2.3 The Concept of Sustainability
17
There were several international follow-up meetings to the 1992 Earth Summit,
including the Johannesburg Earth Summit in 2002 and the Rio +20 Summit in Rio
de Janeiro in 2012, where the implementation of Agenda 21 was evaluated.
In 2015, the concept of sustainable development was given a new structure
through the definition of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the
Agenda 2030 (UNGA, 2015). The Agenda 2030 is in full agreement with the
Agenda 21 and is intended to reaffirm the goals of the Agenda 21. The 17 SDGs are
interdependent and capture the initial three dimensions of sustainable development.
They provide a more highly resolved approach to the challenges of sustainable
development, with each SDG being further resolved into several targets and one
to three indicators per target (169 targets and 232 indicators in total).
None of the SDGs is explicitly related to impacts from chemical processes and
products, but several of them have a close connection to the production and use of
chemicals:
• Target 3.9 under SDG 3, ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at
all ages, reads, “By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses
from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.”
• Target 12.4 under SDG 12, ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns, says, “By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of
chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed
international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water
and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the
environment.”
• Target 6.3 under SDG 6, ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all, states, “By 2030, improve water quality by reducing
pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals
and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially
increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.”
The relationships between the production and use of chemicals and the SDGs are
described in detail in the Global Chemicals Outlook II published in 2019 (UNEP,
2019).
For future-oriented decisions under the SDGs, it is important to keep the many
different functions of the natural environment clearly in mind. These functions
include, among others (de Groot, 1992):
• Regulatory functions (regulating the climate, water and groundwater balance,
soil fertility, material cycles, etc.)
• Support functions (for housing, agriculture, recreation, etc.)
• Production functions (food, genetic resources, raw materials)
• Cultural functions (such as aesthetic, spiritual/religious, historical and inspirational functions)
17
There were several international follow-up meetings to the 1992 Earth Summit,
including the Johannesburg Earth Summit in 2002 and the Rio +20 Summit in Rio
de Janeiro in 2012, where the implementation of Agenda 21 was evaluated.
In 2015, the concept of sustainable development was given a new structure
through the definition of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the
Agenda 2030 (UNGA, 2015). The Agenda 2030 is in full agreement with the
Agenda 21 and is intended to reaffirm the goals of the Agenda 21. The 17 SDGs are
interdependent and capture the initial three dimensions of sustainable development.
They provide a more highly resolved approach to the challenges of sustainable
development, with each SDG being further resolved into several targets and one
to three indicators per target (169 targets and 232 indicators in total).
None of the SDGs is explicitly related to impacts from chemical processes and
products, but several of them have a close connection to the production and use of
chemicals:
• Target 3.9 under SDG 3, ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at
all ages, reads, “By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses
from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.”
• Target 12.4 under SDG 12, ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns, says, “By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of
chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed
international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water
and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the
environment.”
• Target 6.3 under SDG 6, ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all, states, “By 2030, improve water quality by reducing
pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals
and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially
increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.”
The relationships between the production and use of chemicals and the SDGs are
described in detail in the Global Chemicals Outlook II published in 2019 (UNEP,
2019).
For future-oriented decisions under the SDGs, it is important to keep the many
different functions of the natural environment clearly in mind. These functions
include, among others (de Groot, 1992):
• Regulatory functions (regulating the climate, water and groundwater balance,
soil fertility, material cycles, etc.)
• Support functions (for housing, agriculture, recreation, etc.)
• Production functions (food, genetic resources, raw materials)
• Cultural functions (such as aesthetic, spiritual/religious, historical and inspirational functions)