292
ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
UN World Commission on Environ ment and Development: Our
Common Future:
‘Sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the present generations without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’
1
The
concept of sustainable development, its agenda and solutions for
its implementation today are important tasks of the UN. The UN
Conference on Environ ment and Development in Rio de Janeiro,
1992, was dedicated to the above issues.
Two important documents
were adopted at the conference: ‘Declaration on Environ ment
and Development’ and action programme for the 21
st
century
‘Agenda 21’.
The strategy ‘Think globally, act locally’ highlights the idea that
no global action is feasible without purposeful local steps. Many
countries of the world have recognised the necessity to design their
development strategies in such a way that not only the rates and
prospects of economic development as well as quality of
life are
sustained but also environ mental degradation and over-consumption
of resources are eliminated. Thus, the concept of sustainable
development became a frame of reference that could influence the
activities of the contemporary society and the development of the
future society. The sustainability of the development of the world
countries was evaluated in 2002 at the UN World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the Republic of South
Africa.
An updated and more elaborated definition of sustainable de ve-
lop ment is provided in the European Union Sustainable Development
Strategy:
Sustainable development means that
the needs of the present
generation should be met without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. It is an overarching objective of
the European Union set out in the Treaty, governing all the Union’s
policies and activities. It is about safeguarding the earth’s capacity
to support life in all its diversity and is based on the principles of
democracy, gender
equality, solidarity, the rule of law and respect
for fundamental rights, including freedom and equal opportunities
for all. It aims at the continuous improvement of the quality of life
and well-being on Earth for present and future generations. To that
end it promotes a dynamic economy with full employment and a
high level of education, health protection,
social and territorial
cohesion and environ mental protection in a peaceful and secure
world, respecting cultural diversity.
2
1
Our Common Future (1987) Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2
EU sustainable develop ment strategy. Accessible:
http://ec.europa.eu/environ-
ment/eussd/
12. Sustainable Development
293
The concept of sustainable development is based on the
necessity to optimise economic development and social system, as
well as the impact on the environ ment and the use of resources. This
model of development has to ensure the sustainability of economy,
environ ment and the social sphere in time and space (Figure 12.7).
The three basic spheres requisite for the humanity’s
existence today
are the following: viable economy, harmonious society and healthy
environ ment. These are also the desirable external prerequisites for
the development of an individual. Sustainable development implies
that each economic, social or environ mental issue must be solved
in such a way that the
adopted decision is favourable, or as little
unfavourable as possible, for the development of other spheres.
Economy
Environment
Sustainable
development
Social
domain
The main tasks of sustainable development are the following.
Preservation of resources, i.e. ensuring the avail
ability
of resources for humanity’s development not only to the
present but also to the future generations. This involves the
necessity to implement an agenda
and policies that aim at
raising the efficiency of the use of non-renewable resources,
their replacement with renewable resources, at the same time
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