Autonomous Communities and Environmental Law: The Basque Case

• Daniele Conversi ^[1] ; Xabier Ezeizabarrena ^[2]
  1. [1] Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

     Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

     Leioa, España

     
  2. [2] Universidad de Deusto

     Universidad de Deusto

     Bilbao, España

     
• Localización: Minority Self-Government in Europe and the Middle East: From Theory to Practice / Olgun Akbulut (ed. lit.), Elçin Aktoprak (ed. lit.), 2019, ISBN 978-90-04-40545-5, págs. 106-130
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Nationalism and environmentalism have proved to be historically at odds witheach other. The traditional emphasis on territory, land and soil, the rhetoricalcelebration of landscape and natural beauty and, at least in some countries,the idealisation of peasants as prototypes of national purity, have been con-trasted and contradicted by megaprojects informed by patriotic grandeur andcompetitive state-building. The latter have often contributed to the destruc-tion of both the environment and the rural economy. Characteristically, thecentralising state has opened up national folklore museums while encourag-ing urbanisation and accepting rural displacement, thus contributing to thedestruction of traditional lifestyles. Concurrently, modern states have creatednational parks and nature reserves, while contemplating the consequences oftheir accelerated development plans and unrestrained abuse of the environ-ment. Finally, when war comes, nationalism provides additional fuel to statebuilders engaged in sweeping infrastructure building and war machine expan-sion to annihilate both the environment and the human species.