Sustainable development

Sustainable development (SD) is a pattern of resource use that aims to

meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs
can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come. The
term was used by the Brundtland Commission which coined what has become
the most often-quoted definition of sustainable development as development
that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.

Development which seeks to produce sustainable economic growth

while ensuring future generations' ability to do the same by not exceeding
the regenerative capacity of the nature. In other words, it's trying to protect
the environment.

By the year 2010, our agriculture, fisheries and forestry, and indeed all
forms of development need to become sustainable. Even though we do not
know what this sustainability will precisely look like, we need to commit
ourselves in realizing it.

This will require many changes, including new forms of land

management, the creation of new products, services and technology, new
forms of consumer behavior and the addressing of third world debt problems
so that developing countries will be able to afford to be part of the solution
rather than part of the
problem.

Schemes of Sustainable Development

Seven Dimensions of Sustainable Development

From the Philippine perspective sustainable development is a

multidimensional concept, involving no less than seven dimensions.
Sustainable development is viewed as the mutually beneficial interaction
between the legitimate interests of business and the economy, government
and the polity, and civil society and culture. However, these societal
interactions do not exist in a vacuum. On the physical and material side,
society is bounded by the carrying capacity of the varied ecosystems,
landscape ecology, and ultimately the biosphere of the earth, of Nature. On
the psychological and spiritual side, the threefold functional differentiation of
society is contextualized by the caring capacity of individuals.

From this perspective, five dimensions of sustainable development are

clearly visible. These are—the human being, culture, polity, economy, and
Nature. However, to this five, we need to consider society as a separate
dimension. Society can be understood as the integrative result of interactions
of the different activities in culture, polity, and the economy. The population
issue, for example, is a development issue that can only be addressed from a
societal perspective, not just from culture alone, or the economy alone, or
polity alone.

Seven Dimensions of Sustainable Development

One must not confuse the societal dimension with the individual
dimension. Ontologically, in the physical world, only individuals exist as such.
Society, in effect, is an idea. Society is a cognitive construct arising from an
individual’s or several individual’s perception of the differing patterns of
interactions among human beings. It is within this context that the whole
debate between Western and Asian values, between rights versus community
and responsibility, can be understood. It is also within this context that the
harmonious integration between human and social development is to be
achieved.
 With society, we therefore have the six dimensions of sustainable
development before us. But these six are not enough. We need to add a
seventh that pervades all the other dimensions. This seventh is the
dimension of Spirit. Unless we see and explicitly acknowledge the spiritual in
nature, human beings, and society in our framework of development, we can
never do justice to the strong sense of Philippine spirituality that permeates
Philippine Agenda 21 (PA21).

These seven dimensions of sustainable development are the keys to

understand the structure and substance of PA21. The definition, vision,
principles, and parameters of the Principles of Unity as well as the Action
Agenda of PA21 are all basically drawn out from the key concerns of these
seven dimensions of sustainable development.

Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) – National

council created in 1992 to fulfill the Philippine commitments to the 1992
Earth Summit. The Philippines was the first country to establish its national
council for sustainable development (NCSD) to expand, concretize and
operationalize sustainable development at the national level. PCSD currently
has representation from government, business/labor and civil society.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development The

International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is a Canadian-
based, public policy research institute that has a long history of conducting
cutting-edge research into sustainable development. Vision: Better living for
all—sustainably. Mission: To champion innovation, enabling societies to live
sustainably
Role: promotes the transition toward a sustainable future; we seek to
demonstrate how human ingenuity can be applied to improve the well-being
of the environment, economy and society.

