Sustainable Development

Evolution of Sustainable Development

Evolution of Sustainable Development

The 1992 Earth Summit or the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Jainero, Brazil

more than 3,000 government officials, representatives from various sectors, and 110 heads of state attended; the participants of the Conference was the official linking of environment and development issues, including an explicit recognition that poverty itself is a driving force behind large share of environmental degradation.

Evolution of Sustainable Development

As a result, the participants agreed to implement a comprehensive action from then until the 21st century.
Under the Global Agenda 21, governments are required to prepare national sustainable development strategies. The concept of sustainable development is not new. Most of concerns in the Global Agenda 21 are have been reported in the 1987 Brundtland Report.

Meaning of Sustainable Development

a development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.
Brundtland Commission

Principles of Sustainable Development

Principles of Sustainable Development The Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD, 1998, in Olano and Vinoya, 2004) specifically identified the following principles of sustainable development:

Primacy of developing full human potential; Holistic science and appropriate technology; Cultural, moral and spiritual sensitivity; Self-determination; National sovereignty; Gender sensitivity; Peace, order and national unity;

Principles of Sustainable Development

Social justice, inter and intra-generational equity and spatial equity; Participatory democracy; Institutional viability; Viable, sound and broad-based economic development; Sustainable population; Ecological soundness; Bio-geographical equity and community-based resource management; and Global cooperation.

Dimensions of Sustainable Development

Dimensions of Sustainable Development

Physical Dimension

one of the signal accomplishments of Rio was the official linking of environment and development issues, including an explicit recognition that poverty itself is a driving force behind a large share of environmental degradation.

Dimensions of Sustainable Development

Economic Dimension

sustainable development also involves more equitable access to resources so that the already poor will not be forced to make livelihood out of already limited or endangered resources.

Dimensions of Sustainable Development

Political Dimension

Despite efforts of development agencies to provide greater access to the bases of social power, the government holds the key role in pervading the prospect to the poor. Nonetheless, the poor still have little or nothing to do in the formulation of policies and programs that affect them. They remain or stay politically disempowered.

Dimensions of Sustainable Development

Human Dimension

Like in any responsive development paradigm, the focus of sustainable development is the human-person. However, sustainable development integrates the material, social and transpersonal or (spiritual) development of individuals and all community members.

Dimensions of Sustainable Development Environmental Dimension

(e)fforts are undertaken to protect the natural resources needed for production and cooking fuels from soils to woodlots to fisheries, while expanding production to meet the needs of
the growing population.

Dimensions of Sustainable Development Technological Dimension

Instead of detesting or despising due to their unpleasant consequences, we must develop technologies that maximize natural resources and renewable energies such as wind, water and ocean are those that promote recycling of goods to multiply the value and usability of resources

Global Agenda 21 and Philippine Agenda 21

The Global Agenda 21

The Global Agenda 21 (or simply Agenda 21) concludes that: an environmental policy that focuses mainly on the conservation and protection of the livelihoods of those who depend on the resources is unlikely to succeed. The Agenda 21 therefore aims to address a wide of environmental and social issues that the world now faces (UN, 1992).

The Philippine Agenda 21

Under PA 21, sustainable development is considered as a harmonious integration of a sound and viable economy, responsible governance, social cohesion and ecological integrity, to ensure that development is a lifesustaining process. PA 21 also envisions:
a better quality of life for all through the development of a just, moral, creative, spiritual, economically-vibrant, caring, diverse yet cohesive society characterized by appropriate productivity, participatory and democratic process and living in harmony within the limits of the carrying capacity of nature and the integrity of creation.

Enhanced PA 21: Its GoalElements

Poverty Reduction

Consistent with this, the various consultations for the updating of PA 21 have yielded poverty reduction agenda that includes measures to create an enabling economic environment for sustained and broadbased growth; improve employment, productivity and income; and attain food security.

Social equity

Social equity should mean allocation of resources on the bases of efficiency and equity to achieve balanced development. Efficiency and equity mean the channeling of resources to developing areas where greater economic benefits accumulate and where there is greater need, distribution being dependent on the practicality and urgency of needs

Empowerment and good governance

Empowerment is a precondition of informal choices. Good governance is a necessary precondition to empowerment, as empowerment is to good governance. These two are a defining element of each other.

Peace and solidarity

The cycle of poverty and conflict goes on as the costs of war escalate in terms of various kinds of destruction while withholding funds for basic services, resulting in more poverty and underdevelopment.

Ecological Integrity

In general, the path towards enhancing the integrity of the countrys ecological domain will have to involve heightened and sustained implementation of environmental laws, as well as the continued pursuit of resource conservation, and environmental restoration/
enhancement programs

Have a sustainable day