Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
, which required an ultimate cessation
of economic growth, the Brundtland Report stated that the problems of
poverty and underdevelopment could be solved only by a 'new era of growth
in which developing countries play a large role and reap large benefits'.
Industrialised nations could and should continue their own economic
growth of 3-4 per cent, and these nations would be environmentally sustain-
able if this growth was to come from fewer material and energy-intensive
activities and improved efficiency in using materials and energy.
In contrast to
The Limits to Growth
The definition of sustainability
In this topic we use the term 'sustainability' to refer to the capacity of human
systems to provide for the full range of human concerns in the long term.
Sustainability, when applied to humans, refers both to long-term survival of
our species and the quality of our lives.
The warnings referred to above suggest that we live in an unsustainable
world and that our current Australian way of life is not sustainable in the
context of the changes that are taking place across the planet.
Australians are increasingly expressing a sense of unease about the legacy
we are developing for our children. And this is reflected in a widespread
public acceptance of the need for environmental conservation.
But the full ramifications of a sustainable society are not yet being seri-
ously debated in the broader Australian community. Some government
agencies are beginning to articulate the concept in all its complexity. The
Western Australian government has recently established a series of principles
and processes as part of its search for a sustainable future. These are
described in the accompanying table (Table 1.1).
These principles highlight the interconnectedness of social, environmen-
tal and economic activity. They also underline the reasons why governments
are experiencing difficulty with the task.
A truly sustainable society will require a profound change in mindset
and a reorientation of the values of our national culture. The principles do
not lend themselves to simplistic slogans. Everything in society is connected
to everything else and sustainability permeates it all.
A revitalisation of national thinking about the sustainability challenge is
taking place and Peter Newman, who is working with the Western Australian
Government on implementation of its policy, argues that sustainability:
