Introduction
The association between the environment and economic progress is a concept that was first discussed during the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment which was held in Stockholm in 1972. At the time of the conference, there were widespread fears among the Northern and Southern countries that protection of the environment was a hindrance to the development of the nations. The Brundtland report was the first reference to sustainable development. The report was published in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development.
According to the Brundtland report, sustainable development refers to “development that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The notion of sustainable development or sustainability has been adopted by both developed and developing nations. In addition to this, international organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development have been at the forefront in rallying other nations to embrace sustainability. The concept of sustainability has evolved over the years in order to encompass social, economic and environmental goals in the decision making process. The “balance” approach has been advanced in reference to sustainability.
The idea of striking a balance between the environment and the economy implies that there are times when the economy takes precedence over the environment and there are times when the environment takes precedence over the environment. This notion has widely been adopted particularly by business corporations whose main goal is to maximize their profits. Regardless of the interpretation of sustainability that is adopted, science has played a key role in not only providing insights into the damage that has already been done to the environment but also the effect of ongoing economic practices on the environment. It is against this background that this paper shall discuss the connection between sustainability and science and politics and sustainability. The paper shall seek to establish whether sustainability is more of politics than science.
Are we on a sustainable path?
Sustainability is currently a widely accepted concept as a result of the efforts that have been made by experts to highlight its importance. However, it still remains a concept rather than a reality for most countries for the following reasons:
There is a huge economic disparity among different nations of the world. There are countries that have successfully managed to meet the basic needs of their citizens while there are others that are unable to meet the most basic needs of their citizens. More than 1 billion people in the world currently live on less than $ 1 per day. The priorities of most nations are geared towards meeting the needs of their citizens hence sustainability ranks low on the priority list.
The developed nations are known for their excessive accumulation of natural resources in different parts of the world. In an effort to maintain their economic status, the developed nations exploit natural resources in the developing nations such as natural gas and the biodiversity. They often do this with little regard for the environment of these nations. Instead, the main focus of the corporations from the developed nations is to maximize their gains. This undermines sustainable development on global scale because while other nations are working towards it, there are other nations whose natural resources are still being over exploited.
In order to attain sustainability, scientific innovations cannot be ignored. The developed nations have the financial might and the expertise that is required in order to come up with these innovations. However, the developing nations do not have these resources hence they often have to make do with what they have. The developing nations are often lagging behind in the quest for sustainability. On the other hand, the developed nations have the capacity to attain sustainability but fail to do due to lack of political will.
Sustainability and politics
The link between politics and sustainability cannot be ignored given that the attainment sustainability by a nation entails the implementation of laws and regulation which are pegged on the political system of a nation. In instances where the political system supports sustainable development, the concept has not only been enacted but measures have also been put in place to improve the current frameworks. However, the political system also stands in the way of attaining sustainability making the concept of sustainability more of a scientific notion rather than a reality.
The government of any country is made up of several departments that perform specific functions. For instance, there is a ministry for the management of natural resources and a different ministry for environment. The roles that are executed by these ministries can at times be conflicting and repetitive. This makes it difficult to attain sustainability since there is a lack of a distinct department that is charged with spearheading and managing the implementation of sustainability. The implementation of sustainability is also a horizontal concept which cuts across several departments such as mining, trade, fisheries, forestry, agriculture and environment. It is often difficult to implement sustainability because of the silo mentality of the government which is sometimes known as the vertical structure of the government.
The process of implementing a policy is long and bureaucratic. The politicians also represent diverse and conflicting interests therefore making the implementation of sustainability a long winding process. The politicians therefore implement changes to a critical policy such as sustainable development in small slow steps amidst arguments, intense lobbying and the need to stay in power. However, the implementation of sustainability requires bold dramatic moves and at times it requires a complete overhaul of systems. However, even the most advanced and democratic governments can only manage to implement one or two initiatives on sustainable development.
