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Introduction of Sustainability and

Sustainable Development

Nasir Shafiq
AP, Civil Engineering

Learning Objectives
The learning objectives of this lecture
are:
To understand the meaning of sustainability
from different perspectives.
To discuss the principles and guidelines of

sustainability and its components.

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Sustainability: History and Definition

There may be as many definitions of sustainability

and sustainable development as there are groups
trying to define it.

All the definitions have to do with:

Living within the limits
Understanding the interconnections among economy,
society, and environment
Equitable distribution of resources and opportunities

Sustainability: History and Definition

However, different ways of defining sustainability are

useful for different situations and different purposes.

For

this

reason,

various

groups

have

created

definitions of:
Sustainability and sustainable development
Sustainable community and society
Sustainable business and production
Sustainable agriculture

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Sustainability: History and Definition

Since you are here to be an Engineer or

Technologist, so:
Our emphasis should be on Sustainable
Engineering and Technology

Sustainability: History and Definition

The

concept

of

"sustainability"

linked

to

human

development originated in the 1970s with books such as

Goldsmith's "Blueprint for Survival" (1972) and the Club of
Rome's "Limits to Growth" (1972).

In the same year 1972, the United Nations Conference on

the Human Environment, in Stockholm put the spotlight on
the

reconciliation

of

environment

and

economic

development.

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Sustainability: History and Definition

In 1987, the term sustainable development
entered

into

publication

the

by

the

political

arena

World

with

the

Commission

on

Environment and Development (WCED) of its

report " Our Common Future" [more commonly
known as "the Brundtland Report"].

Sustainability: History and Definition

Sustainable development is development

that meets

the needs

of

the present

without compromising the ability of future

generations to meet their own needs

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Sustainability: History and Definition

In

1992,

the

UN

Conference

on

Environment and Development (UNCED), or

the "Earth Summit", in Rio de Janeiro,

agreed on a Declaration setting out 27
principles

supporting

sustainable

development.

Sustainability: History and Definition

The Summit also agreed a plan of action, Agenda

21, and recommended that all countries produce
national sustainable development strategies.

special

UN

Commission

on

Sustainable

Development was created.

Also in 1992, the EU adopted its Fifth Environmental

Action Program, called "Towards Sustainability".

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Sustainability: History and Definition

In

1999,

the

Amsterdam

Treaty

enshrined sustainable development as

one of the core task of the European
Union (Article 2 of the EC Treaty).

Sustainability: History and Definition

In

June

European

2001,
Council

the

Gothenburg

adopted

the

Commission's Sustainable Development

Strategy.

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Sustainability: History and Definition

From 26 August to 4 September 2002,

the Johannesburg Summit reviewed the
progress made on global sustainable
development since the Rio Summit.

Strategic Imperatives in Bruntland

Report

The Bruntland report described seven strategic imperatives for

sustainable development:
1.

reviving growth;

2.

changing the quality of growth;

3.

meeting essential needs for jobs, food, energy, water and

sanitation;

4.

ensuring a sustainable level of population;

5.

conserving and enhancing the resource base;

6.

reorienting technology and managing risk;

7.

merging environment and economics in decision-making.

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Principles of Sustainability described

in Bruntland Report
1.

Recognise your ability to act sustainably in all you do

2.

Play an active role in promoting more sustainable practices

3.

Through

education,

promote

behavioural

change

which

exemplifies sustainable practices

4.

Do not compromise the possibilities of future generations through

unsustainable activities

5.

Encourage consideration of alternative and more sustainable

solutions, strategies and perspectives in addressing concepts,
problems or issues in business, government and communities

Guiding Steps towards Sustainability

described in Bruntland Report
1. Develop an environment which supports human
dignity through gender and racial equality and
promotes intergenerational respect.
2. Develop honesty and integrity in daily life.
3. Encourage the fair distribution of wealth.
4. Work to

strengthen

local

communities

and

safeguard the health and safety of all.

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Guiding Steps towards Sustainability

described in Bruntland Report
5. Commit to maintaining and enhancing the integrity
and biodiversity of the natural environment
6. Use natural resources, such as water and land
wisely and aim to reduce consumption.
7. Refuse, reduce, reuse, repair and recycle.
8. Where

possible

buy

green

products,

locally

produced with reduced packaging.

Guiding Steps towards Sustainability

described in Bruntland Report
9. Understand the synergies between advances in technology
and behavioural change to achieve sustainability.
10. Encourage ethical business practices.
11. Develop business strategies which promote good corporate
governance.
12. Encourage

financial

success

through

openness

and

transparency.

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A more recent definition

A more recent and broader definition is the
following of 1996:
The concept of sustainability relates to the
maintenance

and

enhancement

of

environmental, social and economic resources,

in order to meet the needs of current and future
generations.

