Sustainable Development:

UNIT 1 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: AN An Overview

OVERVIEW

Structure
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Sustainable Development: Concept and Definition
1.3 Components of Sustainable Development
1.4 Indicators of Sustainable Development
1.5 Measures to Promote Sustainable Development
1.6 Let Us Sum Up
1.7 References and Selected Readings
1.8 Check Your Progress - Possible Answers

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Sustainable development has become a buzzword in different forums, seminars,
and workshops. You might have read and heard about this concept. In this unit
you will know more about the concept. Sustainable development stands for
meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs. In other words, its a better quality of
life for everyone now, and for the generations to come. It offers a vision of progress
that integrates immediate and longer term objectives, local and global action. It
regards social, economic and environmental issues as inseparable and
interdependent components of human progress.
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
• Explain the meaning of sustainable development;
• Describe various components of sustainable development;
• Discuss various indicators of sustainable development; and
• Suggest measures for the promotion of sustainable development.

1.2 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: CONCEPT

AND DEFINITION
Sustainable development has become a buzzword in different forums, seminars,
workshops. It is found much in environmental and economics literature these
days. The concern for sustainable development is becoming increasingly louder
with the rapidity of economic growth. Around the globe, throughout history,
most modern human institutions have evolved in ways that are at best, oblivious,
and, at worst, positively hostile to the health of environment. Economic development,
till today, is based on two fallacious premises:
1) It considers needs of mankind alone and ignores the interdependent ecosystem
2) It treats the environment as a commodity.
Human being strives ceaselessly for riches as enslaved and obsessed by
technological advancement and by obtaining higher GNP. This obsession has
sullied the environment and is tending to ruin the carrying capacity that is, capacity 5
Sustainable Development of the ecosystem to support life of Mother Earth. The land lays scarred and eroded.
The waters of rivers, lakes and oceans are contaminated with industrial waste,
which is nearly unfit for either industrial use or for human consumption. The air
is filled with gaseous and particulate pollutants that are toxic to life. Pesticides
used to promote agricultural production and public health has severely poisoned
the environment. Each agent of production and consumption regards the disposal
cost of waste as zero and uses the environmental sector as long as it permits
human being to improve their own welfare. They do not have to pay anything to
anybody. The environment is still regarded as common property, each agent acting
as if the human being owns it. The reckless use continues, without any heed to
the damage inflicted, and causes degraded environmental standards, unhealthy
and detrimental to all.
“Our Common Future” marks the beginning of the sustainable development
concept that has generated all the literatures. New books on sustainable
development have been appearing with increasing rapidity since the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development popularly known as the
Earth Summit held in Brazil in 1992. Divergent economic theorists like E. F.
Schumacher of Britain, environmentalists like Barry Commoner and Lester R.
Brown, population analysts like Paul Ehrlich, politicians like Willy Brandt of
Germany and Jimmy Carter of the United States, all played significant roles in
formulating ideas.

The era of modernisation has created an atmosphere of excitement of instant

economic growth. In fact, all sectors of developing countries seem to be vibrating
with economic buoyancy. There is expansion of trade, investment, market, and
increase in Gross National product (GNP) productivity, per capita income, profit,
efficiency, salary, etc, across the globe. The free trade system could more tellingly
be called the free ride system. As the producers do not have to include in their
product costs all the indirect costs they cause society. It includes pollution of the
land, sea and air, ozone holes, disappearing topsoil, exploding health costs,
allergies, global warming, destruction of species, pesticides in food, antibiotic-
resistant bacteria, crime, unemployment, escalating social costs, etc. Many of
the most common and most damaging products on the market would never be
manufactured if they were priced at their real costs to society as a whole. The
road to success in global business today is to find a way to pass on as many of
your costs as possible to the public, preferably to another country’s public. The
most profitable companies at this time are those that are most successful at getting
someone else to pay the real costs of their doing business. Present economic
process maximises only the profits to the shareholders, while all the other
stakeholders are left bearing the costs, such as, cleaning up the environment and
dealing with unemployment.