An example of a policy on sustainability that has taken time to be implemented is the protection of endangered species in different parts of the world. In most developing nations, there are concerns over the gradual decline of certain animal species which include but are not limited to tigers, rhinos, lions and elephants. The implementation of policies aimed at stemming this trend has been marred by conflicting opinions. On one hand, there are civil society groups, environmentalists and a few politicians who are keen on protecting the endangered animal species. On the other hand, there are politicians, animal ranch owners and a section of the public who are keen on exploiting the endangered species for maximum economic gains. As a result of the conflicting opinions, the pace of implementing policies to protect endangered species has been rather slow.
Whenever a government signs an international agreement, they are bound by the agreement to implement the recommendations of the agreement. For instance, the Kyoto Protocol was an international agreement that was drafted into order to reduce the carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Sustainable development is an area that requires cooperation among all the government in order effect the necessary changes and move towards sustainability on a global scale. During the signing and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, nations agreed to reduce their carbon emissions by 60% . The USA failed to honour this agreement and sign it hence continues to emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This in turn affects other nations on a global scale since the after effects of increased emission of carbon dioxide cannot be limited to one locality.
There are instances in which the international agreements have been successfully implemented by governments across the globe. In 1987, the Montreal Agreement of ozone depleting substances was effected. Prior to the implementation of the agreement, the consumption of the most ozone depleting substance, chlorofluorocarbons was 1.1 million tons per year. After the signing and implementation of the agreement, the consumption reduced to 160,000 tones per year as of 1996. It is exacted that the continued enforcement of the agreement alongside other agreements will lead to recovery of the ozone layer to pre ’80 levels.
Political will and pressure from the public play a key role in shaping policy especially sustainable development policies. Pressure from the public can be a valuable tool in shaping the opinions of politicians. For the public to exert pressure on the political class, they need to be well informed on policy formulation, the impact of the policies as also be empowered to participate in the formulation of the policies in meaningful way. Getting the public to put pressure on politicians to participate in the policy formulation will go a long way in the implementation of policies on sustainability.
Political will has played a critical role in shaping the direction of policy making in the past. For instance, the removal of lead in gasoline was made into a requirement by the law in Canada as a result of the commitment by the Minister of Energy and Mines Resources. The government in Trudeau also took step towards addressing the problem of acid rain in spite the fact that the USA government is another example of the assertion of the political elite. This move was further strengthened by sustained pressure from the public.
The focus of the activities that are conducted in order to promote international economic development needs to be redirected. By realigning the focus of international development activities from economic gains to improvement of social conditions and protection of the environment, it will become easier to restore the ecosystems that have been degraded over the years in addition to empowering people to become more active in embracing sustainable economic practices.
The policies on taxation can serve as a powerful tool in the attainment of sustainability. Sectors that exploit natural resources have often received preferential treatment from the government in both developing and developed nations. For instance, in the past, the taxation system in Canada was to a great extent out of sync with the Kyoto protocol which was aimed at reducing the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The taxation policies in Canada promoted the emission of green house gases by the oil industry. It is expected that over the next 8 to 12 years, about $15 billion will be invested in the oil industry. This is said to be about $75 million to $ 600 million of the present day value tax expenditure. The subsidy in taxes not only represents a considerable loss of tax revenues but it will also result in an increase in the emission of green house gases. On the other hand, $ 1 billion will be invested in climate change in Canada over the same period of time. This illustrates the discord in the allocation of revenue in addition to the half hearted commitment towards promoting sustainability. It has also been found that the preferential tax treatment of resource based industries is not only limited to the national government in Canada but also extends to provincial and federal governments. For instance, the taxes that are paid by the oil industry players are a third of what the manufacturing industry has to part with.
Sustainability and science
The role of science in promoting sustainability cannot be ignored. Sustainability has different meanings depending on the scientific context. From an ecological perspective, sustainability refers to the use of natural resources to the extent to which the capacity of the ecosystems to regenerate themselves is not compromised. For the physicists, sustainability refers to the capacity of the biological systems to fight against the degradation of resources and energy through the generation of new forms of energy. From a chemist or engineer’s perspective, the challenge of sustainability entails the completion of material and energy life that are generated as a result of human activities through novel techniques of recycling, waste management and design of materials.
