何处觅方舟——图瓦卢,即将沉没的国度

Will Tuvalu Disappear Beneath the Sea?

图瓦卢计划联合基里巴斯和马尔代夫,就美国和澳大利亚超标排放二氧化碳所导致的全球变暖给岛民带来威胁的问题,向海牙国际法庭提起诉讼。图瓦卢能否在这样的诉讼中取胜也成为了讨论的焦点。首先,很难在特定国家的温室气体排放与对图瓦卢的危害之间建立直接关系。其次,美国从不接受大多数国际法院的仲裁。

Tuvalu, joint by Kiribati and the Maldives, planned to sue the United States and Australia at the International Court of Justice in Hague. The plaintiffs had planned to argue that the developed nations' disproportionate carbon dioxide emissions contributed to global warming, which poses a threat to the islanders. Whether a nation'could prevail in such a lawsuit is open to question. For one thing, establishing a direct link between a particular nation's greenhouse gas emissions and harm to Tuvalu is problematic. For another, the United States does not accept the jurisdiction of most international courts.