"Unless we do something radical today,
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I n 1991, a publication jointly published
by the World Conservation Union, the World Wide Fund for Nature
and the United Nations Environment Programme proclaimed that humanity
is at risk because it is misusing natural resources and pressing
the Earth to the limits of its capacity. "We are now gambling
with the survival of civilization," warned the book, Caring
for the Earth, in its preface.
In the years following
this ominous warning, the planet is not in much better shape.
The environment is in danger on nearly every front. Every time
we pick up a newspaper, we read about something that is threatening
our very existence, as well as that of other forms of life with
which we share this planet. For example, every 24 hours, an estimated
150 to 200 species of life become extinct. During the same period,
the human population on Earth expands by a quarter million. If
it is not the ozone, it is global warming; if not that, then toxic
and hazardous waste in our water. Our landfills are filling up
so fast, we are running out of room in which to dump our rubbish.
Our forests are disappearing at a rate too fast for them to be
able to replace themselves. These are but a few of the many problems
that are threatening the carrying capacity of our home, the Earth.
A Call for Sustainability
The idea of sustainability was first conceived in relation to
the use of renewable resources, that an activity is only sustainable
inasmuch as it can continue indefinitely. If a renewable resource
is exploited and used faster than it can regenerate itself, the
premise states, the resource will eventually be depleted and hence
its use will not be sustainable.
Living sustainably
means understanding and accepting the consequences of being a
part of a greater community of life and becoming more conscious
of the effects our actions have on future generations and the
other species with whom we share this planet. Because sustainability
is a relatively new concept, and often runs contrary to established
paradigms of social and economic behaviour, ensuring that sustainability
is in fact sustainable will require a new ethic of living. In
order for it to succeed, sustainable living must also be the new
pattern of all sectors and levels of society individuals, organizations,
communities, nations and the world. The new patterns must be promoted
and accepted by youth, women, men, rural peoples, urbanites, religious
organizations, and all other groups of which a society is composed.
Adopting this new pattern of sustainability will necessitate a
fundamental change in the attitudes and practices of many people,
in each of these sectors. It will require that people adjust their
lifestyles and adopt pursuits that respect and work within nature's
limits. Sustainability can be accomplished without rejecting the
many benefits that modern technology has brought civilization,
provided the technology works within those limits.
Sustainable Development
Sustainable development--development which improves people's
quality of life within the carrying capacity of the Earth's life
support system--must be our goal if we are to solve the current
environmental crisis. Most approaches to development in the past
have traditionally focused on the projected economic performance
of a country and its physical infrastructure. As one of its central
activities, development involved exploiting the environment in
an attempt to make life easier, healthier and more prosperous
for people. Unfortunately, as concern for economic performance
began to outweigh other considerations such as the environment,
development often became unsustainable; it sometimes led to the
extraction of more from the environment than the environment was
able to regenerate, and brought harm to the people it was meant
to benefit.
In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development declared
that development is sustainable only if it "meets the needs
of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs."
As outlined in different sections of this book, lack of development
can be just as harmful to the environment as unsustainable development.
People living in poverty often have no other choice but to engage
in activities that could be considered environmentally harmful.
We cannot expect a person to worry about global warming if he
is worrying about feeding his family.
A Worldwide Movement
There is an unprecedented
movement of citizen groups that are mobilizing to address issues
of social and environmental concern. In the developing world there
are now some 4,600 organizations from the developed world working
side by side with approximately 20,000 indigenous non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). Bangladesh alone has more than 10,000 registered
NGOs. In Sri Lanka, the Sarvodala Shramadana movement has mobilized
more than 8,000 villages to produce small-scale community improvement
projects. In the Philippines, there are more than 21,000 community
organizations that are working to improve the life and environment
of that country. In Chile, there are 27,000 and in the neighbouring
country of Argentina about 2,000.
This book is a contribution to this process of sustainable development
and is dedicated to civil society. It is intended for community-based
service organizations that are working toward solving environmental
problems and establishing a sustainable relationship between their
communities and the Earth. It is also for national and international
organizations that want to undertake activities at the community
level and with community involvement. Though the book is targeted
primarily at organizations, individuals also should benefit greatly
from reading it, since communities and organizations, after all,
are made up of individuals.
As you read this book, you may at times feel overwhelmed by the
idea that so much needs to be done. It may seem as if the world's
problems are so big that there is no way that one person or one
organization could make a difference. You might think that reusing
a plastic bag or recycling your newspaper is so trivial that it
won't change anything. The fact is, every person can
make a difference, and collectively, an organization of individuals
can make a big difference. Every group is comprised of
individuals and the entire human population is made up of individuals
and groups. It is up to you, and your community, to make choices
and take actions that will solve the numerous problems that the
planet is experiencing.
This book is UNEP's challenge to you, and to the organizations
of which you are a part, to make your contribution to the cause
of sustainability. This book does not offer a panacea: the words
are meant to be signposts--pointers to action that we must take
if we are to achieve long-term sustainability. It offers some
suggestions that will assist you and your organization to develop
your personal and community action plans.
Human societies differ greatly in culture, religion, history,
politics and traditions, as well as wealth, quality of life and
environmental realities. Because of this vast dispersion of variables,
the principles and action plans presented in this book are put
forth in relatively broad terms, and are meant to be adopted and
interpreted by each community based on its own unique circumstances.
If the world is to achieve sustainability, it will not be through
one path that all conform to; it will be through many different
approaches that have been accomplished through continuous creativity,
trial and error and the adaptation of the experience of others.
While this book was written and intended primarily for communities
in the developing world, many of the approaches will be appropriate
in both the developing "South" as well as the industrialized
and developed "North." It is becoming increasingly difficult
to draw a firm and distinct line between these two sectors of
the global society. There are many places in the North that are
as poor and undeveloped as places in the South, and there are
places in the South that could be considered developed and industrialized.
Lastly, since some of the environmental problems now encountered
in the South are associated with industrial technologies that
originated in the North, many of the approaches to their solutions
would be appropriate in both regions.
The book is divided into two parts. Part I presents The Foundation
for Sustainable Action, and looks at general concepts, such
as the global environment, the global economy, the role of communities
and organizing for community action. Part II, Challenges and
Opportunities, addresses specific environmental concerns,
and suggests ways that different communities can make a difference.
The process through which this book evolved involved input, criticism
and feedback from more than 100 people from numerous organizations,
academic institutions and agencies of the United Nations. At an
early stage, 30 individuals from around the world, each an expert
with experience in different aspects of sustainable living, were
flown to the headquarters of the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi,
Kenya for a five-day intensive workshop to review the first draft
of the manual. Their input was incorporated into a second draft,
which was then sent to six 'focal-point groups' around the world
for yet more feedback.
The process, however, does not stop here. This manual will be
updated with any inputs and feedback received after the first
edition is published. Also, as science advances towards a better
understanding of the world we live in, new discoveries and possible
community solutions to environmental problems will be included
in future editions.
It is hoped that this book will both inform and inspire. If we
the people are going to create positive change in the world, we
must make a commitment to do something. It all starts with the
first step, or sometimes--the first chapter.
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