Sustainable development

The “ sustainable development ” (or bearable development ) is, according to the definition suggested in 1987 by the world Commission on the environment and the development in the Rapport Brundtland: a development which answers the Besoin S for the generations of the present without compromising the capacity of the future generations to answer theirs. Two concepts are inherent in this concept: the concept of " besoins " , and more particularly of the most stripped essential needs of, to which it is appropriate to give the greatest priority, and the idea of the limitations that the state of our techniques and our social organization forces on the capacity of the environment to answer the present needs and venir.

In other words, it acts, while being based on values (responsibility, participation and division, debate, partnership, innovation, perenniality, reversibility, precaution and prevention and solidarity; social, geographical and transgénérationelle) to affirm a double and joint approach:

In the space: each inhabitant of this ground has the same human right with the Ressource S of the Earth;
In the Time: we have the Droit to use the resources of the Earth but the To have to ensure perenniality for the generations of it to come.

Ecologists and other personalities of various political edges consider the term “ development durable ” like a Oxymore, some preferring the bearable qualifier of to that of durable . (to see low)

Semantics and concept of sustainable development

Various institutions and social actors and economic claim themselves of this concept, born of two reports which are:

current NORTH-SOUTH fracture and the search for an human development;
the present ecological crisis and urgency to safeguard the environment.

The bond between the objectives of the development and the crisis of the environment leads to the concept of éco-development developed with the beginning of the year 1970 by Ignacy Sachs and with the International Conference of Stockholm on the human environment in 1972. Then the term Sustainable development , translated by “ sustainable development ” appears in 1980 and is officialized and spread by the report/ratio Our future with all , (known as Rapport Brundtland ) in 1987.

Sometimes one employs in French the term of “ development soutenable ”. (Which is the literal translation of English “ Sustainable development ”)

History

1968: creation of the Club of Rome gathering some personalities occupying of the relatively important stations in their respective countries and wishing that research seize the problem of the evolution of the world taken in its globality to try to determine the limits of the growth.

1972: does the Club of Rome publish the report Halte with the growth? , or limits of the growth , the original title being The limits to growth , written with its request by a research team of the Massachusetts Institute off Technology. This first report/ratio gives the data-processing results of simulations, by the model DYNAMO of Jay Forrester on the evolution of the human population according to the exploitation of the natural resources, with projections until 2100. This reveals that the continuation of the economic growth will involve during the 21e century a sharp decline of the populations because of the Pollution, from the impoverishment of the soils that can support vegetation and the rarefaction of the energy resources. The model is however not yet at this stage sectorized by areas as it will be it then.

1972 (from June 5th to 16th): a conference of the United Nations on the human environment in Stockholm écodéveloppement exposes in particular the , the interactions between ecology and economy, the development of the Pays of the South and the Northern . It is the first Sommet of the Earth.

The Environnement appears indeed starting from the Années 1970 like a World heritage essential to transmit to the future generations and the Philosophe Hans Jonas expressed this concern in its book the Principle responsibility (1979).

1980 the International union for the nature conservation development publishes a report entitled the world strategy for the conservation where for the first time the concept of “sustainable development appears”, translated from English “ sustainable ”. 1987 (April): A definition of sustainable development is proposed by the world Commission on the environment and the development (Rapport Brundtland).

1992 (from June 3rd to 14th): Second Summit of the Earth, in Rio de Janeiro in 1992: dedication of the " term; development durable" , The concept starts to be largely mediatized in front of the general public. Adoption of the Convention of Rio and birth of the Diary 21. The Brundtland definition, centered firstly on the safeguarding of the environment and the careful consumption of the nonrenewable natural resources, will be modified by the definition of the “ three piliers ” which must be reconciled in a durable developmental perspective: the economic progress , the social justice , and the safeguarding of the environment .

2002 (August 26th at September 4th): Summit of Johannesburg: In September, more than one hundred Heads of State, several tens of thousands of governmental representatives and ONG ratify a fascinating treaty position on the conservation of the natural resources and the biodiversity. Some French large companies are present.

2005: Coming into effect of the Protocol of Kyōto on the reduction of the emissions of the Gas to greenhouse effect. This protocol appears constraining: a citizen the enfreint already on his scale by carrying out a international voyage by plane per annum.

