ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a critique of prevailing perspectives on the sovereignty-ecology link. Though the focus is not exclusively on the Third World, the critique illustrates the limited utility of prevailing formulations in a Third World context. The chapter also discusses the way toward some elements of an alternative conceptualization, and illustrates these propositions with a case of the Brazilian Amazon. It describes the ecology-sovereignty literature is that some perspectives dominate the debate. This perspective is sometimes, though not inevitably, tied to the view that sovereignty and ecology are inherently at odds. Because ecosystems and environmental processes do not respect state borders, sovereignty itself becomes a key institution of global-scale environmental destruction. The chapter explores a distinction between "operational" sovereignty, defined as the legal freedom of the state to act under international law, and "formal" sovereignty, defined in terms of the state's legal supremacy and independence.