The United Nations Environment Programme Division of Technology,

Industry and Economics To provide leadership and encourage partnership
in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations
and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of
future generations.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development is a coalition

of 122 international companies committed to the environment and to the
principles of economic growth and sustainable development. The World
Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a CEO-led, global
association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and
sustainable development. The Council provides a platform for companies to
explore sustainable development, share knowledge, experiences and best
practices, and to advocate business positions on these issues in a variety of
forums, working with governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental
organizations.Members are drawn from more than 30 countries and 20 major
industrial sectors. The Council also benefits from a global network of some 60
national and regional business councils and regional partners.
The Council’s objectives are to:

• Be a leading business advocate on sustainable development;

• Participate in policy development to create the right framework
conditions for business to make an effective contribution to sustainable
human progress;
• Develop and promote the business case for sustainable
development;
• Demonstrate the business contribution to sustainable
development solutions and share leading edge practices among
members;
• Contribute to a sustainable future for developing nations and nations
in transition.

United Nations Sustainable Development.

Mission

The Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) provides leadership and is

an authoritative source of expertise within the United Nations system on
sustainable development. It promotes sustainable development as the
substantive secretariat to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development
(CSD) and through technical cooperation and capacity building at
international, regional and national levels. The context for the Division's work
is the implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation and the Barbados Programme of Action for Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States.

Goal

• Integration of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of

sustainable development in policy-making at international, regional and
national levels;
• Wide-spread adoption of an integrated, cross-sectoral and broadly
participatory approach to sustainable development;
• Measurable progress in the implementation of the goals and targets of
the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

Priority Activities for the Division to Achieve These Goals

 • Facilitate intergovernmental negotiations, consensus-building and
decision-making through the provision of substantive support to the
work of the CSD and other related bodies;
• Provide technical assistance, expert advice and capacity building to
support developing countries and countries with economies in transition
in their efforts to achieve sustainable development;
• Facilitate inter-agency and inter-organizational cooperation, exchange
and sharing of information, and catalyze joint activities and
partnerships within the United Nations system and with other
international organizations, governments and civil society groups in
support of sustainable development;
• Promote and facilitate monitoring and evaluation of, and reporting on,
the implementation of sustainable development at the national,
regional and international levels;
• Undertake in-depth strategic analyses to provide policy advice to the
USG/DESA, UN system and intergovernmental fora focusing on cross-
cutting and emerging sustainable development issues.

The Earth Council is an international non-governmental organization (NGO)

that was created in September 1992 to promote and advance the
implementation of the Earth Summit agreements. Information is provided on
the background, programs and structure ofthe Earth Council.

Earth Council Alliance (ECA) supports Earth Councils and other people and
organizations committed to sustainability initiatives and preserving the world
for today’s peoples and future generations. As an international organization,
we are a non-government organization (NGO) incorporated in Switzerland.
ECA supports autonomous Earth Councils founded during the last decade in
with the goal of accelerating progress in achieving sustainability goals as
they are framed in the Earth Charter, Agenda 21, and the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals. Recognizing its international character and
scope, ECA is being incorporated as a Swiss foundation in Geneva, and has
established offices in San Diego, California, and Beijing, Peoples Republic of
China.

Our goal is to foster increased awareness of sustainability achievements,

problems and pragmatic solutions around the world. Our programs are
designed to optimize access and cooperation across sectors, issues, and
regions to deploy best practices. We seek to provide a platform for leaders at
the grassroots and national levels to work together in solving problems and
seizing opportunities outside the confines of traditional bureaucracies. With a
clear understanding of the environmental challenges faced by present and
future generations, the ECA will foster a global culture of active
communication and collaboration among multiple constituencies and sectors.
The International Development Research Centre is a public corporation
created by the Canadian government to help communities in the developing
world find solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems through
research

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is a Crown

corporation created by the Parliament of Canada in 1970 to help developing
countries use science and technology to find practical, long-term solutions to
the social, economic, and environmental problems they face. Our support is
directed toward creating a local research community whose work will build
healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.

The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives ICLEI -

Local Governments for Sustainability is an association of over 1200 local
government Members who are committed to sustainable development. Our
Members come from 70 different countries and represent more
than 569,885,000 people.

ICLEI is an international association of local governments as well as national

and regional local government organizations who have made a commitment
to sustainable development.

Written Report
in Ecology
(BS 5)

Submitted to:

Mrs. Genevieve Suaybaguio

Submitted by:

Reynante Santos

BSE Biological Science II – A