International Sustainable Development Law

Sustainable Development Law This book studies the normative significance of the concept of ''sustainable development'' in international law, and suggests ways through which legal norms and processes could contribute to its realization. By arguing that the idea of sustainable development emerged from several international discursive processes involving states, non-state actors and issue-oriented groups, the book challenges orthodox understandings of international law as law made by and for states. The author posits that ‘sustainable development'' has normative force, but that its normative influence does not depend upon whether it is a rule of customary international law. Rather, sustainable development is presented as a legitimate expectation that States, multinational corporations and domestic actors would pursue their development objectives in ways that further the realization of economic and social progress, without destroying the environmental basis for the development of future generations. These ideas are discussed in the context of a case study of the petroleum industry in Nigeria and draws implications for the wider West African sub-region.