The term, sustainable development, was coined by the Brundtl and Commission,
which defines sustainable development as development that “meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs”. Sustainable development is defined as balancing the fulfilment of
human needs with the protection of the natural environment so that these needs
can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. Sustainable
development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while
preserving the environment. The field of sustainable development is conceptually
divided into four general dimensions: social, economic, environmental, and
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institutional. The first three dimensions address key principles of sustainability, Sustainable Development:
An Overview
while the final dimension addresses key institutional policy and capacity issues.

There is, now, a worldwide movement of environmentalism parallel to the more

enthusiastic global movement of economic growth. Every section of people
around the globe now expresses some amount of concern towards the deterioration
of environmental standards. The rise in economic welfare is increasingly
accompanied by a considerable decline in the quality of environment and loss of
ecological stability. Some groups of environmentalist are very pessimistic while
the other group of environmental scientists is very optimistic. But the fact remains
that there is acid rain, global warming, the greenhouse effect, erosion and sterility
of soil, degradation of land, environmental pollution and ozone layer depletion.
There is widespread desertification in one hemisphere and deforestation in another
hemisphere of the globe. Deeper and wider concern for environmental degradation
springs from two major sources.
1) Rise in material production effluents and use of synthetic materials
2) Increased demand for environmental goods.
The first refers to the problems of environmental externality and the second, to
depletion of natural resources. In addition to the increased supply of economic
goods, there is also an increased demand for environmental goods. Environmental
goods signify any external environmental conditions that affect human welfare.
The following elements are connected with the human welfare
• Absence of all types of pollution
• Availability of clean water and air
• Quality of natural environment (outdoor recreation, etc)
• Quantity of natural environment( forest, wildlife)
• Availability of public utility systems
• Average space availability for inhabitants
In this session you read about the concept of sustainable development, now answer
the questions given in Check Your Progress 1.
Check Your Progress 1
Note: a) Write your answer in about 50 words.
b) Check your answer with possible answers given at the end of the unit
1) What is the need for sustainable development?
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2) What do you mean by sustainable development?
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Sustainable Development
1.3 COMPONENTS OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
In this section you will read about the various components of sustainable
development. The three main components of sustainable development discussed
here are
i) Interconnectedness of the system
ii) Sustainable development path
iii) Intergenerational approach.
i) Interconnectedness of the System
Traditionally we use numbers to show progress. Employment rose by 0.8 percent
in January, or, the economy grew by 2% last year, air pollution has declined by
0.2 per cent, dowry death has increased by 1.3%, etc. However, the traditional
numbers only show changes in one part of the community without showing the
various links between the community’s economy, society, and environment.
It is as if a community was made of three separate parts:
i) An economic part
ii) A social part
iii) An environmental part.
In this view, the parts do not overlap like the picture below (figure-1)

Fig. 1.1: Interconnectedness of the three systems

However, when society, economy, and environment are viewed as separate,

unrelated parts of a community, the community’s problems are also viewed as
isolated issues. This piecemeal approach has a number of negative side effects.
Sustainable development depends on the links between the economy, the
environment and the society. Figure-1, above, is frequently used to show the
interconnectedness of three systems. Understanding the three parts and their links
is the key to understanding sustainability as sustainability is about more than
just quality of life. It is about understanding the connections and achieving balance
among the social, economic, and environmental pieces of a community.
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Sustainable development is a dynamic concept, as a wide array of views fall Sustainable Development:
An Overview
under its umbrella. There may be as many definitions of sustainability and
sustainable development. All the definitions have to do with:
• Living within the limits
• Understanding the interconnections among economy, society, and
environment
• Equitable distribution of resources and opportunities.
Sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic
prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. Sustainable community
development is the ability to make development choices which respect the
relationship between the three E’s, that is economy, ecology, and equity.
o Economy - economic activity should serve the common good, be self-
renewing and build local assets and self-reliance.
o Ecology - humans are part of nature, nature has limits, and communities are
responsible for protecting and building natural assets.
o Equity - the opportunity for full participation in all activities, access, benefits
and decision-making of a society.
Figure 1.2 illustrates all three dimensions of sustainable development. Sustainable
development cannot ignore any of the three. If we neglect the social dimension,
the development process may be viable, if we disregard the environmental
dimension, development process may be equitable and if we pay no heed to the
environmental dimension, the development process may be bearable, but not
sustainable.

