<i>'A must read for those who aim to understand the limitations and potentialities of the SDGs. Using the lens of law, this volume presents a critical analysis of whether the SDGs, rooted in neoliberalism and anthropocentrism, will be able to realize the promise that ''no one will be left behind''. Or, as Long writes in his chapter, ''given that our world is unjust, and a more just world is possible, what role can the SDGs play in getting there from here?''.'</i><br /> --Ellen Hey, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands<p><i>'This book addresses the questions around the importance and relevance of the SDGs that many lawyers have often wondered but struggled to articulate. It is an honest and deeply interrogated account of the different perspectives on the SDGs and the emerging trend of ''governance through goals''. The editors are to be commended on their thoughtful arrangement of these discussions and views.'</i><br /> --Olivia Rumble, University of Cape Town, South Africa</p><p><i>'The Sustainable Development Goals aim to transform our world. Although a drastic change in the way we use the Earth is urgently needed, the question arises whether the SDG's sufficiently facilitate such a transformation. This excellent new book, edited by the world's leading legal scholars in the broad area of sustainable development law, provides clear answers to that pressing question and is a must read for all academics and policy makers involved in steering human behaviour toward a more sustainable track.'</i><br /> --Jonathan Verschuuren, Tilburg University, the Netherlands</p>
The 17 goals and 169 targets of the SDGs cover areas as crucial as poverty reduction, climate change, clean water and access to justice. Combining both thematic and goal-specific analysis, expert contributors establish the relevance not just of international law, but also of a broader range of normative frameworks including constitutional norms, domestic regulatory law and human rights. Connecting the SDGs to wider debates in international law and politics, this book ultimately demonstrates that law has an important constitutive and instrumental role to play in both implemention and analysis.
The first of its kind to offer a specific focus on the relationship between law and the SDGs, this much-needed book will prove invaluable for scholars in the field of international sustainable development. Its insightful observations will also provide food for thought for both related international organizations and national government officials.
Contributors include: S. Adelman, H. Aust, M. Barnard, L. Collins, N. Cooper, A. du Plessis, D. French, L. Kotzé, G. Long, O. McIntyre , K. Morrow, N. Sánchez Castillo-Winckels, W. Scholtz, N. Soininen