Sustainable Development: An Introduction Ashutosh Senger Email: [email protected] Research Associate, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) 02 February 2015 International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (iCED) Jaipur Training schedule on ‘National Training Programme on Audit of Waste Management and Water Issues’ (02nd February to 05th February, 2015) LETS TALK What do you understand by sustainable development? The way we look at the global world? what do we want out of our economy? How should our societies best be organised ? Structure of Session Part I: Theoretical understanding of sustainable development and related concepts Part II: Case study Objective Sustainable development Genesis – global and local lens Sustainable development Policy a key to perspective economic growth PART I: THEORETICAL UNDERSTANDING OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Multiple drivers and discussion around SD • Global environment issues – Climate change – Biodiversity loss – Land degradation • Traditional security – Conflicts and wars • Non-traditional security – Energy – Food – Water – Others • Global integration • Inequity – intra-generational inequity – Inter-regional inequity – Inter-generational inequity – The question of fairness • Financial crises Treatises around Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability 1962 1971 1972 1987 1989 1991 Silent Spring The Entropy Law and the The Limits to Growth Our Common Future Blueprint for a Green Steady State Rachel Carson Economic Process Meadows et al UNWCED Economy Economics Nicholas Georgescu- Pierce et al Herman Daly Roegen Sustainable Development A timeline Global Policy: Some developments • The United Nations Open Working Group has proposed seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 68th Session of the General Assembly in 2014. • SDGs are supposed to be action oriented, global in nature and universally applicable to all countries, while taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities. http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/focussdgs.html Global Policy: Some developments Proposed Sustainable Development Goals by the UN Open Working Group Goal No. Goal name Goal 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Goal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and Goal 8 decent work for all Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, Goal 15 combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all Goal 16 and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable Goal 17 development http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/focussdgs.html Policy relevance • The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) took place in Rio-de-Janeiro in June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg • The Conference focused on two themes: – Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication (GESDPE); and – Institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD) • Some areas in the outcome document relevant to auditing – Para 47: Companies, especially publicly listed and large companies, to consider integrating sustainability information into their reporting cycle. – Para 62: Governments to improve knowledge and statistical capacity … • Member states recognized sustainable development as a dynamic and continuous process; importance of social, economic and environmental dimensions. Statistical capacities Reporting Practice? Design for environment Xerox Corporation’s Asset Recycle Management (ARM) program Taking back leased copiers Xerox estimates that ARM savings in 1995 alone were worth $300- million to $400-million range from: Remanufacturing • Raw materials process • Labour and • Waste disposal Reassembled into “new machines” Source: Harvard Business Review Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World by Stuart L. Hart Day to Day Life Put up eco- Replaced fluorescent signage for lamps with more energy energy saving efficient lamps Set up recycling Day to Day Life system Fixed faulting plumbing to stop waste water Discontinued use of paper napkins in canteen Speed is irrelevant if you are going in the wrong direction wrong in the going are if you irrelevant Speed is Pearls ofwisdom Pearls -- Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Source: Green Growth and Development, Volume 1, Issue 1 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: DEFINITIONS, VIEWS AND FRAMEWORKS Sustainable Development: Global Genesis (1) • The term ‘sustainable development’ was coined by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) that was established by UNEP Governing Council in 1983 • “…development policy, in the broadest sense and environmental policy be integrated in a common framework. The concept of 'sustainable development' can provide the basis for such an integration…” (Desai [1986]) Sustainable Development: Global Genesis (2) DEFINITION Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: – the concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and – the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs. (Chapter 2, Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) Sustainable Development: Indian Context Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-1990) • “If the gains in productivity are to be sustained, resources must also continue to be available over time. This requires that, while providing for current needs, the resources base be managed so as to enable sustainable development.” (Volume 2, Chapter 18) The Constitution of India • Article 21 conferring the Right to Life encompasses right to clean environment, right to livelihood, right to live with dignity and a number of other associated rights • The Directive Principles of State Policy often referred to as the ‘conscience’ of the Constitution are intended to ensure ‘distributive justice’ and that political democracy in India is accompanied side by side with social and economic democracy The National Environment Policy • “only such development is sustainable, which respects ecological Questionconstraints to auditors:and the imperatives How do of we social assess justice” social aspects? Components of Sustainable Development: Dominant View Figure Three pillars of sustainable development • Three pillars of sustainable development Sustainable development – Economic – Social – Environmental • Achievements – policy mainstreaming and consensus building Social Economic – Responsible corporate Environmental conduct – Formal and informal institutions working together Governance • Criticisms – Compartmentalized – Leading to Isolated actions? Inspired by Our Common Future, 1987; World Summit, 2005 – An oxymoron? – Fuzziness? Components of Sustainable Development: Emerging View Figure Interfaces of the components of sustainable development • Also focus on interfaces Institutions around components of sustainable development Social Social • Social ecology (social and Ecology environment) • Green economy (economic and environment) Environment Sustainable Social Equity Development • Social equity (social and economic) Green Economy Economy GoI (2010), official submission to UNCSD second preparatory committee meeting, pg 30 Institutions and stakeholders Source: MoEF-TERI (2011) • Major Groups • Governments • International community PRINCIPLES AND FRAMEWORKS Some relevant sustainability principles • Rio principles (27; International policy) • Agenda 21 and JPOI • The precautionary principle (General) • United Nations Global Compact (Corporate) • Other – The triple bottom line (abbreviated as TBL or 3BL, and also known as people, planet, profit or the three pillars (Corporate) – The Equator Principles (EPs) (Banking) – The precautionary principle (General) – Biomimicry (Design and architecture) – Factor 4 and Factor 10 (General)