Vol. XXXVIII / 1 - Studia Moralia

217
StMor 38 (2000) 217-228
HANS J. MÜNK
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
AS A TASK OF THE STATE. ETHICAL ASPECTS
OF POLITICAL-LEGAL REALISATION
1. Introduction
Reflection on the tasks of the state has come to be treated
rather sceptically. As a consequence of the process commonly
referred to as “globalisation”, opportunities for obstructing the
actions of nations have apparently expanded in some spheres (in
particular for large international corporations). Be that as it
may, national governments, being the entities of international
law, are the key mediators of international political structures. 1
Especially with respect to the political-ethical and legal
dimensions of the model of sustainable development, states have
no alternative but to act as principal intermediaries, i.e. as
centres of decision-making and co-ordination. Ethical reflection
on the model of sustainability, such as contained in the
documents produced at the world summit in Rio (1992), must
necessarily address issues which involve the ethics of the state.
In the discussion that follows, I assume a positive
relationship between law and morality, a democratically
constituted state, the option for a free market economy, and
elements of social welfare. The topic is addressed from the
perspective of a “western” industrialised country. This means
that with respect to the model of sustainable development, I do
not question the criteria of democracy, a market economy, and
social welfare (in terms of the range of social welfare in
industrialised nations). Quite the contrary, the focus is on
1
Cf. Bartholomäi, R., Sustainable Development und Völkerrecht.
Nachhaltige Entwicklung und intergenerative Gerechtigkeit in der
Staatenpraxis (Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 1997).