Researcher warns of courts prioritising process over planet
South Africa’s pursuit of sustainable development remains uneven, with economic growth often taking precedence over environmental and social considerations, and while laws and policies highlight sustainability, practice tells a different story.
“Economic growth dominates the discourse,” said Dr Fredua Agyemang, a postdoctoral research fellow under the SARChI Chair: Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability at the North-West University (NWU).
“Social sustainability is often reduced to consultation exercises, and environmental concerns are treated as secondary.”