Daily Times

What people tend to overlook and forget is the evolution of the concept of sustainability. Although the history and evolution of a concept might seem unimportant, it could help us predict the future trends and flaws that will appear. And it will help us ensure that the 21st century will be the “Sustainability Century”.

Brundtland commission in its report, our common future, for the first time linked economic progress to stability. The report presented the definition as development that meets the need of present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

The definition contains two major concepts: firstly, the concept of ‘needs’, in particular, the essential needs of the world’s poor, to whom most priority should be given; and secondly the idea of boundaries imposed by the state of technology and social organisation on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.

Lele voiced the opinion that the sustainability debate has its origins in a much older debate concerning renewable resources such as forestry and fisheries. The concept of “eco development” was presented to describe the process of ecologically sound development with positive management of the environment for human advantage with the objective of protecting the environment “for future generations”. Some critics put forward that the Brundtland Commission Report’s discussion of sustainability was both positive and unclear. The commission might felt that, in order to be accepted, the discussion had to be optimistic, but given the facts, it was necessary to be vague in order not to appear to be pessimistic. Others are even more critical that Brundtland provided a slogan behind which first world politicians with green electorates to appease, and third world politicians with economic deprivation to tackle, could unite. The formula was of course vague, but the details could be left for later.

The concept of sustainable development does not impose absolute limits but limitations imposed by the present state of technology and social organisation on environmental resources and by the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human activities. United Nations, Human Development Report, (1995) reported that environmental duration would be a great risk to human safety. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary General, United Nations presented that sustainability must be strengthened as a guiding principle of development. Pearce and Warfod stated that sustainable development requires that overall capital assets do not decrease i.e. manufacturing capital, human capital and environmental capital. Michael stated that environmentalists have used the term sustainability in an attempt to clarify the desired balance between economic growth, on the one hand, and environmental presentation on the other. The most pressing environmental challenges in developing countries in the next few decades will be caused by poverty. These will include health hazards created by lacks of access to clean water and sanitation, indoor air pollution form biomass starves, and deforestation and serve sill duration-almost common where households lack economic astatines, to unsustainable partner.

Economics of sustainability: Economists all over the world presented theories on the balance between economic development and sustainability. Arthur Pigou put forward the model to achieve sustainable development. According to him, the services which are not paid acts as an obstacle to gain equilibrium in market.

Theorists coined the terms strong sustainability and weak sustainability. They presented strong sustainability that we must live within the environmental and ecological boundaries that the planet clearly has. Weak sustainability stated that humanity will replace the natural capital we have used, and that we depend on, with human-made capital. The dream of a ‘win-win-win’ scenario – of achieving progress within the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainable development is increasingly being seen as impractical. The need for policy integration, spreading sustainable development concerns into non-environmental policy areas, has become more salient since 1998, with the trend for more realistic approaches to policy-making.

Relationships between the environmental stability and economy are increasingly described in economic terms as being natural and social ‘capital’ and as providing ‘services’-an extension of Marx’s comment that capitalism reduces everything to the ‘cash nexus’. Theorists put forward that putting a price on the environment, to internalize the externalities, will lessen environmental damage. Balance between economic growth and environmental development is very important for all countries, especially the poor ones to prevent environmental damage. They also stated that sustainable development requires that overall capital assets i.e. manufacturing capital, human capital and environmental capital do not reduce.

Others argued that increasing areas of human activity will move society further from sustainable development. The challenge of meeting human development needs while protecting the earth’s life support systems confronts scientists, technologists, policymakers and communities from local to global levels. Capacity for mobilising and using science and technology (S&T) is increasingly recognised as an essential component of strategies for promoting sustainable development.

Practical implications include environmental impact assessment (evolving towards strategic impact assessment), internalization of externalities, ecological restoration, and a new view on conservation, different from the one addressed by the ‘Zero Growth Strategy. Professor Jay Forrester at MIT presented his model which stated that with no major change in technology, economic and social relationship, natural resources will be depleted in the next 100 years.

Bogliott et al presented a model to achieve goals for sustainable development by combining plain notions of governance and ethics in the multifaceted field of sustainability.

Published in Daily Times, January 27^th 2018.