ABSTRACT
Ecological sustainability can be defined as the long-term viability or well-being of ecological systems, including human communities. Understood in this way, sustainability is the fundamental overarching principle that frames all other legal constructs in an ecological constitution. This chapter will build on the pivotal work of Klaus Bosselmann and others on the principle of ecological sustainability and eco-constitutionalism. It begins by defining key terms and examining the implications of a legally binding principle of ecological sustainability. The author argues that all constitutions are premised on a foundational ecological obligation to present and future generations, since constitutions are fundamentally about creating a stable political entity that can endure over time. This constitutional imperative is reflected in a small body of existing constitutional provisions that incorporate obligations of ecological sustainability to some degree, and these are surveyed here. Finally, the chapter elaborates two possible methods for incorporating ecological sustainability into those constitutions that currently do not include the principle: explicit amendment, and judicial interpretation.
