2019 Research in the Capitol
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Keywords
Self-determination, National; Climatic changes--Effect of human beings on; Climatic changes--Political aspects;
Abstract
Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that all people hold the right to have a nationality. How is this right to be fulfilled when a land submerges below the sea or becomes inhospitable for human life, thereby displacing the nation as a whole? In response to Christopher Heath Wellman’s defense of a legitimate state’s presumptive right to self-determination (2008), exemplified in its ability to limit immigration, I take up the question of what we as a democratic nation are obligated to do in the face of a mass migration of displaced persons due to the ramifications of climate change. Contrary to Wellman’s contention, I argue that a country is not a “country club” and that a radical modification of standards for admission is in order. At this juncture, a state’s right to self-determination cannot unilaterally determine who lives and who dies, especially in cases where it is a matter of having a piece of land to stand on.
Start Date
1-4-2019 11:00 AM
End Date
1-4-2019 2:30 PM
Event Host
University Honors Programs, Iowa Regent Universities
Faculty Advisor
Yasemin Sari
Department
Department of Philosophy and World Religions
Copyright
©2019 Nicole Baxter
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Baxter, Nicole, "Democracy, Climate Change and Mass Migration: A Realist approach to environmental disruption and international displacement" (2019). Research in the Capitol. 3.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/rcapitol/2019/all/3
Democracy, Climate Change and Mass Migration: A Realist approach to environmental disruption and international displacement
Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that all people hold the right to have a nationality. How is this right to be fulfilled when a land submerges below the sea or becomes inhospitable for human life, thereby displacing the nation as a whole? In response to Christopher Heath Wellman’s defense of a legitimate state’s presumptive right to self-determination (2008), exemplified in its ability to limit immigration, I take up the question of what we as a democratic nation are obligated to do in the face of a mass migration of displaced persons due to the ramifications of climate change. Contrary to Wellman’s contention, I argue that a country is not a “country club” and that a radical modification of standards for admission is in order. At this juncture, a state’s right to self-determination cannot unilaterally determine who lives and who dies, especially in cases where it is a matter of having a piece of land to stand on.
