Bridge to Global Governance: Tackling Climate Change, Energy Distribution, and Nuclear Proliferation

By Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing

Humanity stands at a critical crossroads. While our unprecedented interconnectedness and interdependence have made the world a single organism, we lack the system of global governance necessary to effectively address the urgent challenges of the 21st Century. The confluence of climate change, rapidly increasing worldwide demand for energy, and g

• Language: English
• Publisher: Center for Peace and Global Governance
• Release date: Jun 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780990943792

Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing

Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing writes and lectures in the area of global governance, peace, and international security. Prior to her current work as founding director of the Center for Peace and Global Governance, Ms. Ma'ani Ewing served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Legal Advisor's Office of the U.S. State Department. Born in East Africa and raised there and in the Middle East, she has also lived in the United Kingdom, where she earned an LLM in International Law and European Union Law at Cambridge University and qualified as a barrister-at-law of England and Wales. She subsequently moved to the United States and qualified as an attorney-at-law there, practiced law at respected law firms in Washington, D.C., including her own, and taught as an adjunct professor of law at George Washington University's law school. Ms. Ma'ani Ewing has written several books including four in her area of work, listed below. She maintains a blog about principled solutions to current global issues at www.colllective-security.org.

Book preview

Bridge

to

Global

Governance

Tackling Climate Change, Energy

Distribution and Nuclear Proliferation

Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing

About the Author

Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing

Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing

is the founder and director of The Center for Peace and Global Governance , a virtual think tank and online forum that pools and proposes principled solutions to pressing global problems through publications, podcasts, lectures, workshops and targeted consulting.

Also by Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing

Collective Security within Reach

Building a World Federation: The Key to Resolving Our Global Crises

21st Century Ready: How You Can Help Solve the Global Problems of Our Times

Imprint

Bridge to Global Governance: Tackling Climate Change, Energy Distribution and Nuclear Proliferation

Copyright © 2018 by Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing. All rights reserved.

Center for Peace and Global Governance

Designed by Kenneth P. Ewing

ISBN 978-0-9909437-8-5 (paper)

ISBN 978-0-9909437-9-2 (electronic)

Cataloging information:

Author: Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing

Title: Bridge to Global Governance: Tackling Climate Change, Energy Distribution and Nuclear Proliferation

Subjects: peace, security, global transformation, high school, university students, global problems, climate change, energy distribution, nuclear proliferation, nuclear energy, principled solutions, global equity

Our books may be purchased for educational, business, or professional use. For information about bulk purchases, please email [e-mail] or write to us at

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Dedication

To Ken, Gigi, and Baharieh

Acknowledgement

I owe a substantial debt of gratitude to my beloved husband Ken, who has read multiple drafts of this book and painstakingly edited each one. He has also spent countless hours immersing himself in the painstaking details of formatting and designing the book’s layout thus immeasurably enhancing its quality.

I am also indebted to both my husband and our daughter, Gigi Ewing, for their boundless patience, support, encouragement and love, without which this book would never have seen the light of day.

Bridge

to

Global

Governance

Tackling Climate Change, Energy

Distribution and Nuclear Proliferation

Contents

About the Author

Imprint

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Bridge to Global Governance

Contents

Preface

Introduction—Humanity at the Crossroads

1 ~ The Vision

How and Why the ECSC Was CreatedJean Monnet and The Schumann Plan

2 ~ What Can We Learn From the ECSC?

The Qualities and Motivations of Its FoundersPrinciples Woven into the Fabric of the InstitutionAn Idea Whose Time Had ComeThe Pitfalls We Must Avoid

3 ~ Understanding the Dangers We Face

Our Excessive Reliance on Fossil Fuels to Meet Soaring Energy Demands Is Severely Harming UsOur Current Energy Distribution System Is Irretrievably BrokenWielding Oil as a Weapon and the Culture of ImpunityGlobal Warming And Climate Change

4 ~ Nuclear Energy Is Necessary In The Short Term

Fukushima And Other Temporary Set BacksContinuing Strong Interest In Certain Geographic RegionsTaking a Long-term View: Nuclear Energy Is Still a Vitally Important Option

5 ~ Fear Of Nuclear Energy

Harm to Our Health and EnvironmentComparing RisksReactor SafetyProliferation for Military UsesNuclear WarNuclear Terrorism

6 ~ Institutions and Policies To Address Our Fears

Abandon Nuclear Weapons and Reduce Conventional ArsenalsCreate an International Intelligence and Inspection AgencyHave an International Standing Force to Apply the RulesOther Helpful MeasuresChange the System!

