Sustainable development

Economic development/activities must not take place

- at the expense of our natural environment
functions of nature must be secured
- at the expense of other people(s)
(e.g. at the expense of people in ELDCs)
- at the expense of future generations
no total exploitation of natural resources
Some definitions also include:
- the provision of labour
- the provision of adequate food and housing
- equal rights for women

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History:
18th century: sustainable forestry (prescribed by law)
yield from a forest should be in balance with re-forestation
North-South Commision 1980 (chairman: Willy Brandt):
Report: "North-South: A Program for Survival"
recommends a massive increase in aid to developing countries
and also proposes improved environmental development
Brundtland Commission
UN commission: "World Commission on Environment and Development"
Report: "Our Common Future"
laid the groundwork for the Earth Summit 1992 in Rio and the adoption of Agenda 21

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United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 1992 (Earth Summit)

Rio de Janeiro

Participants: 172 governments + 2,400 representatives of NGOs

Results:
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
27 principles intended to guide future sustainable development
Agenda 21
concrete action plan for governments and communities (globally, nationally, locally)
Convention on Biological Diversity
Forest Principles

main goals: - conservation of biological diversity

- sustainable use of its components

makes several recommendations for forestry

Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC)

aim: reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases in order to combat global warming.
shortcoming: set no mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions
for individual nations and contained no enforcement provisions

legally non-binding

but: it contained provisions for updates (called "protocols")

that would set mandatory emission limits
principal update: Kyoto Protocol
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Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

Principle 1
Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development.
They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.
...
Principle 3
The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet
developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations

Principle 5
All States and all people shall cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty
as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development,
in order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and
better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world.

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There are 40 chapters in Agenda 21, divided into four sections.

All together the document has over 900 pages:

Agenda 21

Section I: Social and Economic Dimensions

including combating poverty, changing consumption patterns,
population and demographic dynamics, promoting health,
promoting sustainable settlement patterns
and integrating environment and development into decision-making.
Section II: Conservation and Management of Resources for Development
including atmospheric protection, combating deforestation, protecting fragile environments,
conservation of biological diversity, and control of pollution.
Section III: Strengthening the Role of Major Groups
including the roles of children and youth, women, NGOs, local authorities,
business and workers.
Section IV: Means of Implementation
including science, technology transfer, education, international institutions and mechanisms
and financial mechanisms.
Local Agenda 21: Some national and state governments have legislated or advised that local authorities
take steps to implement the plan locally, as recommended in Chapter 28 of the document.
Such programmes are often known as 'Local Agenda 21' or 'LA21'.
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Climate Change Convention

On June 12, 1992, 154 nations signed the UNFCCC, that committed governments
to a voluntary "non-binding aim" to reduce atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases
with the goal of "preventing dangerous anthropogenic interference with Earth's climate system."
These actions were aimed primarily at industrialized countries, with the intention
of stabilizing their emissions of greenhouse gases at 1990 levels by the year 2000.
Annex I and Annex II Countries, and Developing Countries
Signatories to the UNFCCC are split into three groups:
- Annex I countries (industrialized countries)
- Annex II countries (developed countries which pay for costs of developing countries)
- Developing countries
Annex I countries agree to reduce their emissions (particularly carbon dioxide) to target levels
below their 1990 emissions levels. If they cannot do so, they must buy emission credits
or invest in conservation.
Developing countries have no immediate restrictions under the UNFCCC, because:
- this avoids restrictions on growth because pollution is strongly linked to industrial growth
- they get money and technologies from the developed countries in Annex II

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