Justice and natural resources : an egalitarian theory

Abstract

Our world is increasingly marked by climate change, environmental degradation, and conflict over precious resources such as oil, water, and land. In each case, access to valuable resources is at stake. We require a normative account of how access to the benefits and burdens natural resources provide ought to be shared. But to date we have no comprehensive account of the demands of justice when it comes to natural resources. Justice and Natural Resources provides a systematic account of how to think about natural resources, the conflicting claims people have over them, and the implications of this account. The volume criticises the status quo in world politics, according to which resources themselves, and decisions about how to use them, are the preserve of individual states. Instead it demonstrates that justice requires a more equal sharing of the benefits and burdens that flow from the world's resources, and shared management of many of the world's resources. Along the way it addresses important real-world questions such as the following: how should access to the resources of the oceans be shared? How good are national claims to the enormous resource wealth found in Sovereign Wealth Funds? Should we stop buying natural resources from dictators? And who should pay for conservation of valuable resources such as the world's rainforests?