PERSPECTIVES ON EMERGING ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: THE ROLE OF HUMAN DIGNITY IN ACHIEVING THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

James R. May; Erin  Daly

PERSPECTIVES ON EMERGING ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

THE ROLE OF HUMAN DIGNITY IN ACHIEVING THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Authors

James R. May Widener University Delaware Law School, Estados Unidos http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4202-1670
Erin Daly University of Michigan, Estados Unidos http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1461-7004

Keywords:

Human dignity, dignity rights, sustainability, environmental human rights, climate change, Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Sustainable development – the idea that human development must be realized in conjunction with a commitment to leave for future generations an environment at least as livable as presently enjoyed – has become a common if not ubiquitous feature in legal expressions at the international, national and subnational levels, culminating in the United Nations setting 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve by 2030. What is not often appreciated is that the core purpose of the SDGs is to advance human dignity, which coheres and complements them. This article explores how the concept of dignity has evolved in law, what it means to environmental protection, and how taking it seriously would contribute to better outcomes in achieving the SDGs. Ultimately, taking due account of human dignity has the power to inform, if not transform, discourse about and implementation of the SDGs.

Author Biographies

James R. May, Widener University Delaware Law School, Estados Unidos

JD (University of Kansas), LLM (Pace University), BSME (University of Kansas), Distinguished Professor of Law, Delaware Law School; President of Dignity Rights International; Representative of Environmental and Nature Rights, International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL); Board Member, Normandy Chair for Peace;

Erin Daly, University of Michigan, Estados Unidos

JD (University of Michigan), BA (Wesleyan University); Professor of Law, Delaware Law School; Executive Director of Dignity Rights International; Director of the Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment; the US National Correspondent for the Centre international de droit comparé de l'environnement (CIDCE); Board Member, Normandy Chair for Peace;

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Published

2021-03-23

How to Cite

May, J. R., & Daly, E. . (2021). PERSPECTIVES ON EMERGING ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: THE ROLE OF HUMAN DIGNITY IN ACHIEVING THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS. Direito Em Movimento, 19(1), 81–107. Retrieved from https://ojs.emerj.com.br/index.php/direitoemmovimento/article/view/360

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Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2021): Revista Direito em Movimento

Section

Artigos

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