Caring about the effects of one's actions will make green issues sustainable. The main objectives of this research were the consideration and comparison of green tax policies and directives, enacted and proposed environmental legislation in each of the identified countries and each country's commitment to positive environmental change. The results of the study highlight the positive means through which South Africa can grow its economy and lower carbon emissions by implementing an effective environmental policy and using the experiences of China and Sweden to date as direction for the future. This study demonstrated that South Africa must remain mindful of China's extreme unaccountability, as an example of the dire ramifications that would result if South Africa were to deviate from an adherence to green issues. It further demonstrated that South Africa must take its lead from Sweden and positively grow its economy by lowering its carbon emissions through implementing an effective environmental policy.