Stakes

Environment neglected at the 19th century

Historically, the way of thinking which is at the origin of the Industrial revolution of the 19th century introduced economic criteria of growth primarily . One finds these criteria in the calculation of the rough National product, whose origin goes back to the Années 1930.

Corrections were made in second half of the 19th century on the social plan, with the appearance of associations to social vocation and of the Syndicalisme. The expression " economic and social" fact part of the usual vocabulary.

But the developed Pays (or country of North ) became aware since the Années 1970 that their prosperity was based on the intensive use of the Natural resources finished, and that consequently, in addition to the economic one and the social one, a third aspect was neglected: the Environment; For example, the ecological Empreinte world exceeded the capacity " biologique" Earth to be reconstituted about the middle of the Years 1970.

For certain analysts, the industrial development model is not not viable or insupportable on the environmental level, because not allowing a " développement" who can last. The crucial points are the exhaustion of the Natural resources (Raw materials, fossil energies for the human ones), the destruction and fragmentation of the ecosystem S, the reduction in the Biodiversité which decrease the impact strength of the planet.

Climate change due to the emissions of Gas to greenhouse effect, which causes the cast iron of the glaciers, of the ices of the poles, the rise of water… It results from them also an increase from the Inondation S and Sécheresse S. (not very clearly, one does not include/understand the goal of the sentence)-->

The development (industrial, agricultural, urban) generates immediate and differed Pollution S (example Acid rain and Gaz with greenhouse effect which contribute to a Climate change and contributes to the overexploitation of the Natural resources (example: Deforestation of the Equatorial forest). It causes a priceless loss in term of biodiversity by the extinction (thus irreversible) of plant species or animal. This development causes a rarefaction of the fossil energies and Raw materials which makes imminent the oil Pic) and brings us closer to many exhaustion Natural resources vital.

To the problem of viability a problem of equity is added: the poor undergo more the ecological and climatic crisis, and it is to be feared that the wish of growth (legitimates) Pays underdeveloped (often called country of the South ) towards a state of similar prosperity, built on equivalent principles, does not imply a degradation even more important and accelerated Biosphère. If all the States of planet adopted the American Way Of Life (which consumes nearly the quarter of the resources of the Earth for 7% of the population) one would need 5 or 6 planets. And if all the inhabitants of planet lived with the same way of life that the French average, they are not less than 3 Ground which would be necessary.

Moreover, the industrial catastrophes of these thirty last years (Tchernobyl, Seveso, Bhopal, Exxon Valdez, etc) challenged the public opinion and associations such as WWF, the Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace. (see also Chronology of écologisme)

An economic development and social respectful of the environment

The objective of sustainable development is to define viable diagrams and reconciling the three aspects economic, Social, and Environnement Al of the human activities; “three pillars” to take into account, by the communities as by the companies and the individuals:

Economic: financial performance “traditional”, but also capacity to contribute to the economic development of the storage area of the company and to that of all levels;

Social: social consequences of the line of business on the level of all its levels: employees (work conditions, level of remuneration…), suppliers, customers, local communities and company in general;

Environmental: compatibility enters the social activity of the company and the maintenance of the biodiversity and the ecosystems. It includes/understands an analysis of the impacts of the social development of the companies and their products in terms of flow, consumption of resources, with difficulty or slowly renewable, like in term of production of waste and polluting emissions… This last pillar being necessary to both others.

Objectives of sustainable development

=== To meet the needs for the present generations and to come ===

As considering previously, the traditional definition of sustainable development comes from the Brundtland report/ratio of the world Commission on the environment and the development. He points out the matter lent to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “ We do not inherit the Earth of our ancestors, we borrow it from our children ”.

The Brundtland report/ratio insists on the need for protecting diversity from genes, the Espèce S and the whole of the ecosystem S Naturel S terrestrial and watery, and this, in particular, by protection measures of the quality of the Environnement, by the restoration, the installation and the maintenance of the habitat S Essentiel S with the species like by a durable Gestion of the use of the animal and vegetable populations exploited.

It is however difficult to separate the Natural heritage and the Cultural heritage. The idea of transmission from generation to generation allied to that of Cultural diversity (one also thinks of the most stripped populations) and to that of interaction between the human communities and nature is well summarized in the definition which UNESCO gives Cultural heritage:

“This cultural heritage (immaterial), transmitted from generation to generation, is recreated permanently by the communities and groups according to their medium, of their interaction with the Nature and of their Histoire, and a feeling of Identité and continuity gets to them, thus contributing to promote the respect of the Cultural diversity and the human Créativité”.

