Sustainable development
Sustainable development is defined as balancing the fulfillment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. It signals a global recognition of the close linkage between environmental health and human development, and the need to alter policies to minimize human impact on the planet.
First coined in 1980 when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature published the World Conservation Strategy, the term came into general usage following publication of the 1987 report of the Brundtland Commission, which had been convened by the United Nations four years earlier. The commission’s oft-quoted definition casts sustainable development as economic and social growth that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (United Nations).
Behind the term sustainable development is the key concept of integrating social, economic, and environmental policy. Thus, it incorporates both development (a traditional economic and political goal) and sustainability (an ecological goal). Several United Nations texts, most recently the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, refer to the "interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars" of sustainable development as economic development, social development, and environmental protection.
However, sustainable development is not a precisely defined term, as a wide array of views has fallen under its umbrella. Moreover, critics of the term note that it continues to participate in an anthropocentric (human-centered) viewpoint, which continues to see the natural environment as being in the service of human needs. They also point to its inherently capitalistic perspective: the assumption that consumption is the most important contribution to human welfare.
Despite the possible conceptual and practical limitations of the term, its significance and impact must also be emphasized. Sustainable development signals a shared belief that there are ultimate, biophysical limits to human growth. The Brundtland Commission definition is also of import because it established the global significance of sustainable development, which is not an issue limited to national borders, but one involving the entire human community.
Origins of the term and available definitions
The Brundtland Commission, formally the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), is known by the name of its chair Gro Harlem Brundtland. The commission was created in 1983 to address growing concern "about the accelerating deterioration of the human environment and natural resources and the consequences of that deterioration for economic and social development." In establishing the commission, the United Nations General Assembly recognized that environmental problems were global in nature and determined that it was in the common interest of all nations to establish policies for sustainable development (United Nations).
The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (UNESCO, 2001) elaborates the concept further by stating that "...cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature”; it becomes “one of the roots of development understood not simply in terms of economic growth, but also as a means to achieve a more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence." In this vision, cultural diversity is the fourth policy area of sustainable development.
Some research activities start from this definition to argue that the environment is a combination of nature and culture. The Network of Excellence "Sustainable Development in a Diverse World," which is sponsored by the European Union, works in this direction. It integrates multidisciplinary capacities and interprets cultural diversity as a key element of a new strategy for sustainable development.
The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development lists the following areas as falling within the scope of sustainable development:
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Criticism of the term and alternative conceptions
Some people now consider the term "sustainable development" as too closely linked with continued material development, and prefer to use terms like "sustainability," "sustainable prosperity," or "sustainable genuine progress" as the umbrella terms.
Many environmentalists have criticized some interpretations of the term "sustainable development" as an oxymoron, claiming that economic policies based on concepts of growth and continued depletion of resources cannot be sustainable, since that term implies that resources remain constant. say more here
contextualize - part of the source of tensions comes from this intersection of economic and ecological terms
Common principles
Despite differences, a number of common principles are embedded in most charters or action programs to achieve sustainable development, sustainability or sustainable prosperity. These include:
- Dealing transparently and systemically with risk, uncertainty and irreversibility.
- Ensuring appropriate valuation, appreciation and restoration of nature.
- Integration of environmental, social, human and economic goals in policies and activities.
- Equal opportunity and community participation/Sustainable community.
- Conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity.
- Ensuring inter-generational equity.
- Recognizing the global integration of localities.
- A commitment to best practice.
- No net loss of human capital or natural capital.
- The principle of continuous improvement.
- The need for good governance.
something on natural cpaital: what is being revised/conceptually and practically with this model is a definition of nature not reduced to passive instrument, only figured in terms of usefulness for humans
Weak versus strong sustainability
However, a distinction between different degrees of sustainability should be made. The debate currently focuses on the sustainability of the economy and the environment, which can in other words be considered as a relationship between natural capital (the sum total of nature's resources) and manufactured/man-made capital.
Weak sustainability is advocated by the Hartwick's Rule, which states that so long as total capital stays constant, sustainable development can be achieved. I.e., as long as the diminishing natural capital stocks are being substituted by gains in the man-made stock, total capital will stay constant and the current level of consumption can continue. The proponents of weak sustainability believe that economic growth is beneficial, as increased levels of income lead to increased levels of environmental protectionism. This approach is also known as the substitutability paradigm.
Conversely, supporters of strong sustainability, such as Herman Daly, believe that natural capital and man-made capital are only complementary at best. In order for sustainable development to be achieved, natural capital has to be kept constant independently from man-made capital. This model is known as the non-substitutability paradigm.
Barriers to a sustainability culture
Acknowledging the barriers to sustainability, numerous publications from the Tellus Institute examine the factors necessary to achieve an environmentally sustainable future, something Tellus terms a ‘Great Transition’ (see Raskin et al, 2002; Rajan, 2006; Kreigman, 2006). Using scenario analysis, Tellus shows that a new sustainability paradigm is possible if progressive elements of civil society, government, business, and an engaged citizenry work together to create an alternative vision of globalization centered on the quality of life, human solidarity, environmental resilience, and shared information.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Baker, S. date. Sustainable Development.
- United Nations. 1987. "Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development." General Assembly Resolution 42/187, 11 December 1987. Retrieved: 2007-04-12
- United Nations Division for Sustainable Development. Documents: Sustainable Development Issues Retrieved: 2007-05-12</ref>
External links and resources
- Nobel Prize for Sustainable Development - International initiative for a Nobel Prize for Sustainable Development
- Appropedia - a Wiki focused on sustainable international development and poverty reduction
- Sustainable Development in Amazonia
- International Institute for Sustainable Development International non-profit organization for sustainable development.
Template:Energy related development
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