SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Definition and dimensions

SD In 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

SD: Market regulation Bartelmus (1994) defines the sustainable development as a set of development programs, without which the problems with the conflict between generations regarding the use of natural recourses and those of social inequality would not be solved.

SD The CSD (UN Commission on Sustainable Development) argues that the sustainable development has four major dimensions: A. Social B. Economic C. Environmental, and D. Institutional These dimensions are inter-related and mutually supportive

SD H. Bossel (1999) includes in this term nine dimensions: 1) natural; 2) material; 3) ecological; 4) social; 5) economic; 6) legal; 7) cultural; 8) political, 9) psychological

SD Types of Capital: Natural and Produced I. Natural : a) renewable: water, timber, hydro energy, wind energy, solar energy; b/ nonrenewable : crude oil, coal, natural gas, iron ore

SD II. Produced capital: substitutes for the non- renewable, technologies, equipment, infrastructure, knowledge, etc. **** in some cases “capital” can be both Natural or Produced – timber, for example, can be delivered by virgin forests or through forestation.

Types of Sustainabiulity WEAK Sustainability – allowing unlimited substitution of Natural capital with Produced capital STRONG Sustainability – preservation of the non-renewable resources Meadows (1974) before the Club of Rome.[i] This report recommended zero economic growth as the only alternative in the conditions of fast depletion of natural recourses.[i] *** D.H. Meadows, et al., The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind, Pan Macmillan

Is forecasting always reliable? In 1920 the Scientific American Magazine warns that with the growing consumption, the oil reserves of USA will last for only 20 years. In 1932 the US Federal Oil Conservation Board estimated that 10 billion barrels of oil remain, while in January 2003 Oil & Gas Journal evaluated those reserves to billions barrels, and that after 70 years of dynamic growth of consumption. The same competent magazine evaluates the world reserves of conventional oil to 1, billion barrels, which is tenths of times more than the evaluation from 1950 of the American Petroleum Institute of a total reserve of only 100 billion barrels. The “unconventional oil reserves” are two main kinds: a) heavy oils, which are thicker and contain more sulphur and heavy metal contamination, necessitating further refined, while b) Tar Sands can be recovered via surface mining or in-situ collection techniques. This additional reserves are estimated to total of 3 trillion barrels, accessed at:

Energy and material intensity of production The development of non-waste and highly effective technologies involving a sharp decrease of the energy intensity and material intensity of a unit of physical product, is a long-term process that goes with different dynamics in different sectors and types of production.

Hoe realistic is the concept of “strong sustainability” ? The consumption of non-renewable recourses cannot be stopped without causing deep disproportion and collapse in the whole system of public reproduction, respectively in the living standard. Even not full, but sharp curbing of such consumption will reflect in much larger extent on the developing countries

SD: new definition Sustainable Development : socially justified and environmentally sound economic development R. Gechev (2005). Sustainable Development: Economic Aspects. Indianapolis: University of Indianapolis Press, USA

Principles of the environmentally sound economic development ♦ Priority use of intensive factors of growth. ♦ Decreasing energy and material intensity per unit of physical product. ♦ Outstripping increase of the share of the renewable natural resources. ♦ Progressive replacement of non-renewable with renewable recourses. ♦ Introduction of new, economically viable technologies for mining of unconventional renewable and non- renewable natural resources. ♦ Increase of the share of non-waste technologies (closed production cycle.

♦ Increase of the share of recycled materials. ♦ Quality improvement of the durable goods and therefore longer periods for their replacement. ♦ Changes in the patterns of consumption, and more specifically limiting the so called consumerism. ♦ Increased investments and stronger stimuli for preservation and restoration of the environment in regions with sharp environmental imbalances. ♦ Optimization of the geographic location of production taking into consideration the accompanying expenses of materials and energy, as well as with the purpose of more even burdening of the local ecosystems. ♦ Applying of diversified and effective system of stimuli for businesses and households, that apply and help the realization of the principles of environmentally friendly production and consumption.

Socially justified development ♦ Full employment ♦ Eradication of poverty and justified distribution of the national wealth ♦ Reliable social net for the low income households ♦ Improving purchasing power/Higher Income per capita ♦ Protected consumer’s rights ♦ Access to appropriate healthcare ♦ Access to education ♦ Access to information/transparency ♦ Well-maintained national security ♦ Highly respected human rights ♦ Preservation and restoration of the cultural heritage

SD: Market regulation Bartelmus (1994) completely grounded opinion presents the sustainable development as a set of development programs, without which the problems with the conflict between generations regarding the use of natural recourses and those of social inequality would not be solved.