Definition of Sustainability
Sustainable
practices
Sustainability
The ability to
continue a defined
behavior indefinitely

Meet the needs

of the present without
compromising the
ability of future
generations to meet
their own needs

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Components of Sustainability
The three components of sustainability are:
1. Environmental sustainability
It requires that natural capital remains intact.
This means that the source and sink functions of
the environment should not be degraded.

Components of Sustainability
Therefore, the extraction of renewable resources
should not exceed the rate at which they are
renewed,

and

the

absorptive

capacity

to

the

environment to assimilate wastes should not be

exceeded.
Furthermore,

the

extraction

of

non-renewable

resources should be minimized and should not

exceed agreed minimum strategic levels.

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Components of Sustainability
2. Social sustainability
Which requires that the cohesion of society and
its ability to work towards common goals be
maintained.
Individual needs, such as those for health and
well-being, nutrition, shelter, education and
cultural expression should be met.

Components of Sustainability
3. Economic sustainability
Which occurs when development, which moves
towards social and environmental sustainability,
is financially feasible.

Source: Gilbert, Stevenson, Girardet, Stren, 1996

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Components of Sustainability

Objectives of Sustainable Development

Economic Objective (Increased
efficiency and growth)

Income distribution
Employment
Targeted assistance

Social Objective
(Reduce
poverty/increased
equity)

3 main
objective
of SD

Popular participation
Consultation
Pluralism

Environmental assessment
Valuation
Internationalism

Environmental
Objective
(Management of
natural resources)

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Sustainable Society
The Natural Step Framework's definition of
sustainability includes four system conditions
(scientific principles) that lead to a sustainable
society.
These conditions, that must be met in order to
have a sustainable society, are as listed on the
next slide.

Sustainable Society
In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to
systematically increasing:
1. concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth's
crust;
2. concentrations of substances produced by society;
3. degradation by physical means and, in that society
4. the ability for humans to meet their needs is not

systematically undermined.

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Sustainable Society
Referring to the basic rights of existence (all
beings have the equal right to live on the earth,

to develop themselves and carry out their

tasks),
a sustainable living can also be defined as a
life where the basic rights of existence are
respected.

Sustainable Society

In this philosophy, the Earth is regarded as a being

and not as matter".

Therefore when the basic rights of existence are

followed,

the

above

mentioned

conditions

for

sustainability are all automatically fulfilled.

Sustainability follows automatically and imperatively

from respecting the basic rights of existence.

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Sustainable Society
In the discussion of this cosmic law , we
have seen that the more consistently a

human being lives" the basic rights of

existence, the closer he comes to his
objective of perpetual harmony and peace
within himself and his environment.

Sustainable Society
Therefore it is also possible to conclude:
Only through a sustainable living it is
possible to reach the highest of all
human goals, to permanently be able to
experience inner peace, happiness and

harmony (self-realization).

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Sustainable Society

Sustainable development
terminology
Ecology

Ecology

is

the

scientific

study

of

the

relation

of

living organisms with each other and their surroundings.

Ecosystems

Ecosystems are defined by a web, community, or network of

individuals

that

arrange

into

self-

organized and complex hierarchy of pattern and process.

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Sustainable development
terminology
Ecosystems create a biophysical feedback between
living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components
of an environment that generates and regulates
the biogeochemical cycles of the planet.
Ecosystems

provide

goods

and

services

that sustain human societies and general wellbeing.

Sustainable development
terminology

Ecosystems are sustained by biodiversity within

them.
Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the full-scale of life and its processes,

including genes, species and ecosystems forming
lineages

that

integrate

into

complex

and regenerative spatial arrangement of types,

forms, and interactions

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Sustainable development
terminology
Ecological Footprint

The ecological footprint is a measure of

human demand on the Earth's ecosystems.

It

compares

planet

Earth's

human

demand

ecological

capacity

with
to

regenerate.

Sustainable development
terminology
Ecological deficit
the amount by which the Ecological Footprint of a
population exceeds the biological capacity of the
space available to that population.
The national ecological deficit measures the amount
by which the countrys footprint (plus the countrys
share of biodiversity responsibility) exceeds the
ecological capacity of that nation.

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Sustainable development
terminology

Embodied energy the energy used during its entire life cycle
for manufacturing, transporting, using and disposing.

Environmental responsibility as outlined in Agenda 21

is: the responsible and ethical management of products and
processes

from

the

point

of

view

of

health,

safety

and

environmental aspects. Towards this end, business and industry

should increase self-regulation, guided by appropriate codes,
charters and initiatives integrated into all elements of business
planning and decision-making, and fostering openness and
dialogue with employees and the public.

Sustainable development
terminology

Overshoot the situation when human demand exceeds natures

supply at the local, national or global scale. According to William
Catton, it is growth beyond an areas carrying capacity, leading
to crash.

