Foundations of Sustainability

In the run-up to the 2012 U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, the authors examine the core elements of sustainable development. Based on their long-time experiences working as prosecutors, regulators, and judges in the environmental field and coming from countries with different levels of development, they put their emphasis on effective national environmental governance. The authors identify as key ingredients for success in sustainable development a set of common core precepts. They include: 1) Effective Laws - Environmental laws should be clear, even-handed, implementable and enforceable. 2) Disclosure - Environmental information should be collected, assessed, and disclosed to the public. 3) Participation - Stakeholders should be afforded opportunities to participate in environmental decision-making. 4) Accountability - Environmental decision-makers, both public and private, should be accountable for their decisions. 5) Authority - Roles and lines of authority for environmental protection should be clear, coordinated, and designed to produce efficient and non-duplicative program delivery. 6) Dispute Resolution - Stakeholders should have access to fair and responsive dispute resolution procedures. 7) Public integrity - Public integrity in environmental program delivery is essential to achieving environmental protection.