Transcript Sustainable development

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Mee Kam Ng
Centre of Urban Planning & Environmental
Management
The University of Hong Kong
5 December 2006
Contents
•
•
•
•
•
Ice-breaking game
Why sustainable development?
What is sustainable development?
Sustainable development: key milestones
Sustainable development at different
geographical scale
– From individual to global
– China
– Hong Kong
• Conclusion
Ice-breaking game
Sustainable development
Social
Environmental
Economic
1. Do you reduce, reuse & recycle？
Yes
No
2. Do you use sustainable mode
of transportation such as
public transport and walking？ Yes
No
3. Have you participated in
community activities？
Yes
No
4. Do you have a good relationship
with your neighbour？
Yes
No
5. Are you concerned about
heritage conservation？
Yes
No
6. Do you appreciate local character？
Yes
No
7. Do you support local economy？
Yes
No
Why Sustainable Development?
Figures:
• Carbon dioxide during 400 000 years
• Projected changes in global temperature
• Global fossil carbon emissions
• CO2 concentration, temperature and sea
level
• Comparison between GDP and CO2
emissions for selected countries
• World primary energy use and carbon
dioxide emissions by region from 1971 to
1998
The Development Gap
100
%
80
OECD
60
Middle-income
40
Low income
20
0
% of world
population
% of world
GNP
% of world
trade
Share of resources
% of
com m ercial
lending
The Development Gap
OECD
(19% population)
Middle-income
Countries
(60% population)
Low-income
Countries
(21% population)
• 50% global grain
production
• 60% of artificial
fertilizers
•30-40% foodstuffs
• 92% private cars
2 billion persons with no household electricity or
telephone
• 75% of energy use
• 80% of iron & stell
• 81% of chemical
production
• 86% of copper &
aluminium
• Around 10-15% of
world energy and
industrial production
Christie, I and D. Warburton, 2001, p.7, Table 1.1
• 500-800 million
chronically
undernourished
• Limited access to
fresh water
• Mainly meeting
energy needsby
cutting fuel wood at
higher than
replacement levels
• 100 million without
adequate fuel
Unsustainable Exploitation of Resources
• Since 1971, global energy use has increased by
70% and is expected to rise 2% per year in the next
15 years. This will increase greenhouse gases by
50% over current levels.
• Increased atmospheric nitrogen from fossil fuel
combustion and farming of root crops, which
release nitrogen, has intensified the occurrence in
of acid rain
• Natural resources (e.g. soils, forests, fish aquatic
habitats) continue to decrease in quantity due to
fires, pollution and human influence
Unsustainable Exploitation of Resources
• Loss of biological diversity has resulted from
human activities such as deforestation and
pollution.
• 40% of our global economy is dependent on
biologically derived products.
• 17 million hectares of tropical forest destroyed
each year
• 70-100 species disappear every day
• Water, soil and air have been strained due to high
pollution levels.
What is Sustainable Development?
Key elements of sustainable development and
interconnections
• Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change
http://www.ipcc.ch/present/graphics.htm
Principles of Sustainable Development
• Ecologically ethical utilization of natural
resources
• Inter- and intra-generational equity
• Precautionary principle
• Subsidiarity principle
• A sustainable process
• Partnership among stakeholders
Sustainable Development:
key milestones
• 1962 – Silent Spring (by Rachel
Carson)
• 1969 – Friends of the Earth
• 1970 – Celebrate Earth Day 2004
• 1970 – The limits to growth
• 1972 – Only one Earth
• 1972 – United Nations Environment
Programme
• 1976 – UN-HABITAT
• 1983 – Our common future
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) has been
established by WMO and UNEP to
assess scientific, technical and socioeconomic information relevant for the
understanding of climate change, its
potential impacts and options for
adaptation and mitigation. It is open to
all Members of the UN and of WMO.
• 1992- Earth Summit: Is development
sustainable?
• 1993- UN Commission on Sustainable
Development
• 1997 – Kyoto Protocol
• Earth Summit 2002: Building
partnerships for sustainable
development
Sustainable development
at different geographical scale
From individual to global
Do you reduce, reuse & recycle？
Are you using sustainable mode
of transportation such as public
transport and walking？
Sustaining the Environment
What?
‘Lasting
value’
economy:
low waste,
low carbon
emissions,
high value,
high
innovation
Who?
What level?
• International • Changing
agencies
international
• Governments governance
at different
• Changing
levels
market
• Private sector framework
(different
levels)
• Workers
•
Tax
good
not
• NGOs
bad (national/
• Consumers
local)
Have you participated in
community activities？
Do you have a good relationship with
your neighbour？
Sustaining the Community
What?
• The Charter
of the United
Nations
• The
Universal
Declaration
of Human
Right
• How to
organise
local
activities?
Who?
• Government
• NGOs
• Business!
• Local
communities
What level?