Science has over the years come up with different techniques that are geared towards the restoration of ecosystems. The quality of ecosystems is threatened by degradation processes such as desertification, acidification, emission, decontamination and eutrophication. These processes are often the result of human activities such as farming, the use of fertilizers, deforestation, the release of green house gases into the environment as a result of industrialization and the pollution of soil and water.
There are also innovative ways that have been developed in order to manage the end of life cycles. These technologies seek to address the effect of pollution that have accumulate downstream as a result of industrial pollution. Some of the effects of pollution include the loss of the quality of water in rivers, lakes and oceans, leaching of soils, the loss of the biodiversity that is present in water bodies, air pollution and acidification. Pollution of the air is a result of release of toxic gases into the atmosphere such as hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. Some of the technologies that have been developed include: systems that filter gases to less toxic concentrations before releasing them into the environment and organisms that absorb toxins from the water bodies and soil.
It is also important to monitor and evaluate the quality of the environment so as to determine the extent to which it has been polluted and therefore come up with sustainable ways to utilize the environmental resources. Observation entails the use of satellites, data collection and analytical methods and telematic networks in order to gather information on the status of the natural resources. Based on the information that has been gathered, steps can be taken towards initiating remedial measures that will lead to sustainable utilization of resources.
Prevention still remains a key component in the implementation of sustainable development. Scientists have come with technologies that aid in the prevention of depletion of environmental resources even as man continually seeks to exploit these resources for his gain. In most cases, prevention entails revising and modifying an industrial process in order to minimize the after effects on the environment in addition to maximizing the gains that have been made from the process. For instance, in most industrial plants, the water that is used in cooling the machines in the plants is recycled and used again. In addition to this, the water that is used in the course of production is also treated prior to its release into the waste disposal system. This drastically reduced the amount of water that is wasted in addition to ensuring that the water released from the industrial plant has fewer detrimental effects on the environment.
The technological basis of technologies has also been changed over the years in an effort to embrace sustainability. In the past, technology used to be added on to infrastructure rather but these days, technology is built into infrastructure. Some of the innovative ways through which this has been attained include innovation of new processes, innovation of new products and organizational innovation. Technology ensures that energy is used in a more rational manner; a function that has been borne as a result of scientific research. Diffusion of political, social and economic processes is therefore a central issue.
Sustainability heavily relies upon innovations from science. It is a concept that borne out of the analysis of economic patterns and environmental trends over the years. The concept of sustainable development is dependent of a multidisciplinary approach from various fields in science which include but are not limited to physics, chemistry, biology and ecology.
It must however be noted that for the innovations from science to be implemented by a country seeking to attain sustainability is dependent on the political framework of the country. To begin with, a nation can only attain sustainability if the country is politically stable. Political instability would make it impossible for a country to attain sustainability given that it would be impossible to exploit the resources available and the long and medium term milestones towards sustainability would be impossible to attain. In addition to this, a politically unstable nation lacks the economic resources that are necessary for the implementation of sustainable development.
The political system of a nation also provides the framework within which policies on sustainable development can be implemented. As earlier mentioned, the implementation of policy is often a long winding process that is subject to the political term of the leaders in the country. Regardless of how innovative the country is, there needs to be policies to allow for large scale implementation of technology that is geared towards the sustainable use of natural resources.
The development of technological innovations that are the key to sustainable use of economic resources is a capital intensive affair. In order to raise this capital, it is important to have political good will. It is also critical to have a favourable political climate within which research and development can go on uninterrupted. On an international scale, it is important to cooperate with other nations so as to promote the sharing of innovations by different nations. This is because sustainable development is a horizontal concept hence it requires the cooperation among departments, corporations and nations in order to fully maximize the gains.
In conclusion, sustainability is a combination of innovation from science and cooperation from the political system of a country. It is however heavily reliant on the political system of a country.
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