Towards a Right to Sustainable Energy: The Contribution of Human Dignity to the Promotion of Sustainable Development

Human dignity and sustainable development represent two of the most important concepts relevant to the governance of modern society. Human dignity forms the basis for the modern approach to preserve and protect human rights. Sustainable development is concerned with defending and protecting the environment in harmony with economic and social development. While these concepts have different emphases, both human dignity and sustainable development are concerned with, among other things, the promotion and protection of the intrinsic value of human beings. However, despite the potential overlap between their objects, these concepts are rarely considered together. One notable exception to the above statement exists in the 2002 Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development.[1] This document notes that it is necessary to focus ‘on the indivisibility of human dignity ... to speedily increase access to such basic requirements as clean water ... adequate shelter, energy, health care [and] food security’.[2] This statement confirms that to promote sustainable development it is necessary to pursue simultaneously the concept of human dignity. It is with this in mind, that this paper explores the intersection between human dignity and sustainable development. This paper builds on the work of the Johannesburg Declaration by considering how the pursuit of human dignity can contribute to one of the central themes of sustainable development: a more sustainable approach to energy production. This paper will consider: the importance of recognising the dignity of humans in order to contribute to a more sustainable approach to energy production; and the forum in which the concepts of human dignity and sustainable development can converge. Having considered these issues, this paper offers two conclusions. The first is that the recognition of human dignity can contribute to the achievement of a more sustainable approach to energy production. This can be achieved by developing a ‘right to sustainable energy’. This right can operate as soft law – in the international sense – that can inform domestic legal developments. Second, and more generally, the convergence of the concepts of human dignity [1] Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development, UN Doc. A/CONF.199/20 (2002) (Johannesburg Declaration). [2] Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development, UN Doc. A/CONF.199/20 (2002), para 18