Chapter 7 of Panama’s constitution outlines Articles 118-121. These Articles feature provisions for the protection of the environment. Article 118 reads: “The State has the fundamental obligation to guarantee that its population lives in a healthy environment, free of contamination (pollution), and where air, water, and foodstuffs satisfy the requirements for proper development of human life.”
Article 119, on the other hand, states: “The State, and all the inhabitants of the national territory, have the obligation of promoting economic and social development that prevents environmental contamination, maintains ecological balance, and avoids the destruction of ecosystems.”
According to Article 120, “The State shall regulate, supervise, and apply, at the proper time, the measures necessary to guarantee rational use of, and benefit from, land, river and sea life, as well as forests, lands and waters, to avoid their misuse, and to ensure their preservation, renewal, and permanence.”
Finally, Article 121 ensures that “benefits gained from non-renewable natural resources shall be regulated by law, to avoid social, economic and environmental abuses that could result.”
