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Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is...........................
"Development that meets the needs of people at present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"
In the early 1990's the United Nations, recognising the urgent need to address a time-bomb of environmental issues threatening the planet, convened an historic global conference in Brazil. The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro brought together world leaders, representatives of governments, sectoral interests and non-governmental organisations to discuss how best to tackle issues such as global warming, deforestation, pollution, the hole in the ozone layer, poverty, social inequality and fair trade.
The term used to highlight the connections between these environmental, social and economic issues and to convey a sense of responsibility to future generations, was sustainability. It was the 1972 Stockholm Conference and the 1987 Bruntland Report which first introduced the concept of sustainability, but the Rio Conference considered the integration of environment and development for the first time.
One of the most significant results of the Earth Summit was Agenda 21, a global sustainability action plan for the 21st century and beyond which was agreed by over 170 Nations including the UK. The 500-page Agenda 21 document covers social, ethical and economic issues as well as environmental issues, and looks at ways in which quality - and equality - of life can be safeguarded and improved around the world both for this generation and those to come.
Two thirds of the actions detailed in Agenda 21 can only be tackled at community level, so the document recommends that local councils work in partnership with their communities to develop strategies - Local Agenda 21s - for a sustainable future.
A further conference was held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2002, known as the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to check global progress.
How does Local Agenda 21 make a difference?
A Local Agenda 21 Strategy is all about encouraging people to become involved to improve their local area in environmental, economic and social terms.
In Shrewsbury, the Community Strategy attemps to include all of the aspects covered by Agenda 21. To read the Community Strategy, visit the Publications page of this website.
In May 1999 the Government published A better quality of life: a strategy for sustainable development for the UK (Cm 4345, The Stationery Office, London, ISBN 0-10-143452-9). This brings the environment, social progress and the economy alongside each other at the heart of policy making.
Follow this link to find out more about the UK Government's approach to sustainability.