From Common Interest To Partnership

Abstract

The idea of a common, collective interest in environmental preservation lies at the origins of the environmental movement and is often proposed as the rationale behind environmental policy. As a matter of fact, the environment is by definition considered as a collective good: it cannot be divided up in an equal manner, neither between groups of people, e.g. states, nations or regions, nor between individuals. Nonetheless, until recently, the environment remained under the jurisdiction of the separate nation-states. It was a collective, national good. The effects of air and water pollution, soil degradation or the depletion of resources were geographically limited. Overexploiting or careless modes of production compromised mainly the local resources without endangering the existence and/or survival of neighboring countries. However, the development of ever more intensive modes of production and, more particularly, the discovery of nuclear power has changed dramatically the landscape.