Author Description

In September 2015, the United Nations adopted a set of goals which balance the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Member States reaffirmed their support to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all while acknowledging that the most vulnerable countries and, in particular, African countries, deserve special attention. This book considers the issue of sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa. The contributors assess the progress that has been made in sustainable development and the challenges that must still be addressed. The chapters focus on the goals for climate action, sustainable cities and communities, institutions, and partnerships to examine the vulnerability of Africans to climate change, attitudes towards sustainability, institutional responses to environmental degradation, environmental terrorism, sustainable health care, sustainable transportation, and the use of open green space to promote a sustainable urban community. The first section of the book examines the theory of sustainability and provides an overview of some of the most important institutional questions in the discourse on environmental policies in the African world. The next section focuses on the issues and challenges that inform our understanding of sustainability and the implementation of best practices, examining sustainability in a global context and consider the difficulties in enforcing international standards and protections in the state-centered international order. The final part of the book engages in a more in-depth examination of several specific examples of sustainability in urban Africa.