Wikipedia
Sustainable development is a process of developing (land, cities) that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" according to the Brundtland Report, a 1987 report from the United Nations. One of the factors which it must overcome is environmental degradation.For some, the issue is considered to be closely tied to economic growth and the need to find ways to expand the economy in the long term without using up natural capital for current growth at the cost of long term growth. For others, the concept of growth itself is problematic, as the resources of the Earth are finite.The 2005 UK Sustainable Development Strategy has the objective of enabling all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations. Environmental degradation - Environmental degradation refers to the diminishment of a local ecosystem or the biosphere as a whole due to human activity. Environmental degradation occurs when nature's resources (such as trees, habitat, earth, water, air) are being consumed faster than nature can replenish them. An unsustainable situation occurs when natural capital (the sum total of nature’s resources), is used up faster than it can be replenished. Sustainability requires that human activity, at a minimum, only uses nature's resources to the point where they can be replenished naturally::* Human consumption of renewable resources > Nature's ability to replenish: Environmental degradation:* Human consumption of renewable resources = Nature's ability to replenish: Environmental equilibrium / sustainable growth.:* Human consumption of renewable resources < Nature's ability to replenish: Environmental renewal / also sustainable growth.The long term final result of environmental degradation will be local environments that are no longer able to sustain human populations. Popularization of the concept of sustainable development - The idea of sustainable development did not become popular until the 1990s. It was during this decade that scientific evidence began to mount indicating that human actions were having a negative impact on the environment on a global scale, leading to outcomes such as global warming. The idea became a widespread concern when enough people concluded that the current path of human activity was unsustainable in the long term and changes in human society were needed.The first major manifestation of this popularization of sustainable development occurred at the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in 1992. The conference was prompted by the report ''Brundtland Report Our Common Future'' (1987, World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Gro Harlem BrundtlandBrundtland Commission), which called for strategies to strengthen efforts to promote sustainable and environmentally sound development. A series of seven UN conferences on environment and development followed. The Brundtland Commission coined the most widely used definition of sustainable development, which contains two key concepts: The concept of "needs", in particular the essential needs of the world`s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.Sustainable development demands ways of living, working and being that enable all people of the world to lead healthy, fulfilling, and economically secure lives without destroying the environment and without endangering the future welfare of people and the planet.The precise meaning of sustainable development has been widely debated. For example, two years after the Brundtland Commission's Report popularised the term, over 140 definitions of sustainable development had been catalogued. However, the term "sustainability" has since been defined with reference to sound scientific principles (''see'' The Natural Step). The United Nations Environment ProgrammeUnited Nations Environment Programme's position is as follows:: The intensified and unsustainable demand for land, water marine and coastal resources resulting from the expansion of agriculture and uncontrolled urbanisation lead to increased degradation of natural ecosystems and erode the life supporting systems that uphold human civilization. Caring for natural resources and promoting their sustainable use is an essential response of the world community to ensure its own survival and well being. (source: unep.org - Sustainable Management and Use of Natural Resources)Many people reject the term ''sustainable development'' as an overall term in favor of ''sustainability'', and reserve ''sustainable development'' only for specific development activities such as energy development.Sustainable development is one of the issues addressed by international environmental law.
Sustainable development in the law - A few countries have introduced the principle of sustainable development into their laws. Among them is Poland. The article 5 of the 1997 Constitution says:: ''The Republic of Poland shall safeguard the independence and integrity of its territory and ensure the freedoms and rights of persons and citizens, the security of the citizens, safeguard the national heritage and shall ensure the protection of the natural environment pursuant to the principles of sustainable development.''In principle it means that the Constitutional Tribunal may strike down any law it deems incompatible with the principle of sustainable development. However, as in the last decades the enviromental regulations have, with few exceptions, only become stronger, it's unlikely that the Tribunal will exercise this power anytime soon.In France in 2004, along with the lists of human rights set out in the 1789 Declaration of the rights of man and the citizen and in the preamble of the 1946 constitution of the French Fourth RepublicFourth Republic, an Environmental Charter was added to the Constitution of FranceConstitution, recognizing among others a duty to preserve the environment and the right to live in a "balanced and health-respecting" environment. The proposed Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe also includes sustainable development, as one of the European Union's objectives.
