Definition

Necessary conditions for sustainable development

Goals of sustainable development

Principles of sustainable development

Definition

The sustainable development's concept has been propagated by the report A future for all of us from the United Nations's board ( council)? On the environment and development (Brundtland report) in 1987 *1. This pattern, which aims to reconciliate the economical and social development, the protection of the environment and the conservation of the natural resources, has emerged gradually between 1070 and 1987.

Half-after the appearance of the concept of zero growth promoted by the Roma's club in 1970, The Stockholm's Conference of 1972 on the human environment brought the United Nations to elaborate a model of respectful development for the environment and also an efficient control of the natural resources *2. The expression "sustainable development” has been proposed for the first time in 1980 in the Worldwide strategy for the conservation published by the International union for nature's conservation ( UICN) becomed since Worldwide union for the nature, the worldwide funds for the nature (WWF) and the United nations's program for the environment (PNUE *3.

The Brundtland's report thus describes the sustainable development : « A development which answers to the actual needs without compromising the capacity for the future generations to answer to theirs.” In 1991, the new strategy for nature's conservation published by UICN, WWF and PNUE describes the sustainable development as: the fact to improve the lifestyle conditions for human communities, though staying in the limits of the ecosystems load's capacity. *4.

Numerous other « operational » definitionsfor sustainable development have been proposed since, but none of them can simultaneously satisfy the legitimate needs of all the individuals, the nations, the enterprises orthe organizations which aims to carry it out. However, whatever the definition used for the concept and the way to bring it into effectuation, the integration in an operational whole of social, economical and environmental dimensions for the development always stays the basis in order to attain a development which is sustainable.

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Necessary conditions for sustainable development

For a long time we have considered that the human cleverness and the technology could make up for the lack of resources and raw materials, and remedy to the garbage's production and to the pollution of the environment. Along the years 1960 and 1970, the international community realized that the actual system of production and utilization of the resources bring unwanted social and ecological externalities. *5
The majority of researchers assert that the worldwide ecosystem has a limited capacity to absorb the waste and to regenerate the renewable resources. A continual growing production and usance lead to an important worsening of natural systems. It is doubtful that the technologies could in themselves entirely reduce the fatal ecological effects of the frantic usance of goods and resources.

The accomplishment of sustainable development presuppose that a certain number of conditions be respected. Among those proposed by numerous researchers, the canadian counsel of ministers has retained the followings:

• The rate of utilisation of renewable natural resources does not exceed the one of their regeneration
• The rate exhaustion of non renewable resources does not exceed the rate of development of renewable subsitutes
• The amount of pollution and waste does not exceed the one the environment can absorb

Well, our modern societies experience great difficulties to respect any of these conditions and their simultaneous respect is even more problematic. We must therefore learn to live taking into consideration the limits of physical and biological milieu as supplier of material and as receptacle of waste. We must acknowledge that, if the actual disrepair of the environment is not yet a threat to our own existence, it can nevertheless threaten the quality of our actual and future frame of life. We must take our responsibilities towards the future generations and face the necessity to preserve the biological diversity and the quality of the environment.

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Goals of sustainable development

• The ecological integrity
  
• The equity between nations, individuals and generations
  
• The economical efficiency

1. Maintain the integrity of the environment that is to say, integrate on the whole actions of human communities, the concern of the keepingof the genes vitality and diversity,of the spicies and on the whole of natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and this, particularly, by some measures of protection for the quality of the environment, by the restoration, the plan and the keeping of essential habitatsfor the spicies as well as by a sustainable management of the utilisation of exploited animal and vegetable populations.

2. Ameliorate social equity, that is to say,, permitting the satisfaction of essentiel needs for actual and future human communities and the improvement of the quality of life, and this, particularly, by access for all to employment, education, to medical care and social services, to a lodging of quality, as well as the respect of the people's rights and liberties, and by the participation , for all groups of society, to the different processes of decision making.

3. Ameliorate the economical efficiency, that is to say, promote an optimal management of human, natural and financial resources, in order to permit the satisfaction of human communities, and that, especially, by bringing to responsibility the enterprizes and the consumers in regards of the goods and services that they produce and use as well as by the adoption of appropriated governmental politics ( principle of polluter/user-payer, internalization???? of of environmental and social costs, ecological fiscal policy, etc

The challenge of bringing into play the sustainable development therefore consists in taking steps to ensure that in our behaviors, actions, politics, programs, laws and rules, curtly, in all our interventions as citizen, interest group, enterprize, government, we aim to attain simultaneously and in balance these three fondamental goals

*1. COMMISSION MONDIALE SUR L'ENVIRONNEMENT ET LE DÉVELOPPEMENT (CMED), 1988. Notre avenir à tous, Éditions du Fleuve / Les publications du Québec, Montréal, 434 p.

