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5. Sustainability

The concept of sustainable development rejects old ideas of a trade-off between environmental maintenance and economic growth

Sustainability

According to the principle of sustainable development, and unlike ecocentric ideologies of some earlier publications (for example Meadows (1972), Schumacher (1973)), the need for continued economic development and growth is fully recognised, but it should be promoted in a manner which does not jeopardise the position of vulnerable people nor deplete the future viability of the Earth's environment and resource base.

Sustainable development should improve environmental quality, and in many cases increase the value of the environmental stock. Economy-environment interactions are to be seen as mutually complementary aspects of a single development process.

  • Develop a healthy economy that is able to generate resources to meet people's needs.
  • Every aspect of the present environment should not necessarily be preserved at all costs.
  • Decisions throughout society should be taken with proper regard to their environmental impacts.
  • Human health has to be a primary consideration in environment policy.
  • Natural resources that are of economic value (such as land, fish stocks, and a diversity of species) must be protected.
  • Resources which have inherent value, such as landscape and wildlife must be protected.
  • Collective action is necessary. Better indicators and natural resource accounting must be developed.

Are economic development and environmental well-being mutually exclusive?