Chapter 16: Green Economy, Sustainable Development and the Constitution
Murombo T ‘Green economy, sustainable development and the Constitution’ in Corder H, Federico V and Orru R (editors) The Quest for Constitutionalism: South Africa since 1994 (Ashgate: 2014) p227-240 (ISBN 9781472416315) forthcoming Nov 2014.
Posted: 12 Apr 2014 Last revised: 13 Nov 2015
Date Written: April 11, 2014
Abstract
The South African Constitution of 1996 is often lauded as unique and trend setting in modern constitutionalism. It has been studied, analysed and praised as a paragon of the modern constitution. However, the hype that come with the end of apartheid and the ushering in of a new democratic dispensation is gradually giving in to disillusionment, regression and a feeling stagnation in the lived experiences of those to whom the Constitution promised much. Undoubtedly, the political environment has improved from pre-1994 and there is more democratic space and an air of freedom. On the socio-economic, cultural and environmental spheres, the Constitution has struggled to deliver commensurate with the theoretical expectation that it so carried upon its adoption.
Keywords: Green economy, low-carbon economy, sustainable development, environmental rights, environmental law, South Africa
JEL Classification: K32, K10, K33, N57, O19, P17
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation