force a sovereign state to end environmental degradation that seriously harms the environment. However, this may change. The international community's acceptance of a particular subject is the basis for the political concern to act in its defense. As climate change accelerates and natural disasters become more common, a legislation may be needed that creates the opportunity to intervene in acute environmental hazards.}},
  author       = {{Ljunglöf, Simon}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Den suveräna statens skyldighet att skydda miljön}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}