Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1.1
Principles of sustainability (continued)
Precaution
Sustainability requires caution, avoiding poorly understood risks of serious or
irreversible damage to environmental, economic or social capital, designing for surprise
and managing for adaptation.
Hope, vision, symbolic and iterative change
Sustainability recognises that applying these principles as part of a broad strategic vision
for the Earth can generate hope in the future, and thus it will involve symbolic change
that is part of many successive steps over generations.
Source: Western Australian Government (2003)
.
•
is the agenda of our age
•
is a practical and useful concept that can integrate across professions
and disciplines
•
can provide the vision we need to draw together government, the
private sector community and academics to help solve our many
deep-seated problems
•
is a politically useful concept which can provide politicians with the
means of expressing leadership at a time of global fear and backward-
looking
•
is therefore a great source of hope (Western Australian Government
2003).
Australia and ecologically sustainable development
Australia responded in 1992 to the Bruntland Report by developing a
National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development (NSESD 1992).
It commits all Australian Governments to:
•
enhance individual and community well-being and welfare by
following a path of economic development that safeguards the
welfare of future generations
•
provide for equity within and between nations
•
protect biological biodiversity and maintain ecological processes and
life support.
Twelve years later, the Australian economy has expanded - national
incomes and wealth have risen. Many now wonder, however, whether our
unqualified commitment to economic growth may be a threat to the