7 ~ The ECSC Is A Worthy Model

8 ~ Proposed Design for a Global Agency

Ingredients for SuccessNineteen MembersIndirect Election of MembersA Consultative CommitteeMajority Decisions, Subject to World Court AppealMandatory Global Production Levy for a Global FundControl Over the Whole Nuclear Fuel CyclePower to Regulate Nuclear MarketsPower to Select Sites for Nuclear PlantsPower to Regulate Health, Safety, and SecurityGlobally Binding Rules and EnforcementNeed for Transitional Period

9 ~ Responding to Skeptics and Opposition

Conclusion

Afterword

Bibliography

Index

Cover

Table of contents

Preface

My purpose in writing this book is several-fold. My primary aim is to propose a workable first step in the creation of global decision-making institutions that can effectively and efficiently attend to the urgent and immediate needs of the 21st Century. I hope to demonstrate that it is possible to build a global system of governance that serves all the peoples of the world and that is founded upon the principles of federalism. I believe that the best approach is to start in a narrow sphere of international endeavor and then to build outward, gradually and methodically expanding into broader spheres as success inspires confidence. As a starting point, I propose breaking the logjam caused in our global life by the complex of three seemingly intractable problems: global warming, inequitable distribution of energy, and nuclear proliferation. Success in this urgent but narrow sphere of international endeavor would bring immediate benefits to all and thereby engender hope, free us from the grip of paralyzed will, and inspire confidence to expand the spheres in which we apply this methodology, covering ever-widening areas of collective need.

Another purpose of this book is to demonstrate the power of even a handful of individuals, particularly those in positions of leadership motivated by only the best interests of humanity rather than self-interest and exhibiting certain sterling qualities like freedom from prejudice, to bring about organic and far-reaching changes in the structure of our global governance institutions that in turn foster peace, prosperity and stability in our global society. In a world where the rule of strongmen seems to be once again on the rise, where leaders unabashedly stir up the ugliest and most divisive of human emotions like xenophobia, racism, and sexism to gain and maintain their grip on power, and where the forces of nationalism appear to be gaining ascendancy resulting in the increasing fragmentation of human society, I believe it is essential that we remind ourselves of a better world which could be ours if we only bring ourselves to demand leaders with qualities that inspire trust and engender unity.

Lastly, but by no means of least importance, I aim to illustrate the power of consciously and deliberately weaving a set of universally agreed, global ethics into the very structures of our global governance institutions. It is not sufficient for our leaders to possess ennobling qualities. In addition, the very composition, voting structures, and processes that govern our institutions must also embody principles of oneness, equity, and uncompromising focus on the collective good to inspire trust and confidence in the governed and guard against the corrosive forces of self-interest and corruption.

The model I propose is based on the remarkably successful European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) adopted after the Second World War to enable the recently warring countries to rebuild their devastated economies and national polities despite critical shortages of coal and steel without falling into the same traps that doomed the same countries after World War One. As I will explore in depth, we can derive much inspiration and many lessons from the ECSC about how to solve the complex, entrenched problems facing us today, in particular the three-fold complex of global warming, inequitable distribution of energy, and nuclear proliferation. The ECSC had many strengths from which we can learn, ranging from the way it came into being, to its composition, funding, powers, and guiding principles, and most importantly to its role in bringing a lasting peace to Europe. The successes of the ECSC inspired confidence among its member nations to deepen and expand their cooperation to encompass additional domains of economic, security, and legal policy in what we know today as the European Union. Although the ECSC also suffered from certain weaknesses, these are no less instructive as we strive to shape global governance institutions that are fit for purpose for the 21st century and beyond.

In this book I hope to offer a useful model for action. Although the argument rests on textual resources and analyses, footnotes would obstruct what I hope is a natural flow of ideas. Those who wish to dive deeper, however, will find these sources in a bibliography at the end of the book, broken down by chapter.

World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it.

