Page 175 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

manner that satisfies our current needs but does not compro-
mise the future availability of resources. Sustainable develop-
ment is an economic pursuit, but it is also an ethical pursuit
because it asks today’s generations to manage our resource
use so that future generations can enjoy similar access to
resources.

Sustainable development involves
environmental protection, economic
well-being, and social equity

Economists employ the term development to describe the use
of natural resources for economic advancement (as opposed
to simple subsistence, or survival). Development involves
making purposeful changes intended to improve the quality of
human life. Construction of homes, schools, hospitals, power
plants, factories, and transportation networks are all exam-
ples of development. Sustainable development is defined by
the United Nations (p. 196) as development that “meets the
FIguRE 6.20 Wal-Mart has embarked on an extensive needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future
program to make its operations more sustainable. Here, a generations to meet their own needs.” This definition is taken
Wal-Mart cashier bags compact fluorescent bulbs in reusable from the United Nations–sponsored Brundtland Commission
canvas bags for a customer. (named after its chair, Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem
Brundtland), which published an influential 1987 report titled
will rate the products it carries to help inform eco-conscious Our Common Future.
consumers. Many observers remain skeptical of Wal-Mart’s Prior to the Brundtland Report, “sustainable develop-
commitment to sustainability and point to unfulfilled prom- ment” would have been widely viewed as an oxymoron—a
ises. Yet, if the corporation delivers on its stated goals, the phrase that contradicts itself. Advocates of development felt
social and environmental benefits could be substantial. Wal- that protecting the environment threatened people’s economic
Mart’s vast global reach and its ability to persuade suppliers needs, whereas advocates of environmental protection held
to alter their ways in order to retain its business mean that that development degrades the environment, thereby jeop-
any change it enacts could have far-reaching impacts. ardizing the very improvements for human life that were
Of course, corporations exist to make money for their intended. In recent years, however, people of all persuasions
shareholders, so they cannot be expected to pursue goals have increasingly perceived how environmental quality sup-
that do not turn a profit. Moreover, many corporate green- ports our quality of life and have concluded that our civili-
ing efforts are more rhetoric than reality, pursued mostly for zation cannot exist without a healthy and functional natural
public relations purposes. Such corporate greenwashing can environment.
mislead consumers into thinking a company is acting more We also now recognize that society’s poorer people suf-
sustainably than it actually is. The bottled water industry fer the most from environmental degradation. This realization
presents a stark example of greenwashing. Advertising with led advocates of environmental protection, economic devel-
words such as “pure” and “natural” and images of forests and opment, and social justice to begin working together toward
alpine springs leads us to believe that bottled water is cleaner common goals. This cooperative approach gave rise to the
and healthier for us to drink. In reality, bottled water is often modern drive for sustainable development. Today, it is widely
less safe than tap water, the plastic bottles are a major source recognized that sustainability does not mean simply protecting
of waste, considerable amounts of oil are burned to transport the environment against the ravages of human development.
the bottles, and the industry depletes aquifers in local com- Instead, it means finding ways to promote social justice, eco-
munities (pp. 417–419). nomic well-being, and environmental quality at the same time
In the end, it is up to all of us in our roles as consumers (FIguRE 6.21). As a result, governments, businesses, industries,
to encourage trends in sustainability by rewarding those busi- and organizations pursuing sustainable development try to
nesses that truly promote sustainable solutions. This is one satisfy a triple bottom line, a trio of goals including economic
way that each of us can express the ethical values we cherish advancement, environmental protection, and social equity.
through the economic system in which we live. Programs that pay for ecosystem services are one exam-
ple of a sustainable development approach that seeks to sat-
isfy a triple bottom line. Costa Rica’s PSA program aims to
enhance its citizens’ well-being by conserving the country’s
Sustainable Development natural assets, while compensating affected landholders for
any economic losses. The intention is to achieve a win-win-
Today’s search for sustainable solutions centers on sustainable win result that pays off in economic, social, and environmen-
174 development, economic advancement that uses resources in a tal dimensions.

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