Monday 22 October 2012

Sustainability - 1


     The concept of sustainable development can be traced back to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972. It pointed out the possibility to achieve economic growth and industrialisation without environmental damage. Today sustainability is most recognised by the definition in the Brundtland Report published by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987: 

   "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." 

   Such concept was further noted by the United Nations 2005 World Summit that it requires the reconciliation of environmental protection, social equity, and economics demands, which are the “3 pillars (3 E’s)” of sustainability. 

   Many international and national organisations and business have joined their efforts on the sustainable development and relative green issues. For instance, the World Economic Forum is running a foresight programme, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) runs an Environmental Performance Reviews Programme to help its member countries improve their performances in environmental management, and the European Union has funded a LIFE+ programme to address relative issues. For business, take IBM as an example, IBM has run a Global Innovation Outlook Programme for years. Additionally, some academic institutions and non-governmental organisations have led a way toward the future thinking of sustainable development as well, the Institute for the Future (IFTF) in Palo Alto is the most widely known one. 


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