One can consider that the objectives are divided between three main categories:

Those which are to be treated on the scale of planet: relationship between nations, individuals, generations;
Those which concern the public authorities in each great economic zone (European Union, Latin America, Asia…), through the territorial networks for example;
Those which concern the responsibility for the companies.

The sustainable development, associated with the concept of good Governorship, is not a static state of harmony but a process of transformation in which the exploitation of the resources, the choice of the investments, the orientation of the technological changes and institutional are made coherent with the future as with the needs for the present.

Equity between nations, individuals and generations

For the ones, the concept of sustainable development is enough clear to be operational. Others see it like a panacea and a catalog of good intentions which should allow all at the same time, without specifying too much how, to combine a whole of requirements:

the satisfaction of the essential Need S for the human communities present and future, in connection with the demographic constraints :

access to the Drinking water (case of the access to water with the Morocco);
fight against the Hunger or the Malnutrition, Food safety or Food sovereignty;
access to the education;
access to the Health;
access for all to the Employment.

improvement of quality of life:

access to the Medical care;
access to the social services;
access to a Housing of quality;
access to the Culture
social wellbeing.

the respect of the Right S and freedoms of the person:

the participation, for the whole of the groups of the company, with the various processes of decision making;
statute of the Women; (importance of the role of the woman in the company cf AMARTYA SEN)
Freedom of the press;
resolution of the Conflict S;
Freedom of expression.

reinforcement of new forms of renewable energies:

etc

Territorial networks and Diary 21

Social responsibility of the companies

For the durable respect of development objectives by the companies, specifically one speaks about Social responsibility of the companies ( corporate social responsability ) or sometimes more precisely responsibility sociétale for the companies since the shutter of responsibility does not correspond solely to the " shutter social". The social responsibility of the companies is a concept by which the companies integrate the social concerns, environmental, even of good governance or government in their activities and their interaction with their recipients on a voluntary bases. There are indeed, until now, few legislative obligations, constraints or penalties: to quote however in France, a relative law with the new economic regulations which obliges the companies quoted on the stock exchange to include in their annual report a series of relative informations to the social consequences and environmental their activities.

Economic efficiency

It aims at supporting an optimal management of human, natural and financial resources, in order to allow the satisfaction of the needs for the human communities, and this, in particular, by the responsibilisation of the companies and the consumers taking into consideration service and good which they produce and use like by the adoption of suitable government policies (principle of the pollutant/payer (Pigou), internalisation of the environmental and social costs, éco-taxation, etc).

Complementary definitions

Desirable development/green economy

The traditional definition of sustainable development exit of the commission Brundland (1987) can appear with certain exceeded. Indeed, it is not a question more of aiming, as there is a score of years, the satisfaction of the remote needs for future generations. It is the current satisfaction of the needs which is now compromised by the crises environmental and social that the 21e century knows (for example: the Katrina hurricane, devastations of the Tsunami, the loss of biodiversity, the rarefaction of the fishing resource and the increase in the raw materials, atmospheric pollution). It is not a question any more of anticipating the problems but of solving them. Sustainable development could then leave room to the concept of " development désirable" who gathers the whole of the solutions economically viable to the environmental and social problems which the planet knows. This novel mode of development, economic growth factor and of employment, would be true a " economy verte" , based on the social economy and interdependent, the éco-design, the biodegradable one, the bio, the dematerialization, re-employment-repair-recycling, renewable energies, the equitable trade, the relocalization.

Durability/soutenability

Some prefer bearable speech of development (insupportable opposite of , and what our environment can support in the medium and long term). It is a more literal translation of the anglophone term sustainable development . Holding of the “durable” term insist on the concept of Durabilité (coherence between the needs and the total resources of the Earth on the long run) rather than on the idea of a research of the limit until which the Earth will be able to nourish humanity.

Others challenge the concept even of Economic development and prefer durable speech of Utilization, even, while taking as a starting point the work of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, of durable Décroissance.

