The Green Economy Will Not Build the Rule of Law for Nature

The Rule of Law for Nature; New Dimensions and Ideas in Environmental Law (Christina Voigt, ed., Cambridge 2013

Posted: 9 Sep 2015

See all articles by Rebecca M. Bratspies

Rebecca M. Bratspies

City University of New York - School of Law

Date Written: September 3, 2015

Abstract

In June 2012, the world returned to Rio for the 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development (the Rio 20 Conference). Marking the twentieth anniversary of the groundbreaking 1992 Rio Conference on the Environment and Development, Rio 20 aspired to build a more sustainable global society. This could have marked the rise of a different conception of sustainability; one recognizing nature the irreplaceable foundation upon which the human economy is built. But, with no political will to fulfill the Brundtland Commission’s demand that “human laws … be reformulated to keep human activities in harmony with the unchanging and universal laws of nature,” Rio 20 defaulted to embracing the “green economy” rather than seizing the opportunity to formulate a new Rule of Law for Nature.

Keywords: green economy, sustainability, Rio 20, Development, International Law, environment, equity, nature

JEL Classification: K32, K33

Suggested Citation

Bratspies, Rebecca M., The Green Economy Will Not Build the Rule of Law for Nature (September 3, 2015). The Rule of Law for Nature; New Dimensions and Ideas in Environmental Law (Christina Voigt, ed., Cambridge 2013 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2655848

Rebecca M. Bratspies (Contact Author)

City University of New York - School of Law ( email )

2 Court Square
Long Island City, NY 11101
United States

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