Enhancing a Mechanism of Transition to Sustainable Development: Environmental Justice and the Inherent Value of Nature
The necessity for a sustainable development strategy has been internationally institutionalized and substantiated by numerous interdisciplinary studies. Nevertheless, the technogenic-consumer concept retains its influence due to a psychologically induced and temporally expanded character of the formation of public ideals, values, and purposes that determine an interaction between society and nature. Dependence on the past development way is traceable in the existing legislative contradictions (when currently applicable or newly adopted laws contradict the sustainable development strategy). The legislation is a quintessence of public ideas on the character of human society's development (current and projected). This article aims to justify the necessity to acknowledge the inherent value of nature to resolve the civilizational crisis. Entrenchment of the "inherent value of nature" (contrary to the prevailing instrumental value) as a legal principle can resolve not only the existing problems of environmental legislation (and the associated national security threats, and challenges to prospects of an indefinitely long harmonious and just development of society), but also prevent them from forming in the future.