The problem of global environmental justice reflects the new era the world has entered, moving beyond the constant state-driven conflict and struggle of the Cold War that marked the first 45 years after the Second World War. We are now entering a new global community organized in multiple ways: in the form of states, enterprises, trade unions, academic associations and NGOs. The members of these groups are all trying to work together to cope with common threats to the existence of humankind, such as natural disasters, infectious diseases like AIDS, the spread of terrorism, population explosion and, above all, global environmental degradation. The present juncture in history is thus a particularly opportune moment to pursue global environmental justice.
