Gestion de l’environnement et développement durable au Cameroun à l’épreuve du principe de « juste épargne » de John Rawls

Abstract

The principle of just savings was developed by the American philosopher John Rawls as «an agreement among generations to share equitably the burden of achieving and maintaining a just society. « This principle is at the heart of the issue of environmental management and sustainable development in Cameroon. In this sense, this contribution intends to show that the principle of just savings remains relevant and can be used as a guide to evaluate the policies adopted by various governments in terms of environmental protection. It is in this perspective that this study is initiated into the meanders of the national policy of the State of Cameroon, and in a paradigmatic way, in terms of environmental management and sustainable development. In line with the canon of “intergenerational justice”, the present reflection brings to the fore the weight of individual and collective responsibilities in social practices that may affect the «health» of the environment as a common place as well as a common good. We further explain that the challenge of a sustainable development involves a connection between the present generation and the next one. Rawls’s «just savings» principle is thus presented not only as a basis for ecological reflection, but also for the creation of just social institutions and public policies aiming for the execution of fundamental rights acting toward present and future generations well-being.