226 Weighingthe uncertainty
development (see box below) – development which does not carry with
it the overuse of irreplaceable resources or irreversible environmental
degradation.
The idea of sustainable development echoes what was said in Chap-
ter 8, when addressing more generally the relationship of humans to their
environment and especially the need for balance and harmony. The Cli-
mate Convention signed at the Rio Conference also recognised the need
for this balance. In the statement of its objective (see box on page 243
in Chapter 10), it states the need for stabilisation of greenhouse gas con-
centrations in the atmosphere. It goes on to explain that this should be
at a level and on a timescale such that ecosystems are allowed to adapt
to climate change naturally, that food production is not threatened and
that economic development can proceed in a sustainable manner.Sustainable development: how is it defined?
A number of definitions of sustainable development have been produced.
The following two well capture the idea.
According to the Bruntland Commission ReportOur Common Fu-
turepresented in 1987, sustainable development is ‘meeting the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet theirown needs’.
A more detailed definition is contained in the White PaperThis
Common Inheritance, published by the United Kingdom Department of
the Environment in 1990: ‘sustainable development means living on the
Earth’s income rather than eroding its capital’ and ‘keeping the consump-
tion of renewable natural resources within the limits of their replenish-
ment’. It recognises the intrinsic value of the natural world explaining
that sustainable development ‘means handing down to successive gener-
ations not only man-made wealth (such as buildings, roads and railways)
but also naturalwealth, such as clean and adequate water supplies, good
arable land, a wealth of wildlife and ample forests’.
The United Kingdom Government’s first strategy report on sustain-
able development, issued in January 1994,^6 defined four principles that
should govern necessary collective action:
Decisions should be based on the best possible scientific informa-
tion and analysis of risks.
Where there is uncertainty and potentially serious risks exist, pre-
cautionary action may be necessary.
Ecological impacts must be considered, particularly where re-
sources are non-renewable or effects may be irreversible.
Cost implications should be brought home directly to the people
responsible – the ‘polluter pays’ principle.