Dominique Bourg

"For modern philosophers, the government’s function is rather to contribute to the maximisation of individual interests and facilitate trade between nations. [...] Today, however, in a world of finite resources, where human activity threatens the ecological equilibrium, this conception is obsolete…"

"[...] the nation’s present and future well-being is now threatened by human control over the biosphere including its underlying mechanisms. As a result, a new challenge begets the state’s responsibility: anticipating and preventing future and irreversible degradations, even if it implies severe constraints to the present."