Strong/low durability

“To act local, think total”

This formula, employed by Rene Dubos at the top on the environment of 1972, is often employed in the problems of sustainable development. It shows that the taking into account of the environmental and social stakes requires news Heuristique S, which integrates the overall character of sustainable development. It makes think of philosophy Pascal, rather than with that of Descartes, this one being more analytical. In practice, it results in models Systémique S.

Ethical and legal aspects

Ethics of sustainable development

The Essential aspects of sustainable development, on the capacities of the Planet and the inequalities of access to the resource S raise questions Philosophique S.

Jean Bastaire sees the origin of the ecological Crise at Descartes according to which the man was “to be made main and owner of nature” ( Discourse on Method , sixth part).
André Count-Sponville the questions of ethical in is capitalism tackles moral? . Paul Ricœur and Emmanuel Lévinas also did it under the angle of the otherness and Patrick Viveret and Jean-Baptiste de Foucauld ( three cultures of human development ) on that of the Social justice.
Hans Jonas was the first to advance the idea according to which the fact that the economic model of the Occident could not be viable on the long run if it did not become more respectful of the environment imposes a recasting of the ethical to remove the threats than the technique pose in the future of Humanity. Indeed this philosopher was the first to be posed which one had a duty with respect to the beings to come, of the potential and “vulnerable” lives that we threaten. For Jonas, which writes the Principle responsibility during the Cold war, the threats in question are environmental as nuclear as well. Since then one of the topics of the Philosophie which challenges more our contemporaries is that of the Philosophie of the nature, which one finds a representative eminent in the person of the chemist and Irish physicist Robert Boyle.

The French philosopher Michel Foucault tackles these questions on the epistemological level. He speaks about changes of design of the world, which occur at various times of the Histoire. He calls these designs of the world, with the Représentation S which accompany them, of the épistémè S. One could undoubtedly affirm that sustainable development, and its corollary the Mondialisation, correspond to the concept of épistémè , which, applied to our time, is called Hypermodernité by Michel Foucault.
Cet aspect is present in the Film a truth which disturbs of Al Gore , who shows that the vision of the world is changing.
Sans to approach all the philosophical aspects of them, one will note that sustainable development comprises ethical Enjeu X very important as regards of the businesses, questions which seem more easily approached by the Anglo-Saxons than in the remainder of the Europe, and in particular in France.

Legal aspects

Sustainable development impacts the International law, and in particular the Community legislation in the European Union where the Droit of the environment gradually moved Member States towards the European level which appeared subsidiarily more adapted to treat these questions, and this in several stages:

the European Single act, in 1987, transferred to the EEC certain competences from the States: the environment, the research and development, and the foreign politics,
With the creation of the European Union, in 1993, the environment was treated in a transverse way in the first Pilier of the European Union, that which is integrated the most, through the European payments and the European directives.
With the European Council of Gothenburg, in 2001, it was decided that the strategy on the economy of knowledge defined in the European Council of Lisbon the previous year would integrate the durable development objective explicitly. Consequently, at least on paper, the relation between sustainable development and Ingénierie of knowledge were recognized.

The impact of the environment on fields as vital as the Water, the energy, the services, the Agriculture, the Chemistry, etc is such as the European Union collected certain competences of the Member States, via the EU law (Directive S frameworks, directives, regulations) which is essential on the Member States under the terms of the Hiérarchie of the legal standards. This raises questions of Souveraineté which can be studied under the angle of the Légitimité of the actions to carry out to lead to a development more Durable.

See: Legitimacy and sustainable development

It is about the years 2001 - 2002 that sustainable development appears in France like the need for the companies for giving an account of the social consequences and environmental their activities, compared to the requirements of the Civil society. That resulted in a legislative measure on the Communication in law NRE, pushing with the development of reports/ratios of sustainable development.

President Chirac pushed with the drafting of a Charte of the environment in 2004, underlining in a speech that France was the first country in the world to include the environment in its Constitution.

In practice, except for some companies which are directly committed in significant sectors (energy, Environnement), one notes little interest for the steps of sustainable development. The fact is that the communication of Information S potentially sensitive on strategic planning tends to increase the Vulnérabilité S of the companies, without to highlight the interest of the Innovation. The companies (in particular French) are thus likely to reveal Information S by the channel of Internet, which can be recovered without large effort by their competitors apart from the Europe.