a
Economy Equitable Society

b Sustainable c

Viable Bearable

Environment

Fig.1.2: Sustainable Development

In other words, the search for equity

a) Neglects environmental aspects and the search for viability;
b) Neglects social dimension and the search for bear ability;
c) Ignores economic efficiency.
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Sustainable Development Thus, a sustainable development process is that trajectory which is a synergy of
efficiency, equity and social acceptability. Sustainable development shows a
compassionate concern for the posterity and for the world as a whole. It contends
that social development, environmental soundness, and economic growth are
not contradictory or incompatible. Healthy environment and good society are,
rather, prerequisites for sustainable development. Sustainable development is
based on a broader economic system which fulfils inter-generational equity
criteria. Its objectives are focused on the future, not the present, quality not
quantity, protection not production, conservation not consumption.

ii) The Path of Sustainable Development

Sustainability implies irreversibility in the process of development. It necessitates
the maintenance of the level of wellbeing so that it improves, and, at the least,
never allows a decline over time. Thus, sustainable development has three
interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars:
i) Economic development,
ii) Social development
iii) Environmental protection.
It does not focus solely on environmental issues. We should differentiate between
green development and sustainable development. The proponents of green
development prioritise environmental sustainability over economic and cultural
considerations. But cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity
is for nature. It is one of the roots of development understood not simply in
terms of economic growth but also as a means to achieve a satisfactory social,
intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence. In this sense, cultural
diversity is the fourth policy area of sustainable development. Developing
countries are not only rich in biodiversity but also in cultural diversity. In Figure.3
illustrates the path of sustainable development. It shows that Path N is
unsustainable and non-survivable. Development path E is efficient but not
sustainable. But path S is sustainable. Path E looks more attractive, but Path S is
not impressive in the early stage. Path E has a maximum point after which it
curls down. But Path-S is slow and steady, having no maximum survival limit.

S
Y

E
Wall

N
O X

Fig.1.3: Sustainable Development Path

Source: Das (2009) Sustainable Development Path

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Sustainability is related to the quality of life in a community. Whether its Sustainable Development:
An Overview
economic, social, and environmental systems that make up the community and
it is providing a healthy, productive, meaningful life for all community, either
present or in future. It involves following three questions -
i) How has your community changed, economically?
ii) How has your community changed, socially?
iii) How has your community changed, environmentally?
Thus, the field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into three
constituent parts:
i) Environmental sustainability
ii) Economic sustainability
iii) Socio-political sustainability.
Sustainable development integrates the imperatives of developmental and
environmentalism. It highlights the long term doomsday scenario and puts
emphasis on economic, social, and ecological integration. It has three objectives.
i) Economic efficiency
ii) Social acceptability
iii) Ecological sustainability.
Sustainability is an issue encompassing all the communities starting from small
rural milieu that are fast losing the natural environment on which their livelihoods
depend to large metropolitan cities where crime and poverty are decreasing the
quality of life. Sustainability does not mean static equilibrium where nothing
ever changes. Rather, it does it mean a utopia where nothing bad ever happens.
Sustainability is not about maintaining the status quo or reaching perfection. It
is not a community where nothing ever goes wrong. Sustainability does not mean
that businesses never fail, or that people never go hungry, or that pollution never
happens. The process of a sustainable development seeks to maintain and improve
the economic, environmental and social characteristics of an area. The improvement
helps its members so that they can continue to leading healthy, productive,
enjoyable lives at present and in future. Sustainability implies that when problems
arise, we look for solutions that take into account all three dimensions of the
community instead of applying a quick fix in one area that causes problems in
another. It is not against growth nor does it imply unlimited growth. Rather, at
some point, a sustainable community stops getting larger but continues to change
and improve, to develop in ways that enhance the quality of life for all its
inhabitants.

iii) Intergenerational Approach

Sustainable development improves the economy without undermining the social
or environmental imperatives. Sustainable development focuses on improving
our lives without continually increasing the amount of energy and material goods
that we consume. A sustainable community does not consume resources energy
and raw materials faster than the regenerative capacity of the natural systems.
We are currently living unsustainable lives.

