Our Environment Contents

5. Sustainability

Commitment at national (country) level is vital for the achievement of environmentally sustainable development

The national level is the context for government policies on sustainable development. Policy approaches can be of various kinds.

  • Legislative controls - for establishing minimum environmental standards, for example, for pollution discharges from industrial and other users, and drought orders to limit water usage
  • Strategic statements - to set frameworks for the co-ordination and integration of activities: between industry, the environment, the transport sector, and the community, for example.
  • Investment in research and development of new technologies in order to find new practical solutions
  • Economic incentives, for example through pricing externalities via water metering, carbon taxes, road tolls, pricing differentials, and selective subsidies (for example for low emission vehicles)
  • Support of collective environmental improvement schemes among communities and businesses, for example through grants and advice for local regeneration initiatives
  • Provision of better information about environmental issues in order to put both producers and consumers in a better position to make rational decisions

What sorts of national commitments are required?