Organisational aspects

Communication and sustainable development

With the durable installation of development programs in the companies and diaries 21 in the territorial collectivities, was posed, starting from 2002, the question of the “Communication about sustainable development”. In other words, how to sensitize the opinion with sustainable development, to imply the professionals, and sometimes to convince the Decision maker S? Several tracks and brief replies are given by professionals:

a effective Communication supposes “to demystify” sustainable development. That implies to propose the concrete benefit of the step, to draw up an honest report of the situation, to describe the initiatives by showing the implication of that which speaks, and especially, to give the “directions for use”. That also supposes to avoid some pitfalls: great principles, good intentions (“the ground it is important for tomorrow”) and jargon inaccessible to the public (“governorship”, “stakeholders”, “PADD”…).

“It does not have there a Communication miracle but a work over the duration”. Moreover, it is desirable: " to imply associations, to imply citizens physically (festive events, committees citizens, testimonys, etc), and to act more on the emotional one because one convinces often better with festive events than of the arguments scientifiques". Concerning éco-products and éco-services, the communication must put “simultaneously ahead the aspect social environment/and the ego-promises (to be in better health, to have a prettier skin, etc)”, under penalty of not convincing and not to sell.

“Whatever the tools and supports of Communication used, nothing replaces a regular exchange between the Recipients ". The key would be also in the mode of expression, the tone: " to be simple, honest and positive: in a human word. Simple with a human approach avoiding the stereotyped caricatures and the language of bois".

the success of a environmental Communication rests on two factors: " to carry the message to the good place, on the one hand, and to seek coherence by the exemplarity, on the other hand.

European Union

See also: Political European of sustainable development

It was seen that the environmental concerns emerged as of 1972 in Europe. They were integrated in the Community texts with the Single act in 1987. The Traité of Maastricht evokes objectives on the environment. The Sweden pushed with the acceleration of the actions in this field. The expression sustainable development appears for the first time in a Community text with the Traité of Amsterdam in 1997, which also includes a protocol on the Principe of subsidiarity. In 2001, the European Council of Gothenburg reorientates the Stratégie of Lisbon towards sustainable development, and a green book of the European commission tackles the subject of the Responsabilité sociétale for the companies.

Sustainable development can be treated by the Recherche of information S in the context (Veille), to define the Usage information in a strategy of Innovation. This policy, much more complex in its implementation, tends to set up since 2003 - 2004, as well on the level of the central administrations as of the Territorial collectivities and the companies (see economic Intelligence).

the United States

See also: Political environmental of the United States of America

In same time, the Anglo-Saxon companies weave networks of Influence around the International institutions, while resting on the networks of the Governmental organizations. This makes it possible to collect an significant amount of Information S, which is structured then managed in the global area networks of companies, universities, research centres (see for example the World Business Council one Sustainable Development).

The American strategy also consists in weaving bonds with the enclosures Normative S deprived like the international Chamber of commerce, located at Paris. The CCI write " rules" , standard rules in all the fields of the life of the businesses, taken again like model in the contracts financed by the international agencies. The CCI played a big role with the Sommet of the Earth of Johannesburg at the summer 2002 while creating, jointly with WBCSD, the Business Action for Sustainable Development.

Financial aspects

The implementation of a durable development policy in the companies depends largely on the use of the Actif S of the company. The credits can be physical credits (Immobilization S in the classical sense of the term), but also of the immaterial Actifs (intangible fixed assets).

The mobilization towards a sustainable development depends primarily on the way in which the companies will direct competences of their employees (human capital), the relations with their recipients (relational capital), and their structures (structural capital), which form the immaterial Capital together. This one is directly in connection with the Knowledge management.

Scopes of application

Sustainable development relates to the whole of the human activities. The stakes of durability are however different for each branch of industry.

Agriculture and Sylviculture

Construction and town planning

Energy

Renewable energies

The various forms of renewable energies are:

the solar energy: thermal solar energy and photovoltaic solar energy,
the wind energy,
the hydraulic power: mainly exploitable by hydroelectric stations on the rivers, but also: energy marinades (tidal energy, energy of the waves, marethermic energy, osmotic energy
the biomass,
the Géothermie,
the Combustible battery (hydrogen or different) for the transport of energy.

Nuclear energy

Nuclear energy is short-term the only not-transmitting energy of Gaz to capable greenhouse effect compensating for the weakness of the renewable production to provide for the needs for electricity.

