Introduction to Environmental Sustainability

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Introduction to Environmental Sustainability

• Lecture 1

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Lecture summary

• Introduction
• History
• What is sustainable development?

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Introduction

• 2050 8 billion people
• 90 of increase in developing countries
• Pressure on
• Energy
• Food
• Forests
• Natural resources

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First world countries

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD)
• 16 of the worlds population
• Consume 11x more energy per head
• Create half the CO2 from fossil fuels
• Create 75 of the industrial waste
• Create 80 of hazardous wastes

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The Brundtland reportdefined SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT AS

• development that meets the needs of the present
  without compromising the ability of future
  generations to meet their own needs

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The Brundtland report

• The report was concerned with
• securing a global equity
• redistributing resources towards poorer nations
• encouraging the economic growth of poorer nations

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The Brundtland report

• Components of sustainable development
• environmental protection
• economic growth
• social equity

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Rio Earth Summit

• Over 30,000 participants
• Objectives
• Build on Brundtland Report
• Respond to pressing global environmental problems
• Agree major treaties

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Rio Earth Summit

• Five agreements made
• The Convention on Biodiversity
• The Framework Convention in Climate Change
• Principles of Forest Management
• The Rio Declaration on Environment and
  Development
• Agenda 21

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Agenda 21

• Established at the Earth Summit
• A commitment to sustainable development
• Agreed by many governments

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Agenda 21

• 4 elements
• Social and economic
• Conservation and management of natural resources
• Strengthening role of major groups
• Means of implementation

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Agenda 21

• Nations monitored by the International Commission
  on Sustainable Development
• Promoted at regional and local levels
• Many problems and solutions have roots at the
  local level
• Local authorities have pivotal role in fulfilling
  the objectives

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Local authorities

• construct, operate and maintain economic, social
  and environmental infrastructure
• oversee planning processes
• establish local environmental policies and
  regulations
• assist in implementing national and sub-national
  environmental policies

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World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)

• 183 countries
• Produced the Johannesburg Declaration on
  Sustainable Development
• Outcome WSSD Plan of Implementation

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WSSD Plan of Implementation

• Halve the number of people without basic access
  to sanitation by 2015
• New measures to regulate toxic chemicals by 2008
• Restore fish stocks where possible by 2015
• New marine protected areas by 2012
• Reduce current rate of species loss by 2010
• Improve developing country access to alternatives
  to ozone depleting substances
• Stronger benefit-sharing regime under the
  Convention on Biological Diversity

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Sustainable development

• development that meets the needs of the present
  without compromising the ability of future
  generations to meet their own needs

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Development

• Qualitative
• Improvement and progress
• Dimensions
• Cultural
• Social
• Economic

SD development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs
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Needs

• Luxury or need?
• Meeting needs redistributing resources

SD development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs
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Sustainability

• Resource conservation/environmental protection
• Built development
• Environmental quality
• Social equality
• Political participation

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Sustainable development
The interlinking themes of environment, economy
and society that contribute to sustainable
development

• Source Forestry Commission,UK.

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References

• www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/eae/Sustainability/Older/
  Brundtland_Report.html
• www.earthsummit2002.org/Es2002.PDF
• www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/eae/Sustainability/Older/
  Earth_Summit.html
• www.unep.org
• www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/basic_info/basicin
  fo.html
• www.iied.org/docs/wssd/wssdreview.pdf
• www.iied.org/wssd/