Sustainability
Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Ecologically Sustainable Development and Education for Sustainable Development are all terms that are often collectively used to describe a broad understanding and recognition that there are limits to the growth of the human population and that inequitable production and consumption patterns have aggravated poverty in many regions of the world. Environmental degradation, pollution and
In 1987, The World Commission on Environment and Development chaired by the Prime Minter of Norway, Mrs GroHarlem Bruntland, published a report ‘Our Common Future’. More popularly referred to as the ‘Bruntland Report’ it brought the concept of Sustainability and Sustainable Development onto the international agenda.
From this report, the most common definition for ‘Sustainable Development’ was first introduced, describing it as:
“Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising future generations to meet their own needs”
At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, more than 100 nations, including Australia, signed Agenda 21. This is the first international approach towards sustainable development. Governments were then charged to implement Agenda 21 through Local Plans
The concept of sustainability and sustainable develop has been in Australia for some time. In Australia it has been given an ecological focus and the term “Ecologically Sustainable Development” is commonly used by government and industry. In 1990, the Commonwealth Government defined Ecologically Sustainable Development or ESD as:
“Using, conserving and enhancing the community’s resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future can be increased”
An inter-government agreement finalised in 1992 included principles for a cooperative national approach to the environment and in the same year a National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development (NSESD) was announced. The NSESD sets out the broad strategic and policy framework under which governments can take actions to pursue ESD in Australia. The NSESD outlines 4 guiding principles of sustainable development:
Principles | Objective |
1. The precautionary principle | Minimise risk of environmental damage |
2. Conservation of bio-diversity and ecological integrity | Ecological sustainability |
3. Intra and inter-generational equity | Socio/Cultural sustainability |
4. Internalisation of ecological and social impact costs | Economic sustainability |