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Kaime, Thoko --- "International energy policy for development: human rights and sustainable development law imperatives" [2019] ELECD 2659; in Cullet, Philippe; Koonan, Sujith (eds), "Research Handbook on Law, Environment and the Global South" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019) 305

Book Title: Research Handbook on Law, Environment and the Global South

Editor(s): Cullet, Philippe; Koonan, Sujith

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 16

Section Title: International energy policy for development: human rights and sustainable development law imperatives

Author(s): Kaime, Thoko

Number of pages: 17

Abstract/Description:

Energy is critical to all aspects of human development. This chapter argues that energy is related to sustainable development in three ways: (a) energy as a necessity for meeting basic human needs; (b) energy as a source of environmental stress; and (c) energy as a key driver of macroeconomic growth. These three dimensions correspond to the sustainable development tripod: environmental, economic, and social. The chapter discusses how international law deals with the challenges of energy access in sustainable development and how it ultimately guides decision-making in energy investments. The basic goals of international energy policy are well suited to delivering sustainable energy outcomes but this requires articulating and deploying a legal framework that can guide disparate energy investments and innovations along a sustainable pathway. An overarching theme that emerges is that a robust framework on energy for development must have, at its centre, a human rights and sustainable development focus.