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Sustainable Development If we are not careful how we use and dispose of resources, our children,
grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have a poorer, more polluted world
to live in. A sustainable community interacts with four types of capital:
i) Natural,
ii) Human,
iii) Social,
iv) Built capital.
All four types of capital need to be cared for. A sustainable community wisely
manages all its capital - using and improving the social, natural and built capital
in ways that allow that capital to continue to support that community in the
future. Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature’s resources at
a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. An unsustainable situation
occurs when natural capital (the sum total of nature’s resources) is used up faster
than it can be replenished.

Inherently, the concept of sustainable development is intertwined with the concept

of carrying capacity. In fact natural capital, social capital, and economic capital
are often complementary. Carrying capacity is the size of the population that can
be supported indefinitely upon the available resources and services of supporting
natural, social, human, and built capital. Living within the limits of an ecosystem
depends on three factors:
i) The amount of resources available in the ecosystem
ii) The size of the population, and
iii) The amount of resources each individual consumes.
Thus, there is urgent need to develop an ecosystem approach, or inter generational
approach for the management of natural capital and social capital. Ultimately, an
ecosystem approach tends to evolve and change from a consumptive economy
to an economy oriented towards conservation, maintenance of capital stock, and
recycling of materials. Impoverishment of an ecosystem means the devastation
of the entire society that depends upon it. Thus, an ecosystem approach is a
compassionate concern for posterity and for the planet as a whole. Dismal
economic growth is not enough to bring welfare to mankind. Man is an organic
being, whose total development depends, to a large extent, on the non-economic,
sociological, psychological factors, and, on a meaningful sustainable balance
between him and the environment (social and natural) in which he lives.

There are many contradictions and inconsistencies in the goal of sustainable

development. It poses a great dilemma and a great challenge. Confronting the
challenge is very costly, but not facing the challenge is really disastrous for the
whole society. However, the idea of sustainable development should be less
idealistic and more practical. We do not have to choose between an
environmentally healthy and economically robust nation. Both are compatible.
We can have both. We are intelligent enough have the ability to develop enough
new technologies and can change our behaviour enough to confront all the
problems facing us, and to create optimal solutions.

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 Sustainable Development:
1.4 INDICATORS OF SUSTAINABLE An Overview

DEVELOPMENT
Indicators of sustainable development are more in the nature of indices that reflect
the state of overall concepts or social goals such as human development,
sustainable development, the quality of life, or socioeconomic welfare. Indicators
provide early warnings about non sustainable trends of economic activity and
environmental deterioration. They are the ‘nutshell’ indicators favoured by policy
makers. Sustainable development indicators proliferated in the wake of the Rio
Earth Summit’s call for indicators of sustainable development (United Nations
1994, Agenda 21). Let us discuss a few selected indices of sustainable
development.
Important indicators of sustainable development are:
i) Gross Sustainable Development Product
ii) Environmental Kuznets Curve
iii) Social Indicators for Sustainable Development
i) Gross Sustainable Development Product
Among different aggregation methods, green accounting is a common physical
or monetary averaging. It is most commonly applied. The concept of Green GDP
has been modified as Gross Sustainable Development Product (GSDP), which
is defined as the total value of production after giving due care to social capital
and natural capital of a region over a specified period of time. It is designed to
replace the Gross Development Product (GDP) as the primary indicator of the
economic performance of a nation. It takes into account:
• The economic impact/costs of environmental degradation
• Impacts of changes in quality systems on national income and wealth
• Global concerns and their impacts on the economy and ecology and society
• The welfare, economic development, and quality of life of future generations
• Expenditures on pollution abatement and clean-ups
• The status of each resource and the stocks and productive capacities
• The depreciation or appreciation of natural assets
• The ecological processes and biological diversity
• The costs of economic growth, resources uses of present and future
generations.

The measurement of GSDP shows that consumption levels can be maintained

without depleting and depreciating the quality and quantity of services for the
present and future. It indicates the solutions to the problems as well as the
directions to take, such as:
• Invest in technology, R and D
• Increase productivity and end-use efficiency
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Sustainable Development • Modify social services, educational programs
• Slow down or increase economic growth
• Remediate components of major quality systems; and
• Rectify present shortcomings of income and wealth accounts.

