Those pesky French! They want peace. They want liberty. They want equality. And now there's more reason for the American neocons to hate them: They've passed an environmental charter as an amendment to France's constitution.
From the charter's preamble:
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Decisions made responding to today's needs should not compromise the capacity of future generations and other populations to satisfy their own need.
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Very well said.
Actually, the U.S. lags behind a lot of other countries, not just France, in its lack of official government support for the environment.
From a recent article in Grist magazine:
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In truth, constitutional environmental rights turn out to be more the rule than the exception. Of the world's 190-odd nations, the constitutions of 117 mention protection of the environment or natural resources, according to an analysis by Earthjustice. Fifty-six -- including unlikely progressives such as Tajikistan and Angola -- explicitly recognize the right to a clean and healthy environment; 20 hold those who harm the environment liable. The U.S. Constitution, by contrast, contains no explicit environmental reference.
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[Read more.]
Shame on us!
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