Editorial
Sustainable Development
Editorial
Sustainable Development - Symbiosis of Environmental Science, Economics and Social Sciences All areas of human activity can have an impact on the environment, for example through the utilisation of natural resources, pollution caused by emissions or unwanted interference with complex biological systems and natural cycles. A good illustration of the potential range of such influences is the hypothetical chain of events whereby a butterfly fluttering its wings somewhere in the Amazon jungle could trigger a hurricane in the northern hemisphere. However, we should not lose sight of the element of exaggeration inherent in such vivid descriptions which serves as a constant reminder that we should not take such theories seriously without first taking a critical look at them. A historical retrospective of environmental protection reveals that periods of concern about the environment have always alternated with periods of neglect. People have invariably embarked on challenging projects to protect the environment when the adverse effects have started to show impact on their lives. For example, conservation of forests was a direct reaction to ruthless exploitation, leaving timber resources seriously depleted. Similarly, heavy emissions resulting from industrial and commercial activity triggered environmental protection measures only after detrimental effects were noticeable. In this situation, it was expedient to take action at the point where undesirable or irreversible damage became obvious. The response was thus directed at the end of the cycle, which is why such measures have become known as "end-of-pipe" technology. This approach was very successful. However, a broader causal analysis showed that not all "end-of-pipe" measures were efficient. This led to a shift in attitude towards integrating environmental protection more closely into the ESPR - Environ. Sci. & Pollut. Res. 3 (1) 1-2 (1996) 9 ecomed publishers, D-86899 Landsberg, Germany
operations concerned or even placing' it at an early stage in the process. The outcome was the integration of environmental protection into production processes. Finally came the idea of investigating environmental impact at the product development stage, which has been gaining ground recently. The concept of integrated environmental protection thus involves more than simply analysing causal connections. The increased efficiency of environmental protection measures and the concept of "prevention is better than cure" have raised the profile of integrated environmental protection. One of the fundamental failings of our busy age is the tendency to assume that problems have been solved when we have merely formulated the task to be addressed. However, integrated environmental protection and its role in society have not yet reached this stage, leaving a great deal to do. Successful environmental protection has eliminated many immediately obvious, local problems. These have been replaced by broader, global problems which are naturally harder for individuals to identify. Consequently, it is more difficult to analyse their repercussions. Virtually all environmental protection measures have also economic effects, either because they engender additional economic activity or because they curtail our economic options. The growing success of environmental protection raised the question of the associated costs and, parallel to this, the quantifiable benefits. Evidently, conflict was pre-programmed. However, such conflicts have not always been discussed or solved in a sensible manner. There are many reasons for this, including conflicting interests and different ways of assessing the elements in-
Sustainable Development
volved. Hence, facts are interpreted differently or seen less significant. One manifestation of this failure to deal adequately with the problem is the conflict between ecological and economic interests. Not long ago, these were portrayed as being in equilibrium and it was not uncommon to stress the h a r m o n y that had been achieved. However, when this view was really put to the test, it was shown to be based on an illusory theory rather than reality. Naturally, environmental concerns and economic interests are not mutually exclusive, but the gap between harmony and complete discord is very wide. Consequently, it is far more honest to recognise the conflict and to regard the cornerstones as essential elements in human existence, even though defining the relationship as a conflict in this way requires the development of adequate and successful measures to resolve it. That is naturally far more difficult than simply exulting in the joys of a harmonious relationship. However, as global problems gain in stature, there is a pressing need to develop methods of bridging the gap between economic interests and environmental demands. Environmental protection has thus triggered a debate on the sustainable use of resources and hence the sustainable development of the world. Logically, the concept of "sustainable development" adds a social dimension to the ecology versus economics debate. This third element is important because it takes account of people's needs and intentions and because it puts the whole debate, which can easily become very theoretical, on a far more concrete basis. Ecological, economic and social considerations thus form a framework in which sustainable development is only possible if there is no lasting damage or threat to any of these aspects. Essentially, all three are considered equally important. However, in this context equality is not a strict statistical distribution but a dynamic relationship in which equilibrium has to be maintained in the long term. It is thus important to ensure that temporary deviations from the fundamental state of equilibrium do not cause irreparable or intolerable damage to any aspect of interest. Accordingly, sustainable development requires effective management tools and indicators to assess the implications of any given 2