*2. VAILLANCOURT, J.-G., 1994. « Penser et concrétiser le développement durable » dans Écodécision, no 15, p. 24-29.

*3. UICN/PNUE/WWF, 1980. Stratégie mondiale de la conservation : la conservation des ressources vivantes au service du développement durable, Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature et de ses ressources, Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement et Fonds mondial pour la nature, Gland, Suisse.

*4. UICN/PNUE/WWF, 1991. Sauver la planète. Stratégie pour l'avenir de la vie, Gland, Suisse, 250 p.

*5. The externalities are the assets ( positive externalities) and the disadvantages ( negative externalities) associated to the production or the intake of goods ans services but who have not been integrated in the sale price of these goods and services.The real solution consists of "internalizingÓin the sale price the economical cost of the consequences for the milieu.

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Principles of sustainable development

The Rio's declaration on environment and development which was adopted in june 1992 by the representatives of 180 countries participating to "Summit of the Earth" recommends 27 principles. These principles serve to guide the actions, politics, laws and rules enabling to attain the three fondamental goals of sustainable development, that is to say, maintain the integrity of the environment and the sustainable use of spicies and ecosystems, ameliorate social equity and ameliorate the economical efficiency.

The principles of Rio's declaration acknowledge the people's rights to development and emphasise their responsabilities vis-à-vis the protection of our common environment. They state that the long-term economical progress is indivisible from the protection of the environment and that it requires a close and balanced partnership between governments, people and key sectors of human communities.

These principles have also been defined in many ways along the years, by international organizations such as Worldwide union for nature, national organizations such as Canadian counsel of ministers for the environment or Quebec's organizations such as la "Table ronde sur l'environnement et l'économie". To each one their way, these organizations tried to reproduce in a concrete manner, in their day-to-day language, the same concepts formulated by the participants of the United Nations on environment and development.

In that perspective, the present document, animated by the spirit of the Rio's declaration and other similar reflections, bring together under twelve themes the necessary principles to the achievement of sustainable development

The satisfaction of essential needs for human communities and the amelioration of the general level of life

Human beings are in the center of the concerns related to sustainable development. They have a right to a productive and healthy life in harmony with nature. Here is why it is necessary to create the conditions allowing to satisfy the essential needs of human communities and to ameliorate their general level of life. It is a matter by this principle of demand, to undertake actions in order to fight poverty, ameliorate the quality and access to health and education public services, limit the demographic pressures on the environment and development, and to allow access for all to lodging of quality.

Equity between nations and generations

The States have the sovereign right to exploit their own resources. They also have the obligation to act in a way that the activities taking place in the limits of their competency or under their control do not cause damages to the environment of their territory or to other States or in zones that do not relieve of any national competency. Furthermore, everyone must make sure that the development be realized in a way to satisfy the needs of actual and future generations. This development must take into consideration the long term impacts of the behaviors and of all of the interventions of the citizens, interest groups, enterprises, governments,etc. in environmental, economical and social matter.

The integration of environmental, economical and social aspects concerning decision taking and national accounting

The environmental issues cannot be treated behind closed doors. They must be managed in a systematic way and entirely integrated to all aspects of the decision taking by the citizens, the enterprises and the governments. The first step towards sustainable development consists in the integration of the economy and of the environment inside the mechanisms of decision taking. The integration of the decisions concerning the environment and the economy must touch all aspects of public administration, including the fiscal and budgetary measures. It is necessary that integrated ecological and economical accounting take place.

The modification of behaviors, production modes and habits of intake towards more respectful approachs of the environment

In order to reach sustainable development and a better quality of life for all nations, everyone must aim at reducing and eliminating the non viable production and consumption modes and install politics and strategies in that sense. This principle tends to promote production and consumption modes in kind of reducing the environmental assault and to answer to essential needs of humankind. The approach traditionaly adopted to face the shortage of energy and natural resources consists in finding new sources of supplying. In a perspective of sustainable development, it is better to promote the efficiency of the fabrication procedures and the reduction of wastefulness by favoring the transfer towards more respectful technologies of the environment, just like the better usance of resources and their evaluation

The development of effective legislative measures in terms of environment and concerning the sense of responsibility of polluters and the indemnification of the victims

Effective legislative measures concerning the environment must bepromulgated. The States must also elaborate laws in terms of the sense of responsibility for polluters and of indemnification for their victims. An effective access for the public to judicial and administrative actions, notably repairs and recourses, must be insured.

