Direito em Movimento - Volume 19 - Número 1 - 1º semestre - 2021

82 Direito em Movimento, Rio de Janeiro, v. 19 - n. 1, p. 81-107, 1º sem. 2021 ARTIGOS Abstract: Sustainable development – the idea that human develo- pment must be realized in conjunction with a commitment to leave for future generations an environment at least as livable as presently enjoyed – has become a common if not ubiquitous feature in legal expressions at the international, national and subnational levels, cul- minating in the United Nations setting 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve by 2030.  What is not often appreciated is that the core purpose of the SDGs is to advance human dignity, which coheres and complements them. This article explores how the concept of dignity has evolved in law, what it means to environmen- tal protection, and how taking it seriously would contribute to better outcomes in achieving the SDGs. Ultimately, taking due account of human dignity has the power to inform, if not transform, discourse about and implementation of the SDGs. Keywords: Human dignity, dignity rights,  sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals, environmental human rights, climate change  1 INTRODUCTION ‘Sustainability’ – the idea that those living have a responsibility to leave for future generations an environment at least as livable as presently enjoyed – has witnessed dispersive distribution, including applications to energy policy, 2 constitutionalism (MAY, 2018, p.130) e (MAY, 2017, p.308-318), and the concept of ‘sustainable development’. (MAY, 1998, p.197-212). The latter has become a common if not ubiquitous feature in legal expressions at the international, national and subnational levels, cul- minating in the United Nations setting 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve by 2030. (UNGA, 2015). 2 See, generally, John C. Dernbach and James R. May, Shale Gas and the Future of Energy: Law and Policy for Sustainability (Edward Elgar, 2016); James R. May and John C. Dernbach, ‘Introduction: Shale Gas and the Future of Energy’ in ibid . at 1-16; John C. Dernbach and James R. May, ‘Shale Gas and Sustainable Future’ in ibid . at 293-308; James R. May and Erin Daly, ‘Ten Good Practices in Environmental Constitutionalism That Can Contribute to Sustainable Shale Gas Development,’ in Jordi Jaria i Manzano, Nathalie Chalfour and Louis J. Kotzé (eds), Energy, Governance and Sustainability (Edward Elgar, 2016) at 30-55; John C. Dernbach and James R. May, ‘Can Shale Gas Help Accelerate the Transition to Sustainability?’, 57(1) Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development (2015) 4-15.