The measurement of GSDP also gives a proper and sound signal to the public,
government and industry about the rate and direction of economic growth. It
identifies environmental, health, and social quality; it identifies sustainable and
unsustainable levels of resource and environmental uses; it measures the success
or failure of sustainable development policies and practices; and it identifies
resource scarcity. The primary goal of a sustainable local community is to meets
its basic resource needs in ways that can be continued in the future.

ii) Environmental Kuznets curve

Some forms of pollution appear first to worsen and later to improve as countries’
incomes grow. The world’s poorest and richest countries have relatively clean
environments, while middle-income countries are the most polluted. As of its
resemblance to the pattern of inequality and income described by Simon Kuznets
(1955) this pattern of pollution and income has been labelled an ‘Environmental
Kuznets Curve’ (EKC). Grossman and Krueger (1995) and the World Bank (1992)
first popularised this idea, using a simple empirical approach. Data are regressed
on ambient air and water quality in cities worldwide on a polynomial in GDP per
capita and other city and country characteristics. Then, plot the fitted values of
pollution levels as a function of GDP per capita, and demonstrate that many of
the plots appear inverse U-shaped, first rising and then falling. The peaks of
these predicted pollution-income paths vary across pollutants, but ‘in most cases
they come before a country reaches a per capita income of $8000’ in 1985 dollars
(Grossman and Kruger, 1995, p. 353). In simple terminology, the EKC shows
the relationship between the environmental degradation and the per capita income.
The proponents of EKC are of the opinion that in the early stages of economic
growth, degradation and pollution increase. But beyond some level of per capita
income, the trend reverses, so that at high-income levels, economic growth leads
to environmental improvement. This implies the environmental impact indicator
is an inverted U shaped function of per capita income.

In the years since these original observations were made, researchers have
examined a wide variety of pollutants for evidence of the EKC pattern. It includes
automotive lead emissions, deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, toxic waste,
and indoor air pollution. Some investigators have experimented with different
econometric approaches, including higher-order polynomials, fixed and random
effects, splines, semi- and non-parametric techniques, and different patterns of
interactions and exponents. Others have studied different groups of jurisdictions
and time periods as well as have added control variables. It includes measures of
corruption, democratic freedoms, international trade openness, and even income
inequality (bringing the subject full circle back to Kuznets’s original idea).
However, some generalisations across these approaches emerge. Roughly
speaking, pollution involving local externalities begins improving at the lowest
income levels. Faecal coli form in water and indoor household air pollution are
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examples. For some of these local externalities, pollution appears to decrease Sustainable Development:
An Overview
steadily with economic growth and we observe no turning point at all. This is
not a rejection of the EKC; pollution must have increased at some point in order
to decline with income eventually, and there simply is no data from the earlier
period. By contrast, pollutants involving much-dispersed externalities tend to
have their turning points at the highest incomes or even no turning points at all,
as pollution appears to increase steadily with income. Carbon emissions provide
one such example. This, too, is not necessarily a rejection of the EKC; the turning
points for these pollutants may come at levels of per capita income higher than
in today’s wealthiest economies.

Another general empirical result is that the turning points for individual pollutants
differ across countries. This difference shows up as instability in empirical
approaches that estimate one fixed turning point for any given pollutant. Countries
that are the first to deal with a pollutant do so at higher income levels than
following countries, perhaps because the following countries benefit from the
science and engineering lessons of the early movers. Most researchers have been
careful to avoid interpreting these reduced-form empirical correlations structurally,
and to recognise that economic growth does not automatically cause
environmental improvements. All the studies omit country characteristics
correlated with income and pollution levels, the most important being
environmental regulatory stringency. The EKC pattern does not provide evidence
of market failures or efficient policies in rich or poor countries. Rather, there are
multiple underlying mechanisms, some of which have begun to be modelled
theoretically. An example of EKC of sulphur emission is given below in Figure.4.

