6
Sustainable development means that efforts
are made continuously to approach the above
ideal state. The primary question is whether
humanity will be able to change the whole society in this way or not. Such a change would be
the greatest social change since written history is
started (since the occurrence of civilisation). It is
highly probable that this will not take place soon
therefore it is better to interpret sustainable
development as a bouquet of efforts aiming to
harmonise economic and social development
with the interests of humanity and the global
environment making the formation of a humane
society and the balanced operation of the complex Earth system possible.
1.3
From the Brundtland Report
to Sustainable Development
The period of the 1970s could be characterised as
times when as a result of alerts from scientists,
politicians started to recognise the threats of
regional and global environmental processes
related to humanity. This was reflected by the UN
Conference on the Human Environment in
Stockholm in 1972. The location was selected
because sulphur dioxide pollution from industrialised areas in Europe caused strong acidification
in Scandinavia threatening especially the life of
lakes. The results of the conference include the
environment programme of the UN (UNEP) harmonising environmental protection at a global
level since 1972 and initiating and managing
many international conventions and reports. The
conference made a mark in the history of the
world as international environmental institutes
were established in a series that in cooperation
with UNEP numerous international conventions
were composed.
In the 1980s intensifying environmental
changes (pollution of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and soils, international trade of dangerous
wastes, etc.) made it clear to politicians that the
majority of environmental problems can be
solved only in international collaboration.
Moreover, environmental problems are closely
related to production and consumption, and even
to social processes. This resulted in the establishment of the World Commission on Environment
and Development (director: Gro Harlem
Brundtland, Norwegian Prime Minister) in 1983.
The report of the Commission was completed by
1987 under the title “Our Common Future” and
was presented to the general assembly of the UN
in the same year. This report included the classic
definition of sustainable development presented
in Sect. 1.2. The extensive report gave a comprehensive analysis of the state of the world at that
time, processes of the global society, and the
relationship of humanity and nature. The
Brundtland Report provided the basis of the UN
Conference on Environment and Development in
Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It had also an effect on
the topics of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg 10 years later.
Three international conventions on environmental protection were opened for signature in Rio
de Janeiro: Framework Convention on Climate
Change, Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) and the Convention to Combat
Desertification. A non-compulsory statement on
the principles of sustainable forest managements
was also accepted.
One specific of international conventions is
that they are formed by consensus of the member
states. Since the representatives of the member
states of UN rigidly stick to their national interests in most cases (mostly short-term interests),
international conventions are especially complex
to be completed (ratify). This process is especially slow in the case of environmental protection conventions as these frequently interfere
with economic interests. A fine example of this is
the international convention on the climate (officially: Framework Convention on Climate
Change). In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was
achieved containing concrete targets (5.2%
decrease of greenhouse gases on average by
2012) for states that join the protocol which
became effective only in 2005. This is not satisfactory, however, as the greatest CO 2 emitters
(the USA, China) have not yet ratified the report
(i.e. they did not incorporate it into their own law
thus it is not compulsory for them) thus its real
effect on global emissions was rather moderate
1 Introduction
Sustainable development means that efforts
are made continuously to approach the above
ideal state. The primary question is whether
humanity will be able to change the whole society in this way or not. Such a change would be
the greatest social change since written history is
started (since the occurrence of civilisation). It is
highly probable that this will not take place soon
therefore it is better to interpret sustainable
development as a bouquet of efforts aiming to
harmonise economic and social development
with the interests of humanity and the global
environment making the formation of a humane
society and the balanced operation of the complex Earth system possible.
1.3
From the Brundtland Report
to Sustainable Development
The period of the 1970s could be characterised as
times when as a result of alerts from scientists,
politicians started to recognise the threats of
regional and global environmental processes
related to humanity. This was reflected by the UN
Conference on the Human Environment in
Stockholm in 1972. The location was selected
because sulphur dioxide pollution from industrialised areas in Europe caused strong acidification
in Scandinavia threatening especially the life of
lakes. The results of the conference include the
environment programme of the UN (UNEP) harmonising environmental protection at a global
level since 1972 and initiating and managing
many international conventions and reports. The
conference made a mark in the history of the
world as international environmental institutes
were established in a series that in cooperation
with UNEP numerous international conventions
were composed.
In the 1980s intensifying environmental
changes (pollution of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and soils, international trade of dangerous
wastes, etc.) made it clear to politicians that the
majority of environmental problems can be
solved only in international collaboration.
Moreover, environmental problems are closely
related to production and consumption, and even
to social processes. This resulted in the establishment of the World Commission on Environment
and Development (director: Gro Harlem
Brundtland, Norwegian Prime Minister) in 1983.
The report of the Commission was completed by
1987 under the title “Our Common Future” and
was presented to the general assembly of the UN
in the same year. This report included the classic
definition of sustainable development presented
in Sect. 1.2. The extensive report gave a comprehensive analysis of the state of the world at that
time, processes of the global society, and the
relationship of humanity and nature. The
Brundtland Report provided the basis of the UN
Conference on Environment and Development in
Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It had also an effect on
the topics of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg 10 years later.
Three international conventions on environmental protection were opened for signature in Rio
de Janeiro: Framework Convention on Climate
Change, Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) and the Convention to Combat
Desertification. A non-compulsory statement on
the principles of sustainable forest managements
was also accepted.
One specific of international conventions is
that they are formed by consensus of the member
states. Since the representatives of the member
states of UN rigidly stick to their national interests in most cases (mostly short-term interests),
international conventions are especially complex
to be completed (ratify). This process is especially slow in the case of environmental protection conventions as these frequently interfere
with economic interests. A fine example of this is
the international convention on the climate (officially: Framework Convention on Climate
Change). In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was
achieved containing concrete targets (5.2%
decrease of greenhouse gases on average by
2012) for states that join the protocol which
became effective only in 2005. This is not satisfactory, however, as the greatest CO 2 emitters
(the USA, China) have not yet ratified the report
(i.e. they did not incorporate it into their own law
thus it is not compulsory for them) thus its real
effect on global emissions was rather moderate
1 Introduction