INTERNATIONAL-COOPERATION ON GLOBAL WARMING AND THE RIGHTS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS

The article argues that the declaration of principles for a global war ming convention should include a reference to the rights of future gen erations to a livable planet. While such a declaration may not result in the creation of actual legal powers, such a declaration is importan t simply because rights for future generations are not the current exp ectation, or norm. Regime theory maintains that regimes for internatio nal cooperation are formed by the convergent expectations of the regim e's members and by behavioral regularities regarding those expectation s. Developing a regime for international cooperation on global warming that is cognizant of the rights of future generations may require evi dence of potential impact on future generations. Development of knowle dge-based (epistemic) communities at the domestic and international le vels regarding that impact may, by promoting convergent expectations a nd behavioral regularities, help to establish norms for present genera tions.