Fig. 1.4:

iii) Social Indicators of Sustainable development

The social indicators of sustainable development as framed by the United Nations
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) in 1995 are broadly categorised as:
i) Poverty
ii) Governance
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Sustainable Development iii) Health
iv) Education
v) Demography.
i) Poverty: Poverty is considered as one of the key indicators of sustainable
development. Nations with a high percentage of people living the poverty line
can not sustain their level of development. The sub themes as well as the core
and other indicators to be covered in the area of poverty are given in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1: Poverty Indicators for Sustainable Development

Sub Themes Core Indicators Other Indicators
Income Poverty Proportion of population living Proportion of population
below poverty line below $1 a day
Income Inequality Ratio of share in national income ___
highest to lowest quintile
Sanitation Proportion of population using an ___
improved sanitation
Drinking Water Proportion of population using an ___
improved water sources
Access to Energy Share of household without Percentage of population
electricity or other modern using solid fuel for
energy services cooking
Living Conditions Proportion of urban population
living in slums
Source: Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies, United Nations,
New York, 2007

ii) Governance: Governance is the second key indicator of sustainable

development. Good governance is an essential element of sustainable
development. The sub themes of the governance in sustainable development
are corruption and crime. The indicators are given in Table 1.2.

Table 1.2: Governance Indicators for Sustainable Development

Sub Themes Core Indicators Other Indicators
Corruption Percentage of population having ___
paid bribe
Income Inequality Number of international homicides ___
per 1,00,00 population
Source: Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies, United Nations,
New York, 2007

iii) Health: The key indicators of sustainable health care are mortality, health
care delivery, nutritional status and health status and risks. The core areas of
these health care themes are delineated in Table 1.3.

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 Table 1.3: Health Indicators for Sustainable Development Sustainable Development:
An Overview
Sub Themes Core Indicators Other Indicators
Mortality Under Five Mortality Proportion of population
Life Expectancy at Birth below $1 a day
Health Care Percentage of population with Contraceptive prevalence
Delivery access to primary health care rate
facilities Immunization against
child hood diseases
Nutritional Status Nutritional status of children —-
Health Status and Morbidity of major diseases Prevalence of tobacco use
Risks such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, Suicide rate
tuberculosis
Source: Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies, United Nations,
New York, 2007

iv) Education: As far as education is concerned, sustainable education includes

educational levels and literacy. The core indicators of education are given in
Table 1.4.

Table 1.4: Education Indicators for Sustainable Development

Sub Themes Core Indicators Other Indicators
Educational Level Gross intake ratio to last grade —-
of primary education
Net enrolment rate in primary
education
Adult secondary (tertiary)
schooling attainment level
Literacy Adult literacy rate —-
Source: Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies, United Nations,
New York, 2007

v) Demography: The two vital demographic indicators of sustainable

development are population growth and the dependency ratio. The indicators
of demographic themes for sustainable development are given in Table 1.5.
The high fertility rates and higher dependency ratios retard development.
Therefore, sustainable development goals become difficult to attain.

Table 1.5: Demography Indicators for Sustainable Development

Sub Themes Core Indicators Other Indicators
Population growth Total Fertility Rate Ratio local residents to
rate tourists in main tourist
regions and destinations
Dependency ratio Dependency ratio —-
Source: Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies, United Nations,
New York, 2007

In this session you have read about the indicators of sustainable development,
now answer the questions given in Check Your Progress 2.
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Sustainable Development Check Your Progress 2
Note: a) Write your answer in about 50 words.
b) Check your answer with possible answers given at the end of the unit
1) What do you mean by Gross Sustainable Development Product?
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2) What is the Environmental Kuznets Curve?
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1.5 MEASURES TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMEMNT
Sustainable development is an important development agenda of the 21st century
and is one of the vital paradigm shifts in development. Countries have to take
appropriate measures for the promotion of sustainable development. The United
Nations has emphasised its institutional framework for sustainable development.
It has mentioned for its attainment in its institutional framework for sustainable
development, that good governance, sound economic policies, social democratic
institutions responsible to the needs of the people and improved infrastructure is
much needed. Moreover these are also the basis for sustained economic growth,
poverty eradication, and employment generation.

Some suggested measures for the promotion of sustainable development follow.

