The Principle of Sustainable Development under International Law. Challenges and Prospects

Master's Thesis from the year 2021 in the subject Politics - Environmental Policy, grade: A, University of Buea, course: LLM PUBLIC LAW, language: English, abstract: This thesis critically examines the Principle of Sustainable Development under International Law and unravels the challenges to its realization and the prospects. The ambiguous nature of sustainable development has led to different or a multitude of interpretations over which conflicts arose over sustainability and how it can be achieved without destroying the environment or hurt the economic growth or activities of a country. This thesis further discusses the need to strive towards a balance between environmental sustainability and economic growth.

This work adopts qualitative and doctrinal research methods, based on content analysis of primary and secondary sources. The concept of sustainable development has undergone various developmental phases since its introduction. The historical development of the concept saw participation of various organizations and institutions, which nowadays work intensely on the implementation of its principles and objectives. The concept has experienced different critiques and interpretations over the time while being accepted in different areas as human activity ¿sustainable development¿, caps a whole series of unresolved debates on development, the environment, and the definition of sustainable development has become one of the most cited definitions. This work gives an in depth analysis of the problems affecting sustainable development. It also considers the impact of economic constraints on the environment taking into account the social aspects as well as the over-use of natural resources. Thus, attention is paid to issues related to whether some forms of development are compatible with environmental protection.