Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
limited, and this put under question the need of development of new thinking about
sustainability and new strategic approach to global sustainability because “business
as usual” is no more an option. Mountains of the world need new knowledge-based
approach in this process because of their high sensitivity to the global change on the
one hand and because of the great diversity of goods and services which mountain
regions provide to the society, on the other. About 36% of the territory European
Union is a mountainous area that contains 18% of the Union population. Mountain
regions within Europe are important for water capture, storage, and delayed release
to downstream areas. These regions are centers of biological diversity and they
are economically and socially important as sites for tourism. Research and inno-
vation are crucial to addressing some of the major issues facing the European Union
and upholding an EU-model based on economic growth, social responsibility, and
sustainable development.
1.2 Research Base for Sustainable Development of Mountain
Regions
There is no agreed way defining extend to which sustainability is being achieved
or not in any policy program in spite of all sets of indicators developed during the
years. It is already clear that we have to face the challenge and to shift the concept
“sustainable development,” which is an oxymoron, in a new direction which would
be expressed better by “sustainability, well-being and security.” At the same time,
we have to seek for better solutions how to make trade-offs and synergy between
different goals (between the interest of different social groups or different environ-
mental outcomes, etc.). The three “pillars” of sustainability—environment, society,
and economy—cannot be treated as if equivalent because economy emerges from
society in difference of environment and because environment includes both society
and economy.
Sustainable development definition is under critical analysis since it was pro-
posed in Burndtlad Report (
1987
): “Sustainable development meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.” An important discussion on this definition was published by Herman
Daly in
2001
. He stresses on the significant role which utility plays in the above-
mentioned definition and on the expectation that utility of the future generations
is to be sustained and non-declining. According to the author, physical through-
put should be sustained. Natural capital (the capacity of the ecosystem to yield
both a flow of natural resources and a flux of natural services) is to be kept intact.
Sustainable development as a concept of throughput requires increasing reliance on
the renewable part of the throughput, and willingness to share the non-renewable
part over many generations. The concept of throughput forces the recognition of
the constraints of physical law on economics and also it forces the recognition that
“sustainable” cannot mean utility “forever.”
Under the conventional development model the “good life” is defined in terms
of access to goods and utilities. This formulation seems to be inadequate anymore
Search WWH ::
Custom Search