Editorial
course of action. The probability of an action having an adverse effect on any of these levels needs to be assessed so that counter action can be taken. Risk thus becomes a new tool, a way of assessing the degree of damage and the likelihood of it occurring; it thus attains a new significance as an indicator of sustainable development. The difficulty lies in identifying the potential repercussions in order to weigh up the overall risks of a particular course of action. There is still a great deal to be done here, but much of it requires primarily political rather than scientific action. The concept of sustainable development is abstract and the priority now is to give it a concrete form. There are currently many ideas on how to achieve this. For example, an attempt is being made to manage development through targets and suitable tools to measure their attainment. Environmental protection is thus taking on an extremely complex and interdisciplinary dimension. It no longer focuses on individual, isolated actions of a primariliy scientific, technical or legal nature. Instead it has become a general management task defined by a whole range of intricate objectives. Many ideas are being generated at the moment and these need to be perfected and tested. The more global the approach, the more difficult apparently simple and at first sight appropriate solutions become. Scientific keenness of mind needs to be tempered by judgement and wisdom! Environmental science is thus moving beyond the traditional confines science, technology and law, and this requires a symbiosis of science, economics and social sciences. To make matters more complicated, this is a global rather than national process. The best way to produce workable solutions is to develop proposals on the basis of a reliable analysis of the problems to be tackled and to use this as a basis for deciding what action to take. Environmental scientists are thus working in an extremely demanding and wide-ranging field.
Prof. Dr. Herwig Hulpke Bayer A G WV Umweltschutz D-S1368 Leverkusen Germany ESPR - Environ. Sci. & Pollut. Res. 3 (1) 1996
Sustainable Development
Editorial
Sustainable Development - Symbiosis of Environmental Science, Economics and Social Sciences All areas of human activity can have an impact on the environment, for example through the utilisation of natural resources, pollution caused by emissions or unwanted interference with complex biological systems and natural cycles. A good illustration of the potential range of such influences is the hypothetical chain of events whereby a butterfly fluttering its wings somewhere in the Amazon jungle could trigger a hurricane in the northern hemisphere. However, we should not lose sight of the element of exaggeration inherent in such vivid descriptions which serves as a constant reminder that we should not take such theories seriously without first taking a critical look at them. A historical retrospective of environmental protection reveals that periods of concern about the environment have always alternated with periods of neglect. People have invariably embarked on challenging projects to protect the environment when the adverse effects have started to show impact on their lives. For example, conservation of forests was a direct reaction to ruthless exploitation, leaving timber resources seriously depleted. Similarly, heavy emissions resulting from industrial and commercial activity triggered environmental protection measures only after detrimental effects were noticeable. In this situation, it was expedient to take action at the point where undesirable or irreversible damage became obvious. The response was thus directed at the end of the cycle, which is why such measures have become known as "end-of-pipe" technology. This approach was very successful. However, a broader causal analysis showed that not all "end-of-pipe" measures were efficient. This led to a shift in attitude towards integrating environmental protection more closely into the ESPR - Environ. Sci. & Pollut. Res. 3 (1) 1-2 (1996) 9 ecomed publishers, D-86899 Landsberg, Germany
