Environmental Management

Module 4
 Sustainable Development
• Concept first used 1972 at Stockholm
Conference on Human Environment
conducted by U.N.
• Need for fine balance between economic n
social progress n concern for environment
• Basic tenets include economic, environmental
n technological well-being.
 S.D.
• 1987- The report titled “ Our Common Future”
also known as Bruntland Report- Norwegian
Prime Minister Harlem Bruntland- released by
World Commission on Env n Development
defined ‘ the development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.’
 S.D.
• As per report it is a process of change in which
the – the exploration of resources; the
direction of investments; the orientation of
technological development; n the institutional
change are in harmony n enhance both
current n future potential to meet human
needs and aspirations.
 S.D.
• Ethical defn- O’Riordan(1988)- “ embracing
ethical norms pertaining to the survival of living
matter, to the rights of future generatio-ns n to
institutions responsible for ensuring that such
rights are fully taken into account in policies and
actions.”
• Social angle- Pearce et al(1990)- “ a vector of
desirable social objectives such as an increase in
real income per capita; an improvement in health
n nutrition; educational achievement; access to
resources; fairer distribution of income; increase
in basic freedoms.
 Modern concept of S.D.
• From elements of development n conservati-
on of natural resources to broader concept to
include human development, poverty
eradication, social equity.
• 4 main components of resource base:
• Natural capital- includes various natural
resource assets n biodiversity
• Reproducible capital- wherein the durable
structures or equipment
 Modern concept of S.D.
• Human capital- wherein the productive potential
of human beings, their skills etc are included
• Social capital- includes the norms and institutions
that influence the interactions among humans
• Capital are durable assets capable of generating
gds/svs
• Development is sustainable if aggregate index of
all forms of capital is non-decreasing in nature
 Classification of Sustainability
• Strong sustainability:
• The maintenance of a minimum or fixed stock
of each component that forms human capital
• Any development that leads to overall
diminishment in stocks of one capital cannot
be sustainable, even if there is an increase in
other forms of capital.
 Classification of Sustainability
• Weak sustainability:
• Approach states that different forms of capital
can substitute one another to a certain degree
• Preservation of an aggregate level of capital,
rather than preservation of natural capital is
more crucial.
• Perfectly ok if some loss in one capital is
compensated with increase in sustainability in
other forms of capital.