What is the scope of the “environment” when we speak ofenvironmental management? environmental issues are often narrowly defined in the press and in the mind of the general public. Many would think merely of issues of pollution such as air pollution from diesel trucks or water pollution from sewage or industrial waste. Although these are certainly elements of the problem, it is important to take a wider perspective to encompass the management of resources.
Beyond the elements that are generally conceived of as being “of nature,” there are also human elements of the environment including human settlements; cultural, historical, and religious aspects of human activities; population; and minorities and indigenous peoples. Environmental management then is the administration of human activities as they affect and relate to the entire range of living and non-living factors that influence life on the earth and their interactions. A broad definition of environmental management allows policy makers to draw together disparate components that would otherwise appear to be outside the realm of environmental management.
As a result of the obvious links between short–term economic gain and environmental degradation, many have come to view environment and development as fundamentally contradictory elements. As conflicting values, one must be forgone in order to provide for the other. This is a flawed position, as it denies the importance of development to environmental protection, and conversely, appears to justify continued environmental degradation as an inescapable aspect of development. This dialectic approach is inadequate to deal with the complexity of the issues.
The World Commission on Environment and Development commissioned by the United Nations in 1987, otherwise known as the Brundtland Commission, attempted to highlight the problems facing the world and to offer a new means to address the dual concerns of environment and development. The practical problem facing humanity is how to protect the environment while
still guaranteeing a level of development consistent with human well-being on a global scale. “Sustainable development”, a term popularised by the Brundtland Commission, has been embraced as the new philosophy.
Sustainable development involves the integration of environmental and developmental aspirations at all levels of decision making. It involves the application of concepts such as:
• intragenerational and intergenerational equity: that is, “equitable” access to environmental resources both within the present generation as well as for future generations;
• application of the precautionary principle or approach; and
• the maintenance of biological diversity and biological integrity; both of these are vitally important for the continued existence of ecosystems.
The concept of “sustainable development” has been adopted almost universally by the international community, national governments and non-governmental organisations since the publication of the Brundtland Report and has been institutionalised by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). However, the concept of sustainable development was not new at the time of UNCED. Indeed, the concept was already expressed in Principle 2 of the Stockholm Declaration in 1972 which provided:
“The natural resources of the earth, including the air, water, land, flora and fauna and especially representative samples of natural ecosystems, must be safeguarded for the benefit of present and future generations through careful planning or management, as appropriate.”
UNCED sought to build on this definition through a number of provisions in the Rio Declaration. A further mandate of UNCED was to formulate appropriate mechanisms so that “sustainable development” could be achieved globally.
Although a final definition has yet to be agreed upon, for the purposes of this Training Manual we shall adopt the definition provided by the Brundtland Report:“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Environmental management for sustainable development can be defined as the administration of
human activities as they reflect upon and relate to the entire range of living and non-living factors that influence life on the earth and their interactions for the purpose of ensuring development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Beyond the elements that are generally conceived of as being “of nature,” there are also human elements of the environment including human settlements; cultural, historical, and religious aspects of human activities; population; and minorities and indigenous peoples. Environmental management then is the administration of human activities as they affect and relate to the entire range of living and non-living factors that influence life on the earth and their interactions. A broad definition of environmental management allows policy makers to draw together disparate components that would otherwise appear to be outside the realm of environmental management.
As a result of the obvious links between short–term economic gain and environmental degradation, many have come to view environment and development as fundamentally contradictory elements. As conflicting values, one must be forgone in order to provide for the other. This is a flawed position, as it denies the importance of development to environmental protection, and conversely, appears to justify continued environmental degradation as an inescapable aspect of development. This dialectic approach is inadequate to deal with the complexity of the issues.
The World Commission on Environment and Development commissioned by the United Nations in 1987, otherwise known as the Brundtland Commission, attempted to highlight the problems facing the world and to offer a new means to address the dual concerns of environment and development. The practical problem facing humanity is how to protect the environment while
still guaranteeing a level of development consistent with human well-being on a global scale. “Sustainable development”, a term popularised by the Brundtland Commission, has been embraced as the new philosophy.
Sustainable development involves the integration of environmental and developmental aspirations at all levels of decision making. It involves the application of concepts such as:
• intragenerational and intergenerational equity: that is, “equitable” access to environmental resources both within the present generation as well as for future generations;
• application of the precautionary principle or approach; and
• the maintenance of biological diversity and biological integrity; both of these are vitally important for the continued existence of ecosystems.
The concept of “sustainable development” has been adopted almost universally by the international community, national governments and non-governmental organisations since the publication of the Brundtland Report and has been institutionalised by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). However, the concept of sustainable development was not new at the time of UNCED. Indeed, the concept was already expressed in Principle 2 of the Stockholm Declaration in 1972 which provided:
“The natural resources of the earth, including the air, water, land, flora and fauna and especially representative samples of natural ecosystems, must be safeguarded for the benefit of present and future generations through careful planning or management, as appropriate.”
UNCED sought to build on this definition through a number of provisions in the Rio Declaration. A further mandate of UNCED was to formulate appropriate mechanisms so that “sustainable development” could be achieved globally.
Although a final definition has yet to be agreed upon, for the purposes of this Training Manual we shall adopt the definition provided by the Brundtland Report:“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Environmental management for sustainable development can be defined as the administration of
human activities as they reflect upon and relate to the entire range of living and non-living factors that influence life on the earth and their interactions for the purpose of ensuring development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.