Part II Analytical Tools and Perspectives, Ch.13 Ethics and International Environmental Law

‘Ethics’ comprehends the discourse of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, ‘just’ and ‘unjust’, ‘duties’ and ‘rights’, the morally preferable and the morally prohibited. In establishing international norms, such as those in international environmental law, one might turn to ethics for three reasons. First, as an individual (or government) engaged in the process of moral reasoning, one might be seeking guidance in identifying the morally ideal choice among the available policy alternatives: which option ought to be brought about?1 Second, one might employ ethics to persuade others...