Law, Business and Society 11th Edition by Tony McAdams

Exercise 32

The Santa Monica, California, City Council in 2013 approved a "Sustainability Bill of Rights" striving for a clearer environment and asserting that corporations do not have special privileges under the law that supersede community rights. The ordinance also requires a report every two years detailing the city's progress toward its Sustainable City Plan. According to councilmembdr Kevin McKeown, the ordinance shifts power away from the business community in a way that had not previously happened in the environmental movement. He blamed "unrestrained capitalism" for harming the environment. In your view, should all communities adopt a "Sustainability Bill of Rights" confirming the importance of sustainability and asserting the supremacy of community rights over corporate authority Explain.