Is 'Transformative Environmental Constitutionalism' an achievable goal for Cameroon?
 

Authors:

JN Ashukem & B Kengni
 

Summary:

This article explores the question of whether Cameroon’s environmental constitutionalism has the potential to be transformative. In attempting to answer this question, the article critically examines Cameroon’s environmental constitutional architecture to demonstrate the extent to which the government of Cameroon is championing environmental protection and governance through the lens of transformative environmental constitutionalism. Transformative environmental constitutionalism is a legal approach that uses a country's constitution as a tool to bring about radical change regarding environmental protection or mitigation of the impacts of environmental pollution. Drawing on the substantive and procedural components of environmental constitutionalism, the article argues that while there may be avenues for the transformative character of Cameroon’s environmental constitutionalism, more needs to be done to attain this objective. The article concludes that the status quo of the content and orientation of environmental constitutionalism in Cameroon overtly prevents it from being transformative, and that moving forward, the government must surmount the task of making it transformative.


Link to book chapter