Precautionary approach the essence of the precautionary

approach is given in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration, which
states; where there are threats of serious or irreversible
damage, lack of scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason

for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental

degradation.

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Sustainable development
terminology

Strategic
structured,

Environmental
proactive

Assessment

process

to

(SEA)

strengthen

the

is

role

of

environmental issues in strategic decision making (Tonk and

Verheem,

1998).

SEA

aims

to

integrate

environmental

(biophysical, social and economic) considerations into the earliest

stages of policy, plan and programme development (Sadler,
1995). It is therefore a process of integrating the concept of
sustainability into strategic decision-making.

Waste factor the ratio between the quantity of prime resource

compared to the quantity of output.

Sustainable development
terminology
It represents the amount of biologically
productive land and sea area needed to
regenerate

the

resources

human population consumes and to absorb

and render harmless the corresponding

waste.

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SD Indicators
The United Nations Commission for Sustainable
Development
Sustainable
consistent
towards

has

prepared

Development
method

for

sustainable

decision-makers

and

as

Indicators
a

holistic

monitoring

and

progress

development

to

to

focus

increase

of

assist
on

achieving sustainable development.

SD Indicators
The

indicators

recognize

the

social,

environmental and economic components of

sustainable development as a means of
arriving

at

broader,

more

complete

appreciation of communal development.

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SD Indicators

The UN Commission on Sustainable Development

(UNCSD)

at

its

Third

Session

in

April

1995

developed a working list of 134 indicators that were

subsequently tested and improved upon at national
levels.

A revised set of 58 indicators and methodology

sheets was prepared and is available for all countries
to use.

Development Impacts
The pursuit of sustainable development
brings

the

construction

industry,

and

specifically the building industry component

thereof, into sharp relief.
The

built

environment

is

major

component of contemporary life.

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Development Impacts
Almost

half

the

worlds

population

(47,2%) is now urbanized and by 2050 that

proportion will have reached two-thirds.
The

urban

population

of

the

United

Kingdom is already at 89,5 percent.

Development Impacts

Construction constitutes more than half of total

national capital investment in most countries, and
construction can amount to as much as 10 percent
of GDP.

It is estimated that the industry employs about 111

million people globally, and accounting for almost 28
percent of all industrial employment, is the biggest
industrial employer worldwide.

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Development Impacts
Construction accounts for 7 percent of total
employment with 75 percent of all construction

workers found in developing countries.

Typically

over

90

percent

of

workers

are

employed in micro firms with less than 10

persons.

Development Impacts

Construction activity is a consumer of materials and

scarce resources (water and energy), is a significant
contributor to global warming emissions (including
CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels), contributes to
air pollution (smoke and dust pollution), generates
vast quantities of waste, contaminates the soil, and
destroys existing vegetation.

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Development Impacts

Poverty is recognized as an important cause of environmental

degradation

and

therefore

recognizes

that

economic

development has a crucial role to play in contributing to

poverty alleviation.

The critical issues on which the debate has come to focus are,
therefore, the uneven spatial distribution of population relative
to natural carrying capacities, international interdependencies
in resource utilization and the extent as well as degree of
inefficient or irrational use of environmental resources.

Development Impacts
The global intervention required to redress
this imbalance has to do with managing the
utilization of natural resources correctly.
This management requirement has come to
be termed sustainable development.

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Development Impacts

Its objectives are quite concrete: development only

takes place if the resource harvest rates are at levels
no higher than managed or natural regeneration
rates permit, and the use of the environment as a
waste sink occurs only on the basis that waste
disposal rates should not exceed the managed or
natural assimilation capacity of the environment.

Did You Know

Approximately 1.6 million single-use pens are discarded each year in the
United States.

24 trees are cut down to make a ton of virgin printing and office paper.

A ton of paper made from 100% recycled paper, as compared to virgin

paper, saves the equivalent of 4,100 kilowatt-hours of energy, 7,000
gallons of water, 60 pounds of air emissions, and 3 cubic yards of landfill
space.

By sending their printer and copying cartridges for remanufacturing, U.S.

businesses could save $1.5 billion and at least 100,000 barrels of oil

annually.

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Did You Know

Standard incandescent bulbs have changed very little from

Thomas Edisons first light bulb in 1879.

Only 10% of the energy used by these standard bulbs

contributes to light; the other 90% is wasted as heat.

Advanced technology enables compact fluorescent lights

(CFLs)

to

use

75%

less

energy

than

standard

incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer.

Over the life of one CFL, you can avoid replacing up to 13

incandescent bulbs!

Did You Know

Water covers 70% of the earths surface, at least

97% of the worlds water is salty and undrinkable.

Another 2% of the earths water is polluted, polar

ice, or otherwise inaccessible and undrinkable.

That leaves approximately 1% of the earths water

for humans to use.

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