See also - Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Earth Summit 2002 The Natural Step Restorative Development Initiative Urban ecology Green building Green technology Renewable energy development Poverty Action on Climate Change
External links - eolss.net - UNESCO_EOLSS The Largest On-line Encyclopedia. A virtual dynamic library equivalent to 200 volumes. futurosustentavel.org - Sustainable Future in Porto (Portugal)environmenttimes.net - Poverty and Environment Times''' - current issues worldchanging.com - WorldChanging - Collective weblog on the topic of sustainable development. insnet.org - iNSnet - Portal site for sustainable development. esl.jrc.it - Sustainable Development Indicators free database, includes Millennium Development Goals sustainabilitystart.com - SustainabilityStart - Links and database on sustainable development. ulsf.org - United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) ? !globalizationandhealth.com - The World Summit on Sustainable Development: reaffirming the centrality of health !sustainable-development.gov.uk - The 2005 UK Sustainable Development Strategy ? big-picture.tv - Big Picture TV Free video clip of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai discussing sustainable development sustdialogue.org - IDSP website How science can help sustainable development sankey.ws - Natural communities as part of human communities !liberaassociazioneilpopolo.it< /a> - 2010: Poverty Elimination The global campaign for sustainable development. un.org - UN Division for Sustainable Development UN Policy Co-ordinationde:Nachhaltige Entwicklunges:Desarrollo !sostenibleeo:Daŭrivofr:Dà ©veloppement? !durablehe:פית ;וח? בר !קיימ&# 1488;is:Sjálfbær? þróunit:Sviluppo !sostenibileja:æŒç¶šå¯èƒ½ãªé –‹ç™ºnl:Duurzame? ontwikkelingoc:Desvolopament !sosteniblezh:可持& #32493;发展Categor y:SustainabilityCategory:Devel opment
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Websites
Wear-Management
Maintenance and Maintenance Welding
http://www.wear-management.ch/
Built Green
An environmentally-friendly, non-profit, green building certification program.
http://www.builtgreen.net/
ENVIS Centre on Environmental Biotechnology
Department of Environmental Science, University of Kalyani, West Bengal
http://www.kuenvbiotech.org/
Fedichem
The portal site for chemistry in Belgium. The chemical industry appears as a concerned and responsible actor for the environment, which controls the risks, supports the sustainable development and practices Responsible Care.
http://www.fedichem.be
www.kaitiakitanga.net
Kaitiakitanga is a concept that comes from an Indigenous Maori World view (from Aotearoa - New Zealand). This sees the earth and all of the diverse life it supports as highly interdependent. It is a sustainable development mindset that reminds us of our responsibilities to future generations and gives us some valuable tools to help us take positive actions today. (see also the Tipu Ake ki te Ora Organic Leadership model at www.tipuake.org.nz) This site describes the program a small rainforest community and school has established to do this. It also links a network of people in other places all around the world sharing the same values.
http://www.kaitiakitanga.net/
West africa, Togo-based association, ngo Volontaire-Globalisation.
The Mission of V Glob is to promote equity in globalisation,to contribute substantially to the reduction of extreme poverty among young people and above all women in rural areas, in the periphery and in towns alike, while meeting the specific needs of enclosed communities. The mission is centred on the following axis: mobilize good will regardless of origin, race, sex, faith and political conviction, to invest in the collective utility of voluntary services while aiming at the socio-educative and cultural integration of children who are without support and at the development of creative action to encourage youth employment. stimulate the internal development capacities of vulnerable communities, which are, until now, deprived of education structures, adequate sanitation, drinking water and grass-roots infrastructures that can boost a more durable development. Promote the Millennium Development Goals in villages and rural areas.
http://www.vglob.org/
Zero Growth
Advocates an ethic of Zero Growth as an alternative to the growth-addiction which is leading the world to ruin.
http://www.zerogrowth.org/
DAVID shaping business Wien Unternehmensberatung
david shaping business develops and markets programs for sustainable business development - These solutions integrate the economic -, environmental- and social responsible dimension within one web - based framework for organisations
http://www.david-shaping-business.com/
United Nations
Global association of governments facilitating cooperation in international law, security, economic development, and social equity.
http://www.un.org/
Sustainable Development Center
U.S. Department of Energy's Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development website.
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/
Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Site officiel. L'institution, les études, la recherche, la vie à l'université.
http://www.ulb.ac.be/
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