On General Sustainable Development
503
(3) Acceptable risk level
The human understanding of environmental changes is unavoidably incomprehensive
and inadequate, which means the evaluation also includes uncertainties. That’s why
we should systematically specify the acceptable risk levels and uncertainties. For
example, do we allow the absence of long-term risks? Will it be safe then? Are
certain risks acceptable with the foreseeable technological progress?
(4) Spatial level
The micro-space and macro-space of human activities are distinguished as well
as connected. How the sustainable utilization of natural capital is defined on the
dimension of human activity space is of great importance. If ecological sustainability
goal is only related with overall project level, a project is acceptable as long as
its non-sustainability is compensated by other projects’ sustainability. Yet if the
sustainability goal is defined as specific project level, any non-sustainable project
would be unacceptable. Some people support defining the goal as specific project
level and some overall project level. Either way, sustainability policies based on
specific project level mean more projects will be rejected as opposed to the overall
project level. Therefore, which definition to adopt in planning should depend on the
time and place. For example, developing countries may prefer the overall project
level, but developed countries tend to and are obligated to employ sustainability
standards based on specific project level.
Efficiency, equality and ecological sustainability—these goals and principles that
supplement each other shall be observed by all countries and regions around the
globe. However, given different development stages and tasks, all countries and
regions should be allowed and encouraged to bestow various weighting on those goals
and other internal factors in view of their own national and regional conditions. In
this way, they can combine the principles and flexibility of sustainable development
while simultaneously combining the general principles of sustainable development
with the actual conditions in each specific country and region.
3 Strategic Factors of Sustainable Development
Factors that affect sustainable development include the interaction between the
human system and environmental system and their respective internal drives. Some of
these factors are controllable, some are not, and those controllable and critical ones
are the strategic factors of sustainable development. There are five basic strategic
factors—ecological modernization of economic structure, prevention-based environmental management, economic mechanism, controlled demographic change, and
fight against poverty.
503
(3) Acceptable risk level
The human understanding of environmental changes is unavoidably incomprehensive
and inadequate, which means the evaluation also includes uncertainties. That’s why
we should systematically specify the acceptable risk levels and uncertainties. For
example, do we allow the absence of long-term risks? Will it be safe then? Are
certain risks acceptable with the foreseeable technological progress?
(4) Spatial level
The micro-space and macro-space of human activities are distinguished as well
as connected. How the sustainable utilization of natural capital is defined on the
dimension of human activity space is of great importance. If ecological sustainability
goal is only related with overall project level, a project is acceptable as long as
its non-sustainability is compensated by other projects’ sustainability. Yet if the
sustainability goal is defined as specific project level, any non-sustainable project
would be unacceptable. Some people support defining the goal as specific project
level and some overall project level. Either way, sustainability policies based on
specific project level mean more projects will be rejected as opposed to the overall
project level. Therefore, which definition to adopt in planning should depend on the
time and place. For example, developing countries may prefer the overall project
level, but developed countries tend to and are obligated to employ sustainability
standards based on specific project level.
Efficiency, equality and ecological sustainability—these goals and principles that
supplement each other shall be observed by all countries and regions around the
globe. However, given different development stages and tasks, all countries and
regions should be allowed and encouraged to bestow various weighting on those goals
and other internal factors in view of their own national and regional conditions. In
this way, they can combine the principles and flexibility of sustainable development
while simultaneously combining the general principles of sustainable development
with the actual conditions in each specific country and region.
3 Strategic Factors of Sustainable Development
Factors that affect sustainable development include the interaction between the
human system and environmental system and their respective internal drives. Some of
these factors are controllable, some are not, and those controllable and critical ones
are the strategic factors of sustainable development. There are five basic strategic
factors—ecological modernization of economic structure, prevention-based environmental management, economic mechanism, controlled demographic change, and
fight against poverty.