Sustainable Development Law & Policy Volume 9 Article 17 Issue 2 Winter 2009: Climate Law Reporter 2009 Climate Change, Energy, and Sustainable Development in South Africa: Developing the African Continent at the Crossroads Edson L. Meyer Kola O. Odeku Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/sdlp Part of the Energy and Utilities Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, International Law Commons, and the Natural Resources Law Commons Recommended Citation Meyer, Edson L and Kola O. Odeku. “Climate Change, Energy, and Sustainable Development in South Africa: Developing the African Continent at the Crossroads.” Sustainable Development Law & Policy, Winter 2009, 49-53, 74-75. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Washington College of Law Journals & Law Reviews at Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sustainable Development Law & Policy by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. CLIMATE CHANGE , ENE R GY , AN D SU S TAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AF R ICA : DEVELOPING THE AF R ICAN CONTINENT AT THE CR O ssr OA ds by Professor Edson L. Meyer* & Dr. Kola O. Odeku** IN T RO D UC ti ON Interestingly, it is not only African leaders who believe that arious scientific research has confirmed that climate developing countries should vigorously pursue energy intensive change has started affecting the atmosphere and, in par- economic activities. Some African pundits and their collabora- Vticular, the African continent.1 International concerns tors have also supported this position by asserting that “whether regarding climate change are now overwhelming as various gov- climate change proves benign or harmful, attempting to control ernments of the world create policies and measures to reduce the it through global regulation of emissions would be counterpro- carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change.