Sustainable Development, International Law, and Trade

The most commonly used definition of sustainable development is still that given in the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), i.e. sustainable development is ‘a process to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Sustainable development is therefore about creating a better life for all people in ways that will be as viable in the future as they are at present. In other words, sustainable development is based on principles of sound husbandry of the world’s resources, and on equity in the way those resources are used and in the way in which the benefits obtained from them are distributed (Making Tourism More Sustainable, 2005).

The universal definition of Sustainability, defined in the Brundtland Report back in 1987 and quoted by Mulder (2007) is “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Sustainable Development is a term, which is defined as the development that caters sustainability of the present environment in order to meet its needs and at the same time, ensures that the present development would not in any way harm the future environment for the future generations (Bartelmus, 2011). In the year 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development published a report that concentrated on dealing with the issues related to

Sustainable development is defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (IISD, par. 1 ).

In general, this report discusses the successes and failures overall, analyzes sustainable development, institutional gaps, and also a call to action. Both Lomborg and The Brundtland Report agree that “...infant mortality is falling; human life expectancy is increasing; the proportion of the world’s adults who can read and write is climbing; the proportion of children starting school is rising; and global food production increases faster than the population grows.” (Brundtland 93) In conjunction with all the positive actions being taken; there are also environmental trends that threaten to radically alter the planet, that threaten the lives of many species upon it, including the human species. There has also been a growing realization in national government and multilateral institutions that it is impossible to separate economic development issues from environmental issues. Nevertheless, “humanity has the capability to make development sustainable to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Brundtland 95) Furthermore, the goal for sustainable development and the integrated nature of the global environment/development challenges pose problems for institutions. “There is a growing need for effective international cooperation to manage ecological and economic interdependence.” (Brundtland 97) Last but not least, “To achieve the needed changes, we believe that an active follow-up of this report is imperative. It is with this in mind that we call for the UN General Assembly, upon due consideration, to transform this report into a UN Programme on Sustainable Development.” (Brundtland 99) There are many environmental issues occurring to our beautiful planet right now and will

Sustainable development means that the present generations should be able to make use of resources to live better lives in such a manner that it does not compromise the ability of future generations. For sustainable development to occur, there needs to be sustainable economic, ecological and community development. Society needs to be educated about ways in which they can use resources, especially natural, in such a manner that it does not cause harm to the environment and put future generations lives at risk.

Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................ 2 I. The development of global, European and national policies relating to sustainability. 2 1. Changing attitudes of public, politicians and businesses to the environment since 1945 .................................................................................................................................... 2 2. Brundtland definition of ‘sustainable development’ .................................................. 4 3. The international and UK policies to sustainable development since Earth Summit of 1992

The growing concern of climate change and depletion of natural resources has meant an increase in popularity of the term ‘sustainable development’. With this growing popularity there has also been a rise in conflicting opinions on what sustainable development means and whether it is attainable, as even after the release of the Brundtland report which offered a definition of sustainable development there were still criticisms for it suggesting that ‘economic growth, industrial modernization and market imperatives should be key drivers and goals for all nations.’ (John Blewitt 2015) Thus taking away focus on environmental and social sustainability. Focusing on renewable energy in North America and their efforts to tackle climate change it can be argued that what their governments and multinational corporations have done are just in the interest of economic growth rather than sustainable development, particularly in the way that the United States refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Sustainable development encompasses many various meanings, however the most frequently used definition originates from the Brundtland report (WCED, 1987, p.43) defining it as ‘’a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’’. The Kyoto protocols and European trading systems are seen as mediums to ensure resource management, helping in preserving for future use. However the definition is ever evolving as according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (2004) it didn’t include a time horizon for future generations, provides no manifestation of the part played by the environment as it’s solely economical, and cites to the hazy concept of human needs. Subsequently an array of definitions of sustainable, in its most basic it’s defined as conserving development over time.

The goal of sustainable development is a generally agreed upon one, the Brundtland report’s definition is the most commonly cited, that it is of to “meet the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future” (Brundtland). However, with the growing international concern of environmental issues it has become more difficult to find consensus on where the focus should be to best make an impact.

A statement found in Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, released during the 1987 United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as a "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Authors Wes Harry and Ina Ehnert describe sustainable development in a unique way in their

Sustainable development refers to the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising with the demands of our future generations. The developed nations are taking stringent actions on sustainable development are promoting sustainability in all the areas. The use of fossil fuels and other resources that limited in nature is being reduced and alternative sources of energy are being introduced and are being promoted and practiced on a large scale. The government of many developed and developing nations are helping in attaining sustainability.

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (1, 2).

I would like to start off with a saying by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the prime minister of Norway. She defines sustainable development as “the development which fulfills the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.”(1) This statement supports both economical and environmental development particularly for people with a low standard of living. When we talk about sustainable development, we also contemplate sustainable energy. Let’s see how this plays a vital role in sustainability.

The concept of sustainable development has become a major topic among intellectuals from various fields. Sustainable development has gone through various changes in its definitions and at present does not have a commonly accepted definition. The origination of the concept of sustainable development is debatable. In 1974 at a conference on Science and Technology for Human Development by the World Council of Churches the concept of a “sustainable society” is believed to have been first noted. This early concept focused on equitable distribution of scarce resources and the need for democratic decision making. In 1980 the currently used term of sustainable development emerged in the