Tackling global environmental problems

Prior to travelling to the June 1992 Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, George Bush announced that he would not be signing the Biodiversity Convention at the summit because it threatened jobs in the US. For him, American jobs and American Families were more important - and in any case, he said, the US had an environmental record that was "second to non'. This nationalistic outburst, which many linked to Mr Bush's re-election campaign, is of interest for several reasons. Here we focus on just two questions that it raises: why do we need governments to sign international treaties in order to advance environmental conservation and sustainable development? And why are the governments of rich states, such as the US, reluctant to sign such treaties? -Author