The Anti-nucléaire S advance the following arguments:

Risk S of Nuclear proliferation, about the radioactive elements being able to have a Use not civilian,
Impact S on the environment (warming of the River S and River S, at the time of the low water level in particular),
Problem of the Nuclear waste ultimate, with respect to the future generations.

The Professionnel S of the Nuclear industry stress that the environmental impact is limited and that the problem of proliferation does not arise for the power stations of the democratic countries. Next the nuclear Filières should be even surer and treasurers while carburizing. ; See also:

Which solutions for a durable nuclear power? Yellow and the Red (2004).
International forum Generation IV

Saving energy

Energy saving on the scale of planet would make it possible to reduce the energy stress.

Water

Certain companies pledged making it possible to include/understand the problems posed for a durable management of water and requested independent credit rating agencies to be audited.

Transport

Table of synthesis

Implementation multidomaines

Difficulties raised by the implementation

If the principle thus defined is rather clear, the objectives posed by sustainable development seem more difficult to implement. Among the questions which arise:

How to define the needs for the future generations?
a is strong Economic growth compatible with the needs for the current population and the population of tomorrow?
Can one be satisfied to better manage the nonrenewable Ressources, the objective of maintenance of the value of the Capital naturalness is it possible:

abusive use of the car (average way: 3 km) and imminence of the oil Peak, multiplication of the transport of the goods
wasting of water (in particular in agriculture), overuse of drinking water for nonfood uses
wasting of electricity (lighting, electricals appliance takes care about it, air conditioning badly regulated…),
production of waste (packing) or overproduction of objects of consumption at short lifespan,

are the models of measurement of the growth adapted? Let us remember that 30 years ago, the general feeling was that the planet would not be viable any more in the year 2000 : which credible and rigorous update of the argumentation can one advance?
are the countries of the South implied in the reflection? The Innovation technological necessary isn't it likely to introduce a ditch growing between rich countries and poor countries in the field of the knowledge?
How to support, without “paternalism” the development of the countries “of the south”, how they will be organized to respect the “three pillars” described above?
For the question of the Climate change, the is Protocole of Kyoto an effective manner to solve the problem?
Which impact these Enjeu X will they have on the balance of the world? Which relation to make with the Universalization? Is the growth of the large countries of Asia bearable? will
Which be the impacts in terms of Droit? Which relationship between Substantive law and natural Right? In particular which will be the impacts of the Charte of the environment (in France), gone up at the top of the Hiérarchie of the standards since 2005, on the public Droit, the Private law and the Droit of the businesses?
Which developments foreseeable can affect the situation and the policies to be followed?
Which level of Perception the leaders do they have extent and globality of the phenomenon? Is the communication followed of action?
On an ethical level, is the presentation of sustainable development coherent with respect to the employees of the companies and the Recipients?
the do credit rating agencies financial make it possible to give an account of good progresses? Which place the credit rating agencies sociétale will they take?
How to divide good the Information S collectively?
How to update our economic operation so that it falls under this sustainable development?

Case of the companies and the economic world

During these ten last years, good number of companies obtained Directions with sustainable development. They engaged of the often ambitious policies to make evolve/move the internal behaviors and incarnate in a tangible way their responsibilities social and environmental. Today, it is necessary to integrate in the economic model of the company the objectives of fight against climate warming, of protection of health, safeguarding of the Biodiversité and a better rare stock management; and that in an unfavorable context, where the markets and the State do not hold yet sufficiently account of the durable performances. As of now, the Grenelle of the environment can support the advent of a capitalism of recipients.

Measure

The traditional instruments macroeconomic S (GDP) prove to be defective to measure sustainable development. The Economic growth seems contradictory thus compared to the objectives of sustainable development.

On the economic plan, it would be necessary to reintroduce the Factor of production ground, in the form of the Capital naturalness for example.
On the environmental level, one speaks about Empreinte ecological.
On the social plan, one speaks about Indice of human development.

Measurement Microéconomique of sustainable development for the companies can be done via the criteria of the Global Reporting Initiative. One finds more than one hundred of Indicateur S, environmental, social, economic, and of governorship. This model is integrated very with difficulty into the models of traditional Information systems of the companies.

Concept of Better technology available (MTD)

One of the answers brought from the point of view Technologique consists in seeking the Meilleure technology available (in English best available technology , BEATS) for an identified need, or waitings expressed by a market, which council three pillars of the sustainable development in a transverse way (multidomaines).