—Robert Schuman, May 9, 1950

Introduction—Humanity at the Crossroads

We live in challenging times. Our global problems not only increase in number and frequency but also intensify. Indeed, the breadth and depth of the challenges we face is unprecedented. One reason for this is that a salient characteristic of our age is the unprecedented interconnectedness and interdependence of countries and of people. While we have reaped many benefits from globalization, which has both caused and been caused by the ever-tighter weave of our global society, we have also experienced its downsides: This interconnectedness has made us susceptible to systemic risks that have the power to harm vast swathes of humanity. Not only have we seen a sharp increase in the number and severity of global problems, but the problems themselves are increasingly bound together and therefore no longer lend themselves to narrowly crafted solutions. Although such interconnected global problems abound, a few of them loom larger than others, because they destroy our way of life and threaten our very survival on earth. In this book we will examine a complex of three intimately interconnected challenges that clamor for our immediate attention and demand solutions that are inextricably bound with each other.

Chief among these collective challenges is climate change. Scientists and climate change experts agree that if we do not act quickly to arrest its progress, the results will be devastating. Glaciers and ice caps around the globe will continue to melt at unprecedented rates, causing the oceans’ waters to rise. This, in turn, will lead to the disappearance of coastal lands in many parts of the world and the complete submerging of whole island nations. Millions of people who lose their homes to these rising waters will seek new homes further inland or elsewhere, which will lead to greater congestion and rising competition for local and regional resources. Changing climate will also shrink and shift land areas suitable for farming and needed to feed our large and growing global population. All kinds of resources needed to sustain modern life, such as food, water, and natural resources, will come under severe strain.

Scientists agree that the biggest cause of global warming is the dramatically increasing burning of fossil fuels, driven by the soaring energy needs of a rapidly-increasing world population. Some realities are beyond our control, but about others we can make choices. On the one hand, we face the reality that the global demand for energy is high and continues to rise at a rapid rate, especially as the global population increases by leaps and bounds. The demands of our growing population are exacerbated by our expectations for economic development, improved standards of living, and the kinds of material benefits and life-styles we want to enjoy. On the other hand, we have chosen to obtain most of our energy from the burning of fossil fuels. Our only hope to mitigate the global warming disaster toward which we are hurtling is to radically change our energy habits. We have a choice: either suffer the looming catastrophes of global warming or severely cut back the burning of fossil fuels.

The problem is that we are cannot yet fully replace fossil fuels with clean renewable sources of energy. Solar energy, wind power, biofuels and hydro-power cannot, at their current stages of development and cost, make up for the loss of fossil fuels. Experts agree that for us to shift successfully away from fossil fuels while keeping up with our expanding energy needs, we must include nuclear power generation in the mix of energy sources, while continuing to develop these cleaner, renewable sources until they can eventually replace both nuclear and fossil fuels. But accepting this reality of our rising energy requirements brings us face to face with another reality. Using nuclear power increases the risk that immensely destructive and lethal nuclear technologies and weapons will proliferate around the world, which, after climate change, is the second biggest global risk facing humanity. On the whole, the idea of nuclear power plants and nuclear energy triggers a visceral reaction in many of us and raises a number of keen concerns about the very real dangers that they pose. Our fears range from accidental releases of radioactivity harmful to human health and the environment, to the spread of nuclear material that nations could use to build nuclear weapons threatening peace and security, and to the procurement by non-state actors of even low-grade nuclear materials for crude dirty bombs to terrorize targeted populations.

What are we to do? As a practical reality, we can neither forgo clean energy and succumb to inevitable self-destruction from uncurbed rises in global temperatures, nor ignore the tremendous dangers of unfettered access around the world to nuclear technologies and facilities without controls to prevent accidental release or intentional diversion of nuclear technology and materials in ways that threaten the health, environment, peace and stability of our world.

In short, two of humanity’s biggest global risks and looming disasters—environmental disaster wrought by climate change and nuclear disaster wrought by uncontrolled nuclear proliferation—are inextricably linked to each other by how we use energy.

However, it is not only our reliance on a particular kind of energy—fossil fuel energy—that is harming us. Our system for producing, managing and distributing this energy is itself harming us in multiple ways and requires serious reform. Our current energy system is based on the unfair premise that certain nations where energy resources like oil and gas are found may dictate the terms on which these resources are managed and distributed, even though these resources are needed by all nations. Their decisions are often based on short-term self-interest and fluctuating expediency. Why should this be so, when we live in a world of finite energy resources needed by all of us? Ought we not to create an equitable system in which all nations have fair access to the energy they require to meet their legitimate needs? Should our energy resources not be considered a shared global commons to which all nations should have fair access? Indeed, is it not time to consider equitable access to energy needed to meet reasonable basic needs a human right?

