The
Global Sustainable Development Picture
(source: EM
Magazine. November 2002)
Achieving sustainable development at the global level
will be no easy task. Significant
changes are needed in the decision-making at the highest levels of government
down to the day-to-day decisions that each individual consumer or producer must
make. While it is very encouraging that
the majority of nations have finally engaged in productive dialogue over the
past three decades, we cannot solely look to “big government” to solve the
multitude of woes that emanate from global sustainability issues. Local government and citizens of all nations
must utilize the findings, information, and goals of the International Sustainable Development summits in
order to implement the systems and stewardship programs that will enable future
generations to enjoy the vast natural resources that this great planet has
bestowed upon its past and present inhabitants. We should applaud the nations of the world that have recognized
that there is indeed a real urgency to address sustainability issues, but we
should consider it the duty of each and every citizen to get the sustainable
development word out in communities and local governments around the world.
The global journey to protect the world and all its inhabitants started more than three decades ago when the United Nations (UN) General Assembly recognized the need to convene a UN conference to address the problems of the environment. The first milestone conference was held in Stockholm Sweden in June 1972. From this conference came the historic “Stockholm Declaration” on the human environment that focused on Earth’s finite and threatened resources.
The opening of the declaration states:
“Man is both creature and molder of his environment, which
gives him physical sustenance and affords him the opportunity for intellectual,
moral, social, and spiritual growth. In
the long and tortuous evolution of the human race on this planet, a stage has
been reached when, through the rapid acceleration of science and technology,
man has acquired the power to transform his environment in countless ways and
on an unprecedented scale. Both aspects
of man’s environment, the natural and the man-made, are essential to his
well-being and to the enjoyment of basic human rights, the right to life
itself.”
The Stockholm Declaration eventually led to the formation of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to provide leadership and direction on environmental initiatives at the international level. UNEP was encouraged to work with governments, UN bodies, and various other groups to provide a conduit for their input.
The
Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992 was the second
milestone event because it resulted in a blueprint for Sustainable Development for the Twenty-First Century named “AGENDA-21.” AGENDA-21 outlined the main issues
regarding sustainable development and identified key threats and challenges to
achieving desired goals. As a follow up
to the Rio Earth Summit, the UN established a new permanent commission known as
the “Commission for Sustainable Development” (CSD), and chartered it with the
responsibility of monitoring the implementation of AGENDA-21. The Rio Conference and the CSD established
the Three Pillars of sustainable development:
1.
Protection of
the Earth,
2.
Social
Development; and
3.
Economic
Prosperity.
These
three pillars remain at the core of
sustainable development today and represent a critical global consensus on the
main elements of a sustainable development agenda.
The
following represents a chronology of milestone events from 1970 to the present:
YEAR EVENT
1970 The first Earth day is
celebrated in different parts of the world.
UN General
Assembly calls for UN Conference on the Human Environment.
1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment is held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June.
UNEP is created as a coordinating body for leadership and direction at the international level.
1992 Conference on Environment and
Development (better know as the Rio Earth Summit) is held
in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, in July.
AGENDA-21 is
endorsed by world leaders in Rio as a blueprint for environmental protection
and development
in the 21st century.
UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is signed at the conclusion of the
Rio Earth Summit.
Several
negotiations on various conventions are spawned from the Rio declarations,
including
the Convention on
Biodiversity (CBD) and the Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
(POPs).
1997 General Assembly conducts the “Rio + 5” review to evaluate the achievements of the
implementation of AGENDA-21.
The Kyoto
Protocol is negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, which inserts mandatory emissions
reduction targets
and dates into the voluntary framework of the UNFCCC.
2000 UN
General Assembly establishes the Millennium Development Goals.
UN General
Assembly resolves to hold a “Rio + 10” review of AGENDA-21, dubbed the World
Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD), to be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa in
2002.
2001-2002 Several regional, national, and
international preparatory process planning meetings for the
WSSD are undertaken around
the globe, with the active participation of governments,
international institutions,
UN bodies, and other major groups.
2002 WSSD is held in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 26-September 4.
Where are we now?
In early 2002, the UNEP published
its “Global Environmental Outlook 2002,” which compiles and summarizes key
state of the environment and human development trends. The key areas of concern are listed below:
·
Population
·
Poverty and inequality
·
Food production and agriculture
·
Clean water and sanitation
·
Biodiversity and forests
·
Energy
·
Air pollution
The most recent conference was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, August
26-September 4 of 2002. This conference
is known as the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and was preceded
by a series of national, regional, and sub-regional meetings, which were held
to assess the need for further progress.
The discussion agenda was narrowed down to five major areas of
concern. These five areas are water,
energy, health, agriculture, and biodiversity
known collectively as “WEHAB.” The
overall theme of the WSSD was “People,
Planet, and Prosperity,” emphasizing
that it was not simply another conference on the global environment, but rather
one that would invoke an integrated approach to environmental protection,
social empowerment, and economic development. The theme of the “high level” heads-of-state round table
discussion was titled “Making it Happen.”
The agenda of this Johannesburg sub-meeting centered on the “HOW”:
·
How to bring about the needed changes in national policies?
·
How to use policy and tax incentives to send the right signals to
business and industry?
·
How to offer better choices to individual consumers and producers?
·
How to get things done?
The Johannesburg WSSD was hopefully not an
endpoint, but rather a new beginning.
It created a vision and action plan that will address and combat the
primary obstacles to sustainable development: poverty, markets that fail to
live up to their potential, and dysfunctional governance. Governments must establish, maintain, and
support frameworks that facilitate sustainable development. They must also exchange knowledge about
“best practices” from around the world and expand the use of voluntary
partnerships and initiatives as promising tools to help achieve sustainable
development at local and global levels.
Roadblocks to sustainable development success do persist, as many
developing nations have not embraced the three pillars (economic, social,
environmental) of successful development.
In many cases, the pressures of free trade without proper implementation
of environmental controls have exacerbated pollution, and the failure to tie
land use planning with urban air quality has allowed traffic congestion and
increased emissions.
The global community
has a great challenge before it – the challenge to provide the information,
know-how, technology, and monetary assistance it will take to guide the
developing nations to successful sustainable development practices. The largest hurdles are in the developing
countries of Africa and Asia, where new and extensive infrastructure projects
are needed to meet the goals of providing access to energy, clean water, and
improved sanitation. All parts of
society must combine efforts, talents, and money to make global sustainable
development a reality.
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Last updated: 20 October 2002 http://www.iun.edu/~environw/index.htm |