The search and the choice for such a Technologie must also take account of other aspects: Safety and Natural resources (energy and Raw materials), Information system (from a point of view of economy of immaterial the), Recipients (Gone S, legal questions, Institution S).

The optimization of the MTD is obviously an iterative process.

Information systems

It would be simplistic to believe that the problems of sustainable development in the Information systems summarize with the Recyclage Computer material. To put itself at the service of sustainable development implies to structure useful information for the Gestion of the programs concerned, and more particularly for the Gestion of the data.

Being given the broadth of the volume of the handled Given S, it appeared that it was necessary to employ Référentiel S of data for the Documentation, making it possible the user S to reach the Information, to divide it, and to structure their clean Data dictionaries. This activity is called the Ingénierie of knowledge. The Computer's resources (texts, sounds, images), particularly the Resources of the Web, must thus be Indexée S as of the Métadonnée S. the organizations which are in charge of a scope of application must establish a Registre of metadata which describes the elements necessary to the division of information.

Various organizations with the the United States launched programs on the metadata, for the environment and of the related sectors (see scopes of application of the metadata). The Environmental Protection Agency and the European Agence of the environment use already Registres of metadata.

In Europe, the European Institutions prepare the Directive INSPIRES on the Donnée S géospatiales.

Lastly, the management of sustainable development raises the question of the optimization of the Gouvernance of Internet.

Limits and drifts of the concept

Like all the concepts, sustainable development finds also its limits. Indeed, the capitalist company, in which we are, knew to redistribute the dividends of the production to the economy (in the form of reinvestments) and to social (rise of the income of paid) during all its existence. The balance between these two poles was carried out with the liking of the various social struggles and the political convictions of the leaders. But how to take into account the environment in this balance whereas balance between the social one and the economic one are already currently in a dead end?

Now, the concept of sustainable development can also derive towards a vision Malthusian from our company. Why the rich countries, now developed, impose would on the developing countries a restrictive vision of their development? The concept is good, its creditable objectives, perhaps but it is used to justify a protectionist policy of certain countries fearing a too great competition. In practice, the developed countries are not deprived to trade with China, in spite of the risks of drift of the ecological print of this one.
a second risk is that of a badly balanced Communication. That is to say the communication would not be followed actions, in the field of the Innovation for example, and the company would weaken compared to its competitors more innovating. That is to say on the contrary the communication would reveal too many information Confidentielle S. In both cases, the coherence of the organization and the competitiveness of the company would suffer from it in the context of the revolution Internet.
a third risk is that of a drift towards models of low durability, i.e. admitting the substitution of the Capital naturalness by a capital of Connaissance S. This model is often that of the American organizations in particular, especially at the federal level or their world ramifications. This risk results in the constitution of networks of innovation controlled apart from Europe which would be likely to destabilize the European Institutions and the States of the European Union (research, universities,…).
a fourth risk, more pernicious still, is underlined by the philosopher André Count-Sponville. This one fears that the ethical of company shouted high and strong in the conferences, in the name of the interest (in fact of the company) does not mask actually the lack of a broader Morale. In practice, the fluidity of flows of information and financial of the Mondialisation leads to a multiplication of the not controlled overseas investments. That can short-circuit the European coordinated actions, in the legal political arena and in particular, because of cultural skews and of administrative rigidities of the States. Count-Sponville concludes some with the need from a morals exceeding the manager from the company (four orders). A reorganization of the Droit appears moreover necessary.
a fifth risk comes from the monopolization, by the powers which control the Technologies the information, of the procedures of international standardization and regulation. So richest are likely to impose a model which ends in fact in a distribution even more unjust of the To know S, and consequently of the Natural resources. Software known as Open source and companies or organizations supporting their implementation (of which SSL), can perhaps contribute to reduce this risk.
a sixth risk is that the criteria of evaluation are badly balanced and crossed between the environment, the social one, and the economic one, or the implementation of skewed total models (return to Utopias or certain forms of ideologies,…). For example, environmental skew can mask other deficiencies.
a seventh risk is that the label “sustainable development” is recovered to support more and more policies or acts not having any relationship with the concept even, or being attached to it in a very surface way. For example, the “durable Tourism”, application to tourism of the concept of sustainable development, tend to be tourism of elite which, in the name of the respect of the Environnement, draws up a social barrier by increasing the tariff of the stays in order to “preserve the environment”, forgetting the social aspect.
an eighth risk is that the financial analysts charged to evaluate the reports/ratios of sustainable development of the companies do not have the formation necessary on the concepts of sustainable development, and that they do not have the adapted tools for analysis (structuring).

