Dr.
Saheli Pradhan Mitra
“Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
• UN Conference on Environment and Development, or the 1992 Earth
summit in Rio de Janeiro – unanimously adopted Agenda 21, a blueprint
for sustainable development.
• Millennium Development Goals – UN General Assembly resolution 55/2,
outlined 8 targets aimed at reducing poverty and promoting sustainable
development
• World Summit on Sustainable Development – reaffirmed the commitment
to Agenda 21 and Millennium Development Goals
• Reduction of biodiversity.
• Increasing use of the earth’s net primary productivity.
• Increasing genetic resistance of pest species and disease causing bacteria.
• Elimination of many predators.
• Deliberate or accidental introduction of potentially harmful species into
communities.
• Using some renewable resources faster than they can be replenished.
• Interfering with the earth’s chemical cycling and energy flow processes.
• Relying mostly on polluting fossil fuel.
1. Poverty, political instability, population growth, undernourishment and diseases in
developing countries.
2. High consumerism of natural resources (including energy resources)
These factors lead to global problems of :
• Economic disparity and social injustice
• Air and water pollution
• Global warming and climate change
• Loss of biodiversity, and
• Ozone depletion
• Economic Development – poverty eradication
• Social Development – active participation of women; education; good
governance
• Environmental Protection – prevent environmental degradation and
patterns of unsustainable Dev.
At the local, national, regional, and global levels
1. Poverty eradication
2. Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the world’s people with income less
than $1/day
3. Basic health services for all, reduce health threats
4. Increase food availability
5. Combat desertification, mitigate effects of drought and floods
6. Provision of clean drinking water
7. Enhance industrial productivity
1. Cleaner production technologies
2. Developing cleaner, more efficient energy technologies
3. Maintain urban air quality and health, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
4. Sound management of chemicals throughout the life cycle, and of hazardous
wastes
• Prevent water pollution to reduce health
hazards and protect ecosystems
• Watershed and groundwater
management
• Support desalination of seawater, water
recycling
• Ensure the sustainable development of
oceans, marine environmental protection
Priority areas for action, identified by UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan
Water and sanitation
Energy
Health
Agriculture
Biodiversity protection and ecosystem management
• “Water is not only the most basic
of needs but is also at the center
of sustainable development.”
• Around 1.2 billion people still
have no access to clean drinking
water
• Around 2.4 billion people do not
have adequate sanitation.
Some key issues:
• Prevent water pollution to reduce health hazards
• Protect ecosystems
• Introduce technologies for affordable sanitation, industrial and domestic
wastewater treatment
• River basin, watershed and groundwater management
• Support desalination of seawater, water recycling
• Marine environmental protection - oceans, seas, the Earth’s ecosystem
“Some 2 billion people lack access to electricity
and rely on traditional fuel sources such as
firewood, kerosene, or biomass for their
cooking and heating.”
Some key issues:
• Focus on access to energy in rural areas
• Energy conservation and energy efficiency – building design & management,
better mass transportation, advanced and innovative cleaner technologies
• Promotion of renewable energy
• Action on climate change –(Kyoto Protocol)
“Good health is vital for eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development.”
Some key issues:
• Reduce mortality rates in 2015: by 66.7% for children & infants under 5; by
75% for maternal mortality rates
• Control & eradicate communicable diseases, reduce HIV prevalence, combat
malaria, tuberculosis
• Ensure that chemicals are not used and produced in ways that harm human
health
• Reduce air pollution
“Agriculture is central to sustainable development. About 70% of the poor in developing
countries live in rural areas and depend in one way or another on agriculture for their survival.”
Some key issues:
• Address serious soil fertility problems
• Diversification of crops
• Increase water-use productivity
• Apply R&D to increase productivity in crops and livestock
(Sustainable development in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors conserves land,
preserves water, plant and animal genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading,
technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable." (FAO 994))
Between 1960 and 2000
• World population doubled from 3 to 6 billion people
• Global economy increased more than six-fold
To meet this demand
• F production increased 2 ½ times
Food
• Water use doubled
• Wood harvests for pulp and paper production tripled
• Timber production increased by more than half
Who is eating?
• Sustainable animal production
• Improving productivity of animals
• Feed supplementation for increasing
livestock production
• Improving fertility and disease
diagnosis
• With high yielding varieties of crops, most soils are unable to supply the
needed amounts of plant nutrients.
• Fertilizers are chemicals that supply plant nutrients, mostly N, P and K.
• Manufacture of N-based synthetic fertilizers requires fossil fuels as raw
materials.
• Equal consideration of environment, society and economy for all.
• Intergenerational solidarity-consideration of the needs of future generations.
• Intergenerational solidarity-consideration of the needs of poor.
(Conference is held in Rio de Janerio 3-14 June, 1992)
1. Rio Declaration
2. Conventions on Climate Change and Biodiversity
3. Convention on Forestry
4. Agenda 21
Issues addressed in the summit:
1. Water
2. Energy
3. Health
4. Agriculture
5. Biodiversity
• Reduction of poverty
• School education for all children
• Reduction in gender gaps
• Control of human population growth
• Increase rate of literacy
• Reduction of mortality rate in infants
• Increase in forest
• Drinking water access to villages
• Cleaning of major polluted rivers
(Tenth-five year plan)
Thank You
