Affixing state responsibility for harm to Earth’s climate system

“Earth” is an integrated whole, a relationship of ecosystems, providing the habitat for life. However, the “world” is composed of disparate nations, each with distinct cultures and economies. The peoples of these nations celebrate nature in their poetry and song, in their parks and protected areas, and share aim to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, forests, combat desertification, and halt biodiversity loss.” ¹ Paradoxically, these same nation States also actively degrade Earth's habitat, imperiling human civilization. The paper seeks to examine the scope and broad contours for affixing state responsibility for causing harm to the Earth's climate system that impinges upon our planetary future.