Background to sustainability
The Brundtland Report | Rio Earth Summit | Ongoing International Attention
There is a lot of momentum behind the principle of environmental sustainability – but how did it get started?
The Brundtland Report
In 1983, concerned by the impact that human activity is having on the planet, the United Nations establishes the World Commission on Environment and Development.
Led by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Commission issues a report suggesting that the solution is sustainable development – the concept that human activity should “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Rio Earth Summit
After considering the Brundtland Report (1987), the UN General Assembly calls for a United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 – also known as the Rio Earth Summit.
The Summit generates a sense of urgency about the need to alter our behaviour to reduce environmental degradation. Sustainability emerges as the way forward.
Australia’s National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development is endorsed in the same year.
Since then, the notion of sustainable development is steadily embraced by governments, businesses and communities. It is seen as a balanced solution that tackles economic imperatives, social needs and environmental absolutes.
Ongoing International Attention
There are numerous ongoing international commitments, charters, declarations that demonstrate the importance communities place on environmental sustainability.
For example, in April 2002, an international think-tank session was held in Melbourne. The session crystallised 10 principles for creating a sustainable city – a basic ‘how to’ guide.
These 10 principles were launched and presented at the Local Government Session of the World Summit on Development in Johannesburg later that year.
The Melbourne Principles, as they’re now called, will serve as a roadmap for any city wanting to become more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.
Melbourne Principles for Sustainable Cities.
Melbourne Principles for Sustainable Cities (PDF - 214 Kb)