Accessibility for all to the information and the decision taking

The best way to treat the matters of the environment is to insure the participation of all the concerned citizens, at the suitable level. Each individual must duly have access to informations related to environment which public authorities hold, including to informations in relation to dangerous substances and activities in their communities, and have the possibility to participate to the processes of decision taking. The authorities must therefore facilitate and encourage the sensitisation and the participation of the public by putting the informations at his disposal.

Active commitment and partnership of all groups of the society- a responsability sharing

The accomplishment of sustainable development requires the commitment and participation of all the elements of the society ( enterprises, governments, universities, non-governmental organisms, denizens, young women, etc. The transition towards sustainable development will be easier if these groups choose to cooperate instead of working separatly and in contradictory directions. The development of mechanisms of consultation and the participation of all citizens to decision taking in terms of environment must be fostered. It is necessary to evoke, with the local communities and regional milieu, an awakening and an appropriation of the concept of sustainable development and of the approaches favoring sustainable usance of resources, spicies and ecosystems.

The amelioration of scientific understanding and the support to scientific and technological innovation in view of the reinforcement of the capacities

The resolution of environmental issues and an enlightened management must lean on solid base of scientific informations and rely on on innovation. Everyone must therefore cooperate to the reinforcement of capacities ( knowledges, resources and possibilities to choose) in terms of sustainable development. It is therefore necessary to ameliorate, among other things, the scientific understanding by the exchanges of scientific and technical knowledges and falicitate the devising, adaption, the diffusion and the transfer of techniques, including the traditional knowledges and new and innovative techniques. The authorities must therefore establish the strategies of development on solid scientific bases by favoring the exchange of information and permitting a co-ordination between physics, economical and social sciences in order to understand better the effects of economical and social behaviors on the environment and those of the disrepair of the environment on local and worldwide economy.

The protection of the environment by the prevention

The principle of prevention aims to minimize and, if possible, eliminate the rejections of potentially harmful substances and promote products and behaviors less polluting. The evaluation of environmental impacts of all projects likely to cause notable damages to the environment is one of the important tools of prevention of the pollution and of decision taking

The systematic application of the principle of precaution

In order to protect the environment, measures of precaution must be widely applied by the States and all of the other decision-makers. In case of risk of serious and irreversible damages, the absence of scientific certainty must not be the reason to postpone the adoption of effective measures aiming to prevent the disrepair of the environment.

The universal application of the principle polluter/user/payer

The authorities must make the effort to promote the internalisation of the costs of protection of the environment as well as the usance of economical tools, in virtue of the principle according which the polluter must, in principle, assume the cost of pollution, in the public's best interest and without twisting the play of international makerting and of investment. In virtue of this principle, the users of environmental resources should pay a fair price for the usance of this natural capital. The information on the environmental costs of the actions undertakened by the public and private sectors should be entirely available in order to permit the market to assign the resources efficiently. The internalisation of social and environmental costs in the price of the products and services constitute a good way to inform the consumers and to sensitize them to these issues.

The worldwide partnership

Peace, development and protection of the environment are indivisible. The States must cooperate in order to maintain, protect and restore the stability and the integrity of ecosystems. They must therefore mutually keep informed of all activities likely to lead to trans-border damages. They must respect the instruments of international laws concerning the protection of the environment and collaborate in view of their reinforcement and that, even in time of war. They must establish a new partnership in order to render worldwide economy more efficient, more equitable and giving the priority to sustainable development. In order to do this, they must develop mecanisms which permit scientific and technical exchanges, the abolition of commercial barriers, standardisation of environmental norms, financial help to the countries in development, peace-keeping,, etc. The close cooperation between all the nations of the world is essential to permit to countries in development to give themselves the bases of sustainable development and therefore insure their economical emancipation.

CNUED, 1992. La déclaration de Rio sur l'environnement et le développement.
KEATING, M., 1993. Sommet de la Terre 1992 : Un programme d'action publié par le Centre pour notre avenir à tous.
CONSEIL CANADIEN DES MINISTRES DE L'ENVIRONNEMENT, 1993. Regard sur l'environnement 1993 : Évaluation des progrès en matière de développement durable. Préparé par Peat Marwick Stevenson & Kellog, Vancouver.
TABLE RONDE QUÉBÉCOISE SUR L'ENVIRONNEMENT ET L'ÉCONOMIE, 1990. Le développement durable : une question d'équilibre. Actes du Forum sur le développement durable.

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