• Supranational
democratic
communities
• National
government’s
support
• Participatory
democracy at
the local level
Are you concerned about heritage
conservation？
Do you appreciate local character？
Do you support local economy？
Sustaining the Economy
What?
Who?
• Community • NGOs
-based
• Local
economy
communities
• Bulk• Financial
buying
sector? Trust
schemes
fund for
• Community socially
currency
responsible
investment
• New
products?
What level?
• Local level
• Needs
legislative
support?
• Could be
international!
Sustainable development in China
China’s Agenda 21
• 1978 Open Door Policy, rapid industrialization &
urbanization  serious environmental problems
• June 1992: UN Conference on Environment and
Development in Rio de Janeiro
• July 1992: the State Development Planning
Commission (SDPC) & the State Science &
Technology Commission (SSTC) were appointed as
the leading institutions for co-ordinating all
ministries, departments and non-government
organizations to work together to formulate China’s
Agenda 21—’White Paper on China’s Population,
Environment and Development in the 21st Century’
China’s Agenda 21
• SDPC: socio-economic planning
• SSTC: research and development
• ACCA21: The Administrative Centre
for China’s Agenda 21—secretariat set
up in May 1994
• March 25, 1994: China’s Agenda 21,
the first national agenda 21 formulated
after the 1st Earth Summit
China’s Agenda 21
• Meaning of sustainable development:
– Economy: material foundation; cornerstone of
sustainable development; poverty alleviation;
improving living standards of the people;
protection of the environment
– Rational utilization of natural resources and
environmental protection
– The planned economy needs to be transformed
into a socialist market economy
– Change of attitudes and behaviour: new
awareness, concepts and knowledge of SD
• Agenda 21: a guide document for drawing
up medium & long-term plans on socioeconomic development: Five Year Plans &
sectoral plans at different levels
Strategic SD Concepts:
• To promote the shift in economic structure & the mode of
economic development: improving quality of
development in growth
• Relying on science and technology: integrating science,
education & the economy
• To promote moral & ethical development & to strengthen
democracy & legal systems
• Control population growth
• Policies and laws on utilization & protection of natural
resources
• Controlling pollution & preventing soil erosion
• ‘Help the poor’ programmes
• National policy, legal system, decision making and
management coordination mechanisms for SD
SD & Development Planning:
Institution & Process
• SD strategies were incorporated into
the FYPs, various cross-sectoral and
sectoral plans and local plans (Local
Agenda 21 Pilot Programme, Priority
Programme and Experimental
Sustainable Community)
Conclusion
•
•
•
•
•
•
SD in China: still economics first
Translating strategy into policies &
programmes
China’s Agenda 21  through various
directives & circulars  different ministries
and governments at different geographical
scale
FYPs, local agenda 21 and actions plans,
priority programmes, experimental projects
Top-down, technical approach, with little
participation
Rhetoric vs actions, esp. at the local levels
Hong Kong
1997-2000
SusDev 21: conclusions
• Existing institutional mechanisms do not fully
promote the development of holistic views about
issues in a way which recognises sustainable
development.
• Communication barriers exist among different
Bureaux and Departments, which results in
decisions being taken without the full benefit of
inputs from across the range of sectoral interests.
• The existing operational culture is not conducive
to greater integration and accountability. This in
turn creates a resistance to institutional change.
• Policy formulation in key areas which impinge on
sustainability issues are sometimes ad-hoc and
slow.
SusDev 21: conclusions
• Roles and responsibilities are at times unclear and
this detracts from transparency and accountability.
Incentives to take the lead and make decisions are
not in the right place.
• Whilst the concept of sustainability has broad
support within the Administration, it has not reached
far enough at all levels (as it must if it is to be
meaningfully pursued).
• There is no existing, forward looking strategy for
sustainable development. Certain Bureaux and
Departments are uncertain about introducing
mechanisms to make sustainable development
operational in the absence of a government strategy
on sustainable development.
Sustainable Development Unit
The Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) is
under the Administration Wing of the Chief
Secretary for Administration's Office since
April 2001. Our main tasks are to facilitate
the integration of sustainable development
into new Government initiatives and
programmes and in the community generally,
and to provide support to the Council for
Sustainable Development.
Sustainable Development Council
• to advise the Government on the priority areas it
should address in promoting sustainable
development;
• to advise on the preparation of a sustainable
development strategy for Hong Kong that will
integrate economic, social and environmental
perspectives;
• to facilitate community participation in the
promotion of sustainable development in Hong
Kong through various means, including the award
of grants from the Sustainable Development Fund;
and
• to promote public awareness and understanding
of the principles of sustainable development.
Sustainable Development Strategy:
First Engagement Report
Sustainable
Development
Strategy: Population
Sustainable Development:
from THEORY to ACTION
• Environmental,
social, economic &
INSTITUTIONAL
dimensions
• At different levels:
INDIVIDUAL TO
GLOBAL
• PROCESS &
PARTNERSHIP
driven