THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

“Silent Spring”

written by Rachel Carson was published in 1962

1972; United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

In ______, the ___________________ held in Stockholm brought the industrialized and developing nations together to **delineate the “rights” of the human family to a healthy and productive environment**

1980s

In the ____, human society was increasingly **conscious of possible detrimental effects that its economic activities can have on ecosystems and the environment**

United Kingdom Environmental Protection Act 1990

defined that environment “… consists of all, or any, of the following media, namely the air, water and land.”

World Conservation Strategy

jointly published by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCNNR) in 1980

biosphere

the thin covering of the planet that contains and sustains life

World Conservation Strategy

it provided a precursor to the concept of sustainable development

United Nations General Assembly; 1983

The ________________ convened in ____ to discuss **“The World Commission on Environment and Development”** to address concerns about the accelerating degradation of the human environment and natural resources and the consequences of such **degradation for economic and social development**

Brundtland Report; 1987

the **concept of “sustainable development”** was formalized by the ________ published in ____

meets the needs of the present; ability of future generations to meet their own needs

**Sustainable development** is development that _______________ without compromising the _______________________________

needs and limitations

Two key concepts are emphasized in the Brundtland Report

needs

the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given

limitations

imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.

President’s Council on Sustainable Development in the United States

defined sustainable development as an **evolving process** that **improves the economy, the environment, and society** for the benefit of current and future generations

June 1992; UN Conference on Environment and Development

In _____, the first _______________________________ was **held in Rio de Janeiro** and adopted an agenda entitled **“Agenda 21: A Programme of Action for Sustainable Development”**

Agenda 21

it states the **Rio Declaration on Environment and Development**, which agrees to some 27 supporting principles that are abbreviated as the **“Rio Principles.”**

economic, social, environmental

Agenda 21 reaffirmed that sustainable development was delimited by the integration of the _________, _________, and _________ **pillars**

3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17

principles most relevant to waste management

Principle 3

The **right to development must be fulfilled** so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations

Principle 4

In order to achieve sustainable development, **environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process** and cannot be considered in isolation from it.

Principle 6

The **special situation and needs of developing countries**, particularly the least developed and those most environmentally vulnerable, **shall be given special priority**. International actions in the field of environment and development should also address the interests and needs of all countries.

Principle 8

To achieve sustainable development and a higher quality of life for all people, States should **reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and promote appropriate demographic policies**

Principle 10

**Environmental issues are best handled with participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level**. At the **national level,** each **individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment** that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities

Principle 11

States shall **enact effective environmental legislation**. Environmental standards, management objectives, and priorities should reflect the environmental and development context to which they apply. Standards applied by some countries may be inappropriate and of unwarranted economic and social cost to other countries, in particular developing countries.

Principle 13

**States shall develop national law regarding liability and compensation for the victims of pollution and other environmental damage.** States shall also cooperate in an expeditious and more determined manner to develop further international law regarding liability and compensation for adverse effects of environmental damage caused by activities within their jurisdiction or control to areas beyond their jurisdiction

Principle 14

States should **effectively cooperate to discourage or prevent the relocation and transfer to other States** of any activities and substances that cause severe environmental degradation or are found to be harmful to human health

Principle 15

**(Precautionary principle)**—In order to protect the environment, the **“precautionary approach” shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities**. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation

Principle 16

**(Polluter pay principle)**—National authorities should endeavor to p**romote the internalization of environmental costs and the use of economic instruments,** taking into account the approach that the polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution, with due regard to the public interest and without distorting international trade and investment

Principle 17

**Environmental impact assessment**, as a national instrument, shall be undertaken for proposed activities that are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment and are subject to a decision of a competent national authority

2002; World Summit on Sustainable Development; Johannesburg

In _____, the ___________________ was convened in _________ to **renew the global commitment to sustainable development.**

Johannesburg Plan of Implementation

The conference agreed to the ___________________ to **follow up on the implementation of sustainable developmen**t

economic development; social welfare; environmental protection

Sustainable development seeks to achieve _____________, _____________, and _____________, in a balanced manner, from which we start seeing the world as a collection of interconnected systems

United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)

The ______________________ has an insightful list that embodies the **principles of sustainability** via six aspects of each pillar

* Ecosystem services
* Green engineering and chemistry
* Air quality
* Water quality
* Stressors
* Resource integrity

six aspects of Environmental Pillar

Ecosystem services

**Protect, sustain, and restore the health of critical natural habitats and ecosystems** (e.g., potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing).

Green engineering and chemistry

**Develop chemical products and processes** to reduce/prevent chemical hazards, reuse or recycle chemicals, treat chemicals to render them less hazardous, and dispose of chemicals properly (e.g., life cycle environmental impacts)

Air Quality

**Attain and maintain air quality standards** and reduce the risk from toxic air pollutants (e.g., investigate potential greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategies)

Water Quality

Reduce exposure to contaminants in drinking water (including protecting source waters) in fish and shellfish and in recreational waters (e.g., pathogen removal in riverbank filtration)

Stressors

Reduce effects by stressors (e.g., pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions, genetically modified organisms) to the ecosystem (e.g., fate of modified nanoparticles in aqueous media).

Resource integrity

**Reduce adverse effects by reducing waste generation**, increasing recycling, and ensuring proper waste management; and restore resources by mitigating and cleaning up accidental or intentional releases (e.g., improving recycling technology to prevent environmental impact of mining)

* Jobs
* Incentives
* Supply and demand
* Natural Resource Accounting
* Costs
* Prices

six aspects of Economic Pillar

Supply and demand

**Promote price or quantity changes** that alter economic growth, environmental health, and social prosperity (e.g., increasing supply of green energy sources to reduce the need for fossil fuels)

Natural Resource Accounting

**Incorporate natural capital depreciation** in accounting indices and ecosystem services in cost–benefit analysis (CBA) (e.g., green net national product).

* Environmental Justice
* Human Health
* Participation
* Education
* Resource Security
* Sustainable Communities

6 aspects of Social Pillar

spatial and temporal characteristics

Sustainable development concurrently addresses both ____________________ that must be clearly defined from **local, regional, and global viewpoints** for current and future generations

2012; “Review of Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Principles,”

In _____, United Nations published _______________________________ which **outlined areas that would need to be addressed to enable more rapid progress** toward the objectives set during the Rio Earth Summit 20 years earlier

1. Progressing and protecting human development
2. Sustainable management of the Earth
3. The green economy
4. Sustainable institutions and governance

The Possible Actions to Achieve the Sustainability Goal

* Global-warming potential
* Ozone layer depletion
* Photochemical smog
* Human and ecotoxicity
* Resources conservation potential

Environmental indicators

* Value-added by-product
* Contribution to green GDP
* Environmental costs and benefits
* Environmental liability

Economic indicators

* Stakeholder identification and participation
* Income distribution or redistribution through policy instruments

Social indicators

**Phase I: Preparation and Planning**

* Frame the problem:
* Identify and enlist stakeholders
* Develop a project management plan

**Phase II: Design and Implementation**

* Set project goals
* Design an action plan
* Implement the action plan

**Phase III: Evaluation and Adaptation**

* Realize short-term outcomes
* Assess and evaluate outcomes

**Phase IV: Long-term Outcomes**

* Achieve long-term outcomes

THE FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT