The Politics and Ethics of Global Environmental Leadership

The second seminar of the U.S.-Japan Task Force took place on October 14-16 in Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo seminar, "The Politics and Ethics of Japanese and American Global Environmental Policy," brought together delegates and observers of UNCED to explore the underlying ethical concerns at Rio, points of convergence relating to the normative content of policy options, and prospects for U.S.-Japan cooperation. Participants drew upon the experience at Rio and historical cases as evidence of Japanese and American preparedness to act, and sought to define the requirement for leadership. Building upon the observations of the first Task Force seminar, the report emphasizes the critical need for ethics as the only logical means for resolving environmental dilemmas that require making decisions which extend beyond national interest.