Is Internationalizing Amazon Rainforest Admissible?

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of climate change on the principle of State sovereignty. It illustrates the case of the Amazon rainforest which is presented as the ‘lungs’ of the earth, the amazon rainforest, and which has 60% of its land is inside Brazil’s territory, provides a natural ecosystem that helps stabilize the world’s climate. Some. Indeed, it plays a crucial role by absorbing carbon dioxide (about 2 billion tons of CO₂ per year, which is approximately 5% of the planet’s annual emission.

Theoretical Framework: This research focuses on substantial responses that international law can provide to the raised question: Is the idea of internationalizing Amazon admissible? Wouldn’t legitimize intervention to protect the Amazon forest even if it violates the territorial sovereignty of Brazil’? By using international law approach, the study addresses questions about the conflict of permanent sovereignty over natural resources principle with demands for global environmental protection. The theoretical framework is based on different legal principles of international law, particularly the principle of State sovereignty.

Design/Methodology/Approach: This study adopts the descriptive analytical approach to the different principles of public international law. It addresses questions about the conflict of permanent sovereignty over natural resources principle with demands for global environmental protection. The paper covers the characteristics of the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources as well as its limits by focusing inter alia on the idea of common heritage on humanity.

Findings: The results of this study prove that until now the international environmental regime failed to influence the conception of sovereign territoriality, and due to the growing emphasis on economic development and social justice in domestic State policies, the notion of climate justice becomes difficult to achieve.

Research Practical and Social Implications: This study covers and analyzes the impact of climate change on our planet earth. It is a matter of convincing the richest countries, the ones that have the biggest responsibility of the emission of more than four hundred million tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, to accept a shared co-responsibility. The study argues that States should work on a new model for biodiversity conservation and a new way of conceiving cooperation between developed and developing countries, based on environmental management that protects biodiversity and addresses climate change. Its findings provide recommendations that future research may use larger data that can allow us to investigate development in strategic environmental management and State policies to counter dangerous effects of climate change.

Originality/Value: Improving research on environmental concerns has become a very important issue. The value of this paper relies on its contribution to the field of environmental law by suggesting many legal solutions to the crucial problem of climate change. In addition to the classic legal solutions that international law can provide, the paper stressed the vital role the NGOs played in this regard through the Urgenda case which reassured that international law can become a truly effective tool in this regard.

Keywords: State sovereignty – Climate Change - Responsibility to protect – Amazon Rainforest – Common good of humanity.

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/153-04

Publication date: June 28^th 2026