CONVENTIONS
ECO CLUBS
ENVIRO DATES
ENVIRONMENTAL CAREERS
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TERMINOLOGY
SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AUDITS
SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM CONTACT DETAILS
STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
TOURISM REFERENCE GUIDE
TRANSFRONTIER CONSERVATION AREAS
USING THE INTERNET
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE MANAGEMENT JOB CREATION
WEB PAGES INTERNATIONAL
WEB PAGES SOUTH AFRICAN
WEB PAGES SA TOURISM
WORLD HERITAGE SITES
WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS
YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS
Why is the environment important to us?
The term "environment" is used to refer to everything that is around us: land, water, atmosphere, places of special importance, plant and animal life. The environment therefore has a tremendous influence on human life and the well-being of social communities.
The environment affects us all. We all need a healthy environment to live healthy lives: clean air and water, safe living areas, sufficient and healthy foods. When the environment becomes degraded, it affects us all in the long run, but poor people are the first to suffer.
We all strive for an improved quality of life now and in the future. We all want our children to have better opportunities and to live healthy and happy lives. For that we need economic development, social justice and a healthy, sustainable environment.
In practice this means that
our daily living and working environments must be improved,
all people must have equal access to land and natural resources,
we must use social, cultural and natural resources in a sustainable manner, and
we must promote public participation in decisions about how the environment is used.
The Constitution
The constitution of a country guarantees basic human rights and provides guiding principles for society. The rights and the obligations that are expressed in the Constitution belong to...