An additional problem created by our current system of managing and distributing energy is that the quest to secure sources of energy within a fundamentally inequitable system has generated many of the world’s boundary disputes and conflicts. Devising a new system founded on equity would remove this cause of boundary conflicts, thereby further contributing toward making the world a more peaceful place.

It is little wonder that the complex of these three challenges—global warming, the lack of an equitable system of access to sufficient energy to sustain modern existence, and fears about using nuclear energy—appear to paralyze the world community. These challenges are all collective in nature and therefore demand collective solutions. Yet our leaders seem unable to muster the vision, the will, or the courage to take the decisions needed to avert certain disaster if these three challenges are not resolved quickly. Perhaps the time has come for such policy decisions to be made by an informed public with the full benefit of considered debate, as has been suggested by some of the leading thinkers of our time, rather than by a small group of officials behind closed doors.

It is not the first time that such a suggestion has been made. In 1946, Robert Oppenheimer, an eminent scientist and the leader of the United States’ war-time efforts to develop atomic weapons and energy, wrote a ground-breaking article suggesting international mechanisms to control the use and spread of nuclear weapons. He wrote neither as an elected leader nor as a government official, but as a concerned private citizen, arguing that those without qualifications in statecraft should nonetheless concern themselves with the control of nuclear energy to enable humanity to get away from patterns of diplomacy which are, in some respects at least, unsatisfactory as a model for the relations between nations, and to set up instead a working relationship between the peoples of different countries, which has in it some promise for the future.

The international community must quickly find a way to resolve the tensions between meeting the legitimate needs of global society for large amounts of energy in a manner that ensures equitable access to all nations and avoiding global warming and uncontrolled proliferation of potentially dangerous nuclear technologies that could endanger the safety of peoples everywhere. These problems are collective global problems that demand collective action. Moreover, they demand a new kind of thinking to which we are unaccustomed, a long-term view of the consequences of decisions we make today in response to perceived threats both short- and long-term. Our current habit is to respond to the crisis of the day in the hopes of quelling it long enough to enable us to turn to the next crisis that pops up. This crisis-oriented approach takes only the short view into account, often resulting in massive long-term damage. It is exactly this kind of thinking and decision-making that has led to climate change, one of the global challenges of our time.

Humanity today stands at a critical crossroad. We have choices to make. These choices have consequences. We must not be in any doubt that inaction is, in itself, a choice with possibly dire consequences. The situation is complex, as several critical challenges converge in a single knot.

The purpose of this book is to help us honestly acknowledge and courageously face our three global dangers, to identify some wonderful opportunities they present for collective action to solve these massive threats to our survival, and to offer a solution that draws on the strength of past historical experience.

1 ~ The Vision

Although the complex of the three global challenges of energy, climate change, and nuclear proliferation seems daunting, there is hope. In its history, humanity has many times—indeed, in relatively recent history—faced collective challenges that seemed equally dire and yet found ways of overcoming them. We can turn to these historical experiences to guide us. We can learn what was done, and in doing so assess what worked and is worthy of emulation, and what did not work and should therefore be avoided. And although the particular experience upon which this book draws was not global but rather involved a group of nations in western Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War, there is no reason why the solution those nations devised and the lessons of that experiment cannot be emulated and used to address the triple global problems which concern us here.

The historical model we should draw on is the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the accompanying processes for its functioning. Most compelling are the motivations and qualities of the individuals who were responsible for its design and birth, as well as the set of principles that were woven into the very design of the institution and its processes, which were critical to its success. The ECSC played a large and successful role in countering the perils then facing Europe, perils that were akin in their scope and intensity to those we face today and in circumstances of similar despair and inaction. Not only did it serve to avert those perils, but it also played a vital role in laying the foundation of peace in Europe, a peace that has lasted since the Second World War.

How and Why the ECSC Was Created

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the countries in Europe faced large-scale economic devastation, physical destruction, and military ruin. Western European nations bent all their energies towards economic and physical reconstruction, for which they needed large quantities of coal and steel. Steel was needed for many projects, including rebuilding railroads, buildings, bridges, ships, vehicles, and machinery. Although the demand for steel was high, there was a shortage of raw materials to produce it, especially the coal to fire steel furnaces. In short, coal and steel were two commodities that were indispensable to the reconstruction of Europe and to her economic revival. The role they played in the economic development and welfare of Europe were very much akin to the role that oil, gas, and nuclear energy play in the economic development of nations today. To complicate matters, Germany had always been naturally blessed with an abundance of coal, but it had also started two world wars on the basis of its powerful coal and steel industries. The urgent political