operations concerned or even placing' it at an early stage in the process. The outcome was the integration of environmental protection into production processes. Finally came the idea of investigating environmental impact at the product development stage, which has been gaining ground recently. The concept of integrated environmental protection thus involves more than simply analysing causal connections. The increased efficiency of environmental protection measures and the concept of "prevention is better than cure" have raised the profile of integrated environmental protection. One of the fundamental failings of our busy age is the tendency to assume that problems have been solved when we have merely formulated the task to be addressed. However, integrated environmental protection and its role in society have not yet reached this stage, leaving a great deal to do. Successful environmental protection has eliminated many immediately obvious, local problems. These have been replaced by broader, global problems which are naturally harder for individuals to identify. Consequently, it is more difficult to analyse their repercussions. Virtually all environmental protection measures have also economic effects, either because they engender additional economic activity or because they curtail our economic options. The growing success of environmental protection raised the question of the associated costs and, parallel to this, the quantifiable benefits. Evidently, conflict was pre-programmed. However, such conflicts have not always been discussed or solved in a sensible manner. There are many reasons for this, including conflicting interests and different ways of assessing the elements in-
Sustainable Development
volved. Hence, facts are interpreted differently or seen less significant. One manifestation of this failure to deal adequately with the problem is the conflict between ecological and economic interests. Not long ago, these were portrayed as being in equilibrium and it was not uncommon to stress the h a r m o n y that had been achieved. However, when this view was really put to the test, it was shown to be based on an illusory theory rather than reality. Naturally, environmental concerns and economic interests are not mutually exclusive, but the gap between harmony and complete discord is very wide. Consequently, it is far more honest to recognise the conflict and to regard the cornerstones as essential elements in human existence, even though defining the relationship as a conflict in this way requires the development of adequate and successful measures to resolve it. That is naturally far more difficult than simply exulting in the joys of a harmonious relationship. However, as global problems gain in stature, there is a pressing need to develop methods of bridging the gap between economic interests and environmental demands. Environmental protection has thus triggered a debate on the sustainable use of resources and hence the sustainable development of the world. Logically, the concept of "sustainable development" adds a social dimension to the ecology versus economics debate. This third element is important because it takes account of people's needs and intentions and because it puts the whole debate, which can easily become very theoretical, on a far more concrete basis. Ecological, economic and social considerations thus form a framework in which sustainable development is only possible if there is no lasting damage or threat to any of these aspects. Essentially, all three are considered equally important. However, in this context equality is not a strict statistical distribution but a dynamic relationship in which equilibrium has to be maintained in the long term. It is thus important to ensure that temporary deviations from the fundamental state of equilibrium do not cause irreparable or intolerable damage to any aspect of interest. Accordingly, sustainable development requires effective management tools and indicators to assess the implications of any given 2
Editorial
course of action. The probability of an action having an adverse effect on any of these levels needs to be assessed so that counter action can be taken. Risk thus becomes a new tool, a way of assessing the degree of damage and the likelihood of it occurring; it thus attains a new significance as an indicator of sustainable development. The difficulty lies in identifying the potential repercussions in order to weigh up the overall risks of a particular course of action. There is still a great deal to be done here, but much of it requires primarily political rather than scientific action. The concept of sustainable development is abstract and the priority now is to give it a concrete form. There are currently many ideas on how to achieve this. For example, an attempt is being made to manage development through targets and suitable tools to measure their attainment. Environmental protection is thus taking on an extremely complex and interdisciplinary dimension. It no longer focuses on individual, isolated actions of a primariliy scientific, technical or legal nature. Instead it has become a general management task defined by a whole range of intricate objectives. Many ideas are being generated at the moment and these need to be perfected and tested. The more global the approach, the more difficult apparently simple and at first sight appropriate solutions become. Scientific keenness of mind needs to be tempered by judgement and wisdom! Environmental science is thus moving beyond the traditional confines science, technology and law, and this requires a symbiosis of science, economics and social sciences. To make matters more complicated, this is a global rather than national process. The best way to produce workable solutions is to develop proposals on the basis of a reliable analysis of the problems to be tackled and to use this as a basis for deciding what action to take. Environmental scientists are thus working in an extremely demanding and wide-ranging field.
Prof. Dr. Herwig Hulpke Bayer A G WV Umweltschutz D-S1368 Leverkusen Germany ESPR - Environ. Sci. & Pollut. Res. 3 (1) 1996