Critical of the concept of sustainable development

The concept-even of “ development durable ” meets critics on several levels, sometimes marked to be a form publicity stunt?

Critical conventional

One can denounce the confusion which is created around the term, the concept of “ développement ” being itself also fuzzy, because, that is to say being able to refer to the Human development which can be included/understood in the head of a citizen like " blooming humain" , that is to say being able to refer to the economic growth. ( “ First of all, the concept of " development durable" can rejoin about all the votes, in condition often of not receiving from too explicit contents; some retaining this expression especially the first word " development " , understanding by there that the development as hitherto undertaken must continue and to develop; and, moreover, durably; others perceiving in the adjective " durable" questioning of excesses of the current development, namely, the exhaustion of the natural resources, pollution, the uncontrolled emissions of gas with greenhouse effect… Ambiguity of the expression " development durable" its success guarantees, including, even especially, in the international negotiations the more so as, since the development is proclaimed durable, therefore implicitly without negative effects, it is devoted like the absolute model to generalize on the whole of planet. ” ” Marcel Deneux senator UDF.)

One finds also a criticism of this type by Jean-Marc Jancovici.

It is a oxymore

The adverse with the ideology of the development and the growth consider that the term of sustainable development is a Oxymore. On a planet, they explain-T, where 20% of the planetary population consume 80% of the natural resources, it is not, for these richest 20%, of development which can be durable: “ If we return to the definition of the concept " development durable" , i.e.: " what makes it possible to meet the needs for the present generations, without to compromise the capacity of the future generations to answer their clean besoins" , then, the suitable term for the rich countries is well the " decrease soutenable". ”

Critical anti-Western

Finally it should well be seen that, historically, the concept is Western. One of its effects is to try to prolong the development durably (current). This is clarified in the books of Serge Latouche.

Collections of howlers of sustainable development

The combatants of the ideology of the growth seek to highlight, the taste for this “ development durable ” of the most polluting industries of planet, and thus the nonsense of the term and/or its use, through quotations which they gather in collections of howlers.

See too

Article related

philosophical and cultural Aspects

Hans Jonas;
Hypermodernité | Épistémè | Michel Foucault;
Philosophy of Ethical nature
and Ethical of the environment.

Political aspects

Summit of the Earth;
Diary 21;
Ministry for Ecology, the Development and Installation durable (MEDAD) (France);
interdepartmental Delegation with sustainable development.

Economic aspects and the companies

Social responsibility of the companies;
Ethical of the businesses;
durable Decrease;
Equitable trade;
post-industrial Economy;
ecological Tax reform;
Écotaxe .

Social aspects

Human development;
Maldéveloppement .

environmental Aspects and of implementation

industrial Ecology | Environment;
Impressed ecological;
Renewable energy | Cogénération;
Recycling;
environmental Quality | environmental High-quality.

legal Aspects

Right of the environment;
Charter of the environment.

Communication and Use of the Information

Use
Communication
Economy of the knowledge;
Community property;
economic Intelligence;
Governorship.

Relationship to universalization

Universalization;
Geopolitical;
economic Universalization.

External bonds

External bonds, official organizations

topic research: sustainable development, OECD

topic research: sustainable development, the newspaper of sustainable development

Decree No 2007-161 of February 6th, 2007 relating to the booklet of sustainable development

Department off Economic and Social Affairs - Division for Sustainable Development

International organization for Sustainable development - International Organization for Sustainable Development

Scientific magazines

Sustainable development and territory (economy, geography, policy, right, sociology), scientific magazine transdisciplinaire devoted to sustainable development
Vertigo - interdisciplinary review of sciences of environment (UQAM)
Mail of the environment of the scientific INRA
Presses of the CNRC (file environment)

Sites and reviews of popularization and information

the Durable Review
State of the planet Magazine
INTEECO - Research project and protocol sustainable development
Ideas for the development
Information-durable.be
Ddurable, the topicality of sustainable development

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