SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRACY

THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY FOR PUBLIC POLICIES

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9771/rbda.v20i0.67927

Keywords:

Sustainability, public policies, democracy, intergerationality

Abstract

This article addresses the conceptual evolution of the principle of sustainable development and its importance for the effectiveness of public policies in democratic regimes. A historical overview of the period from 1980 to 2025 is made, clarifying the changes that humanity has undergone, the influences of successive economic, political and social crises, as well as due to significant events, such as transnational environmental accidents, the technological revolution and economic globalization. The conceptions of democracy of Hans Kelsen, Carl Schmitt, and Ronald Dworkin, as well as of militant democracy of Karl Loewenstein are presented throughout the article to justify how sustainability necessarily emerges from democratic regimes, whether for the realization of human dignity in relation to present and future generations, or in favor of strengthening the political system itself. To demonstrate the importance of sustainability and concrete results, the article presents the case of Rwanda, post-genocide of 1994, evidenced by the progress of its social, environmental and economic indicators, as well as the recent judgment of the Supreme Federal Court, in Brazil, in the proceedings of ADPF 623.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Frederico José Gervasio Aburachid, Instituto Brasileiro de Ensino Desenvolvimento e Pesquisa (IDP).

PhD candidate in Law at Brazilian Institute of Education, Development and Research (IDP). Master's degree in Law from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). Master's degree in Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability from the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP). Partner lawyer at Aburachid Advogados Associados.

References

BAUME, S. Carl Schmitt's Multifaceted Rejection of Political Compromises. The Review of Politics, v. 86, n. 2, p. 197-217, 2024.

BRASIL. Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988. Brasília, DF: Senado Federal, 1988.

BRASIL. Lei nº 6.938, de 31 de agosto de 1981. Dispõe sobre a Política Nacional do Meio Ambiente, seus fins e mecanismos de formulação e aplicação, e dá outras providências. Disponível em www.planalto.gov.br . Acesso em 13/06/2025.

CONFEDERAÇÃO NACIONAL DA INDÚSTRIA. ESG e a indústria brasileira. Brasília: CNI, jun. 2022. Disponível em: https://static.portaldaindustria.com.br/media/filer_public/c9/e3/c9e3bc1f-b92a-4066-80cd-f5a5ed9c72de/ppt__consulta_esg_cni_3.pdf. Acesso em 13/06/2025.

DWORKIN, Ronald. A virtude soberana: a teoria e a prática da igualdade. Tradução de Jussara Simões. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2005.

DWORKIN, Ronald. O império do direito. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 1999.

DWORKIN, Ronald. Taking Rights seriously. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1977.

FREITAS, Juarez. Sustentabilidade: direito ao futuro. Belo Horizonte: Editora Fórum, 2011.

G20 SUSTAINABLE FINANCE WORKING GROUP. G20 Sustainable Finance Report 2024. 2024. Disponível em: https://g20sfwg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-G20-Sustainable-Finance-Report.pdf. Acesso em: 13/06/2025.

GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT ALLIANCE. Global Sustainable Investment Alliance: Review 2020. 2020. Disponível em: http://www.gsi-alliance.org/trendsreport-2020/. Acesso em: 13/06/2025.

GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT ALLIANCE. Global Sustainable Investment Review 2022. 2022. Disponível em: https://www.gsi-alliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GSIA-Report-2022.pdf. Acesso em: 13/06/2025.

KELSEN, Hans. Vom Wesen und Wert der Demokratie. Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr, 1929.

LOEWENSTEIN, Karl. Militant democracy and fundamental rights, I. American Political Science Review, v. 31, n. 3, p. 417-432, 1937.

MORGAN STANLEY. Sustainable Signals. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.morganstanley.com/content/dam/msdotcom/en/assets/pdfs/MSInstituteforSustainableInvesting-SustainableSignals-Individuals-2024.pdf. Acesso em: 13/06/2025.

NAÇÕES UNIDAS. Agenda 21: Programa de Ação para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Rio de Janeiro: ECO-92, 1992.

SCHMITT, Carl. Constitutional Theory. Durham: Duke University Press, 2008. p. 255-307.

SCHMITT, Carl. The Guardian of the Constitution. In: SCHMITT, Carl. The Guardian of the Constitution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. p. 79-173.

SILVA, Américo Luis Martins. Direito do meio ambiente e dos recursos naturais. São Paulo: Editora RT, 2005. v. 1.

TAKEUCHI, Shinichi; MARARA, Joseph. Features of Land Conflicts in Post Civil War Rwanda. African Study Monographs, v. 32, n. 3, p. 137-154, 2011.

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME. Rwanda: From Post-Conflict Recovery to Green Growth. Nairobi: UNEP, 2011.

VIEIRA, Oscar Vilhena et al. O STF e a defesa da democracia no Brasil. Journal of Democracy em português, v. 12, n. 1, p. 1-20, 2023.

VINX, Lars. Hans Kelsen and the material constitution of democracy. Jurisprudence, v. 12, n. 4, p. 466-490, 2021.

Published

2025-11-27

How to Cite

Aburachid, F. J. G. . (2025). SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRACY: THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY FOR PUBLIC POLICIES. Brazilian Animal Law Journal, 20, H202516. https://doi.org/10.9771/rbda.v20i0.67927

Issue

Section

Direito Ambiental