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Sustainable Development As a Framework for National Governance Case Western Reserve Law Review Volume 49 Issue 1 Article 3 1998 Sustainable Development as a Framework for National Governance John C. Dernbach Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/caselrev Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation John C. Dernbach, Sustainable Development as a Framework for National Governance, 49 Case W. Rsrv. L. Rev. 1 (1998) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/caselrev/vol49/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals at Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Case Western Reserve Law Review by an authorized administrator of Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. CASE WESTERN RESERVE LAW REVIEW VOLUME49 FALL1998 NUMBER 1 ARTICLES SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AS A FRAMEWORK FOR NATIONAL GOVERNANCE John C. Dernbacht INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 3 I. SUSTAINABILrrY AND NATIONAL GOVERNANCE ...................... 8 A. Old Model: Development .................................................. 9 B. Failure: Environmental Degradation and Poverty ........... 14 C. New Model: Sustainable Development ............................ 17 1. Stockholm and After .................................................... 17 2. Rio and After ................................................................ 21 D. Purposes of Sustainable Development ............................ 24 1. Environmental and Development Goals ...................... 25 2. IntergenerationalEquity ............................................... 29 t Associate Professor, Widener University School of Law. B.S., University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire; J.D., University of Michigan. Don Brown, Dennis Corgill, Dan Esty, John Gedid, David Hodas, Patrick Kelly, Jim McElfish, Zygmunt Plater, Bob Power, J.B. Ruhl, Jim Salzman, Philippe Sands, Tom Sargentich, Andy Strauss and Kathy Yorkievitz commented on one or more earlier drafts. Librarians Linda Clifton and Pat Fox provided unfailing assistance in finding materials. The students in my spring 1997 seminar on law and sustainability helped stimulate this Article with their energy and ideas. Andrew Young and Aldona Stremmel pro- vided research assistance. Special thanks to Jody Storm Gale and the editors and staff of the Case Western Reserve Law Review. Of course, I am responsible for any remaining errors. Please send comments to [email protected]. CASE WESTERN RESERVE LAW REVIEW [Vol. 49:1 3. A Normative Framework............................................. 31 E. Processes for Continuing Evolution of Sustainable Development .................................................................... 33 II. PRINCIPLES FOR NATIONAL GOVERNANCE ............................. 35 A. Common Responsibilities .............................................. 35 1. Role of National Governments ..................................... 36 2. Limitations .................................................................... 38 a. Subsidiarity ............................................................. 38 b. Public Participation................................................. 40 c. InternationalPartnership ........................................ 42 B. Differentiated Responsibilities ........................................ 42 1. EnvironmentalResponsibilities ................................... 43 2. Financialand Other Assistance ................................... 44 3. Consumption of Materialsand Energy ........................ 46 C. Key Decision-Making Principles ..................................... 50 1. IntegratedDecision-Making ....................................... 50 a. ProceduralIntegration ............................................. 51 b. Substantive Integration............................................ 56 2. Polluter-PaysPrinciple ............................................... 58 3. PrecautionaryApproach ............................................... 60 ]EI. LEGAL AND POLICY CHANGES AND INSTRUMENTS ............... 63 A. Repeal or Modification of Laws and Policies that Foster Unsustainable Development ............................................. 67 B. Adoption of Laws and Policies to Foster Sustainable Development .................................................................... 68 1. Planning....................................................................... 69 2. Regulation .................................................................... 72 3. Information.................................................................. 73 4. Economic Instruments................................................. 77 5. Property....................................................................... 79 6. Education .................................................................... 81 C. Adaptation to National Needs and Circumstances .......... 82 IV. LIMITATIONS AND OBJECTIONS ............................................ 85 A. Legal Limitations ............................................................. 85 1. Treaties and Soft Law .................................................. 85 2. Environment Treaties .................................................... 91 3. Trade Treaties............................................................. 94 B. Public Choice Theory ...................................................... 97 V. CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 101 1998] SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION In June 1992, at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, the nations of the world agreed to an ambitious and unprecedented global plan of action for addressing the related and growing problems of environmental degradation and poverty.1 "Humanity stands at a defining moment in history," they stated in Agenda 21,2 each committing itself to domes- tic implementation of the Agenda 21 program. Countries also agreed on twenty-seven principles, contained in the Rio Declaration on Envi- ronment and Development, to guide their efforts.3 Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration embrace "sustainable development," a conceptual framework for achieving economic development that is socially eq- uitable and protective of the natural resource base on which human activity depends. Sustainable development is a response to the deeply held view that environmental degradation is the small price we pay to achieve progress; the price is not small, however, and environmental degradation prevents or threatens social and economic progress. Be- cause of UNCED, sustainable development is also an internationally recognized normative framework for guiding and4 evaluating the be- havior of national governments and other actors. Yet five years later, in June 1997, the United Nations General Assembly concluded a comprehensive review of progress since UNCED by stating that "overall trends with respect to sustainable development are worse today than they were in 1992."5 Most coun- tries -were able to identify some domestic achievements, and there appeared to be a higher level of public support for sustainable devel- opment. 6 In that five-year period, however, few countries adopted or 1 See Agenda 21, U.N. Conference on Environment and Development, U.N. Doc. AICONF.151/26 (1992) [hereinafter Agenda 21]. 2 Id. 1.1. 3 See Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, U.N. Conference on Environment and Development, U.N. Doe. AICONF.151/5/Rev.1 [hereinafter Rio Declaration], reprintedin 31 INT'L LEGALMATERIALS 874 (1992). 4 See James P. Lester, Implementing Sustainable Development in High-Consumption So- cieties: The United States 5 (1997) (unpublished manuscript, on file with author); Philippe Sands, InternationalLaw in the Field of Sustainable Development, 1994 BRIT. Y.B. INT'L L. 303, 361 ("Agenda 21 provides, in effect, that national legal and regulatory arrangements are now a legitimate matter for international concern and activity."). 5 Programmefor the FurtherImplementation of Agenda 21, U.N. GAOR, 19th Special Sess., Annex, U.N. Doec. A/S-19/29, 4 (1997). With the principal exception of population growth, which appears to be headed toward stabilization in 2050, virtually every negative trend identified in Rio remained unchanged after five years. See id. See generally UNnTED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL OUTLOOK (1997) (describing regional trends and concluding that environmental degradation is occurring in all regions). 6 See S. Jacob Scherr, Five Years After Rio: An Assessment of Earth Summit Implementa- tion, in IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE U.S.: AN AGENDA FOR ACTION 9 CASE WESTERN RESERVE LAWREVIEW [Vol. 49:1 modified laws or policies to chanie the overall trajectory of their un- sustainable development patterns. In addition, their modest actions were dwarfed by growth in the number of people living in poverty around the world and the further deterioration of the global environ- ment.8 Nations nonetheless reaffirmed their commitment to Agenda 21 and pledged "greater measurable progress in achieving sustainable development" by 2002, when the next comprehensive review is scheduled. 9 A starting point for making progress, in the United States and other countries, is recognition of the domestic implications of sustain- able development. Sustainable development is something of a mys- tery to domestic policy makers, economists, lawyers and academics, who tend to be separated from
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