"We as Peoples Have the Right to Exist": Threatened Nations and Climate Justice

• Published in: Pacific Affairs Vol. 90; no. 4; pp. 767 - 776
• Main Author: Vaha, Milla Emilia
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Vancouver Pacific Affairs, a division of the University of British 01.12.2017; The University of British Columbia; The University of British Columbia - Pacific Affairs; Pacific Affairs. The University of British Columbia
• Subjects: Agreements; Anthropocene; Citizens; Climate action; Climate Change; Climate Justice; Cooperation; Diplomacy; Ecosystems; Endangered; Endangered populations; Environmental justice; Fisheries; Governance; Human rights; Innovations; International Law; Islands; Justice; Legislation; Nonfiction; Politics; Proposals; Prospects; REVIEW ESSAY; Risk; Sea level rise; Small Island States; Threats
• ISSN: 0030-851X; 1715-3379; 0030-851X
• DOI: 10.5509/2017904767

Climate change currently affects several states and their citizens around the globe. As sea level rise is threatening to make some states completely uninhabitable, small island states serve as examples of states at the greatest risk. This review essay analyzes three recent contributions to the literature on climate change and the future of endangered populations. These books offer timely contributions regarding the prospects of threatened nations, as well as addressing the shape and content of global governance in the era of Anthropocene. The authors suggest some interesting and novel innovations, particularly for updating the international legislation surrounding climate governance. At the same time, given how unpredictable a process climate change is, the solutions we come up with should perhaps be bolder.