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Report of the World Commission on
Environment and Development: Our Common Future
Transmitted to the General Assembly as an
Annex to document
A/42/427 - Development and International Co-operation:
Environment - Oslo, 20 March 1987
Table of Contents
Acronyms and
Note on Terminology
Chairman's
Foreword
..."But the "environment" is where we all live; and "development" is what we all
do in attempting to improve our lot within that abode. The two are inseparable.
Further, development issues must be seen as crucial by the political leaders who
feel that their countries have reached a plateau towards which other nations
must strive. Many of the development paths of the industrialized nations are
clearly unsustainable. And the development decisions of these countries, because
of their great economic and political power, will have a profound effect upon
the ability of all peoples to sustain human progress for generations to come..."
From One Earth
to One World
In the middle of the 20th century, we saw our planet from space for the first
time. Historians may eventually find that this vision had a greater impact on
thought than did the Copernican revolution of the 16th century, which upset the
human self-image by revealing that the Earth is not the centre of the universe.
From space, we see a small and fragile ball dominated not by human activity and
edifice but by a pattern of clouds, oceans, greenery, and soils. Humanity's
inability to fit its activities into that pattern is changing planetary systems,
fundamentally. Many such changes are accompanied by life-threatening hazards.
This new reality, from which there is no escape, must be recognized - and
managed.
Part I. Common Concerns
- A Threatened Future
- Symptoms and Causes
- New Approaches to Environment and Development
- Towards Sustainable Development
1. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
It contains within it two key concepts:
--- the concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the world's
poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
--- the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social
organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.
2. Thus the goals of economic and social development must be defined in terms
of sustainability in all countries - developed or developing, market-oriented or
centrally planned. Interpretations will vary, but must share certain general
features and must flow from a consensus on the basic concept of sustainable
development and on a broad strategic framework for achieving it.
3. Development involves a progressive transformation of economy and society.
A development path that is sustainable in a physical sense could theoretically
be pursued even in a rigid social and political setting. But physical
sustainability cannot be secured unless development policies pay attention to
such considerations as changes in access to resources and in the distribution of
costs and benefits. Even the narrow notion of physical sustainability implies a
concern for social equity between generations, a concern that must logically be
extended to equity within each generation.
- The Concept of Sustainable Development
- Equity and the Common Interest
- Strategic Imperatives
- Conclusion
- The Role of the International Economy
..."Two conditions must be satisfied before international economic exchanges can
become beneficial for all involved. The sustainability of ecosystems on which
the global economy depends must be guaranteed. And the economic partners must be
satisfied that the basis of exchange is equitable; relationships that are
unequal and based on dominance of one kind or another are not a sound and
durable basis for interdependence. For many developing countries, neither
condition is met."
..."Economic and ecological links between nations have grown rapidly. This
widens the impact of the growing inequalities in the economic development and
strength of nations. The asymmetry in international economic relations compounds
the imbalance, as developing nations are generally influenced by - but unable to
influence - international economic conditions..."
- The International Economy, the Environment, and Development
- Decline in the 1980s
- Enabling Sustainable Development
- A Sustainable World Economy
Part II. Common Challenges
- Population and Human Resources
- The Links with Environment and Development
- The Population Perspective
- A Policy Framework
- Food Security: Sustaining the Potential
- Achievements
- Signs of Crisis
- The Challenge
- Strategies for Sustainable Food Security
- Food for the Future
- Species and Ecosystems: Resources for Development
- The Problem: Character and Extent
- Extinction Patterns and Trends
- Some Causes of Extinction
- Economic Values at Stake
- New Approach: Anticipate and Prevent
- International Action for National Species
- Scope for National Action
- The Need for Action
- Energy: Choices for Environment and Development
- Energy, Economy, and Environment
- Fossil Fuels: The Continuing Dilemma
- Nuclear Energy: Unsolved Problems
- Wood Fuels: The Vanishing Resource
- Renewable Energy: The Untapped Potential
- Energy Efficiency: Maintaining the Momentum
- Energy Conservation Measures
- Conclusion
- Industry: Producing More With Less
- Industrial Growth and its Impact
- Sustainable Industrial Development in a Global Context
- Strategies for Sustainable Industrial Development
- The Urban Challenge
- The Growth of Cities
- The Urban Challenge in Developing Countries
- International Cooperation
Part III. Common Endeavours
- Managing The Commons
- Oceans: The Balance of Life
- Space: A Key to Planetary Management
- Antarctica: Towards Global Cooperation
- Peace, Security, Development, and the Environment
- Environmental Stress as a Source of Conflict
- Conflict as a Cause of Unsustainable Development
- Towards Security and Sustainable Development
- Towards Common Action: Proposals For Institutional and Legal
Change
- The Challenge for Institutional and Legal Change
- Proposals for Institutional and Legal Change
- A Call for Action
Annexes
Throughout this report, quotes from some of the many people who
spoke at WCED public hearings appear in boxes to illustrate the
range of opinions the Commission was exposed to during its three
years of work. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the
Commission.
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