1) The conservation of land, water and energy resources is fundamental for the
promotion of sustainable development. Appropriate action has to be taken
for the conservation of scanty resources. Conservation of resources by the
present generation will provide future generation with widest range of
possibilities.
2) The development of technologies and approaches which will minimise the
environmental damages. Such development requires scientific knowledge
and continuous investment.
3) Political and public support is critical to implement environmental targets.
4) Increasing the scope of public participation in environmental issues and, in
particular, in planning processes.
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5) Some countries have initiated good practices which are concomitant with Sustainable Development:
An Overview
the promotion of sustainable development:
a) In Brazil, the bio-fuels programme has saved the country $100 billion in
external debt-a fact that makes such fuels attractive in many countries
b) In China, the promotion of vehicles that are more efficient.
c) In South Africa, the implementation of carbon capture and storage
technology brings benefits in terms of technology transfer.
The United Nations has strengthened and integrated the three dimensions of
sustainable development policies and programmes, and to promote the full
integration of sustainable development objective with social development issues.

In this session you read about measures to promote sustainable development,

now answer the questions given in Check Your Progress 3.

Check Your Progress 3

Note: a) Write your answer in about 50 words.
b) Check your answer with possible answers given at the end of the unit.
1) What are the important measures for the promotion of Sustainable
Development?
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2) Write a few good practices for sustainable development?
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1.6 LET US SUM UP

In this unit, we dealt with the definition of economic growth and characteristics
of economic development. We discussed the merits and demerits of different
measures of economic development. We dealt with the definition and components
of sustainable development. We analysed sustainable development path,
sustainable community ecosystem approach. We analysed different indicators of
sustainable development: Green Economic GDP, Gross Sustainable Development
Product, Genuine Progress Indicator and Global Living Planet Index. Finally,
we discussed the role of indigenous knowledge in sustainable development.
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Sustainable Development
1.7 REFERENCES AND SELECTED READINGS
Pearce, P.W. and Atkinson, G. (1992),Measuring Sustainable Development,
CRERGE University College of London.
Grossman, G. and Krueger, A. (1995),“Economic growth and the
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http://www.wri.org/project/sd-pams
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POIchapter11.htm
http://www.ecoeco.org/pdf/stern.pdf

1.8 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS - POSSIBLE

ANSWER
Check Your Progress 1
1) What is the need for sustainable development?
The need for sustainable development arises for two important reasons. Those
are: (i) the current system of development considers development of mankind
alone and ignores the interdependent ecosystem; and (ii) it treats environment
as a commodity.

2) What do you mean by sustainable development?

According to the Brundtl and Commission “Sustainable development” is
that which “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs.” It has three components: a)
Economy - economic activity should serve the common good, be self-
renewing, and build local assets and self-reliance. b) Ecology - humans are
part of nature, nature has limits, and communities are responsible for
protecting and building natural assets. c) Equity - the opportunity for full
participation in all activities, access, benefits, and decision-making of a
society. It has three objectives: i. Economic efficiency, ii. Social acceptability,
and iii. Ecological sustainability

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Check Your Progress 2 Sustainable Development:
An Overview
1) What do you mean by Gross Sustainable Development Product?
The Gross Sustainable Development Product is the total value of production
after giving due care to the social capital and natural capital of a region over
a specified period of time.

2) What is the Environmental Kuznets Curve?

In simple terminology, the EKV shows the relationship between the
environmental degradation and the per capita income. The proponents of
EKV are of the opinion that in the early stages of economic growth,
degradation and pollution increases, but beyond some level of per capita
income, the trend reverses, so that at high income levels, economic growth
leads to environmental improvement. This implies the environmental impact
indicator is an inverted U shaped function of per capita income.

Check Your Progress 3

1) What are the important measures for the promotion of sustainable

development?
The conservation of land, water and energy resources is fundamental to
promotion of sustainable development. Appropriate action has to be taken
for the conservation of scanty resources. Development of technologies, which
would minimize the environmental damages, such development requires
scientific knowledge and continuous investment. Increasing awareness of
the public and policy makers on environmental quality and natural resources
issues is critical to sustainable development.

2) Write a few good practices for sustainable development.

Some countries have initiated good practices which are concomitant with
the promotion of sustainable development:
a) In Brazil, the bio-fuels programme has saved the country $100 billion in
external debt-a fact that makes such fuels attractive in many countries.
b) In China, the promotion of vehicles that are more efficient and have
similar “footprints” has the potential to address both energy security
concerns and infrastructure constraints in a fast growing economy.
c) In South Africa, the implementation of carbon capture and storage
technology brings benefits in terms of technology transfer.

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