ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY:

Pedro Roberto Jacobi Professor, School of Education and Graduate Program in Envi
ronmental Science from USP
Book Published in: Environment and Sustainability "In: CEPAM. The City in the XX
I Century. São Paulo: CEPAM, 1999, pp.175-184
I - The Complex Challenge of Sustainability The problem of sustainability repres
ents the end of this century a central role in the discussion around the dimensi
ons of development and alternatives that present themselves. The social-environm
ental framework that characterizes contemporary societies reveals that the impac
t of humans on the environment is impacting increasingly complex, both in quanti
tative and qualitative aspects. The concept of sustainable development emerges t
o face the ecological crisis, and at least two streams fed this process. A first
one is related to those chains that since the economy influenced changes in app
roaches to economic development, especially from the 70s. An example of this lin
e of thought is the work of the Club of Rome published under the title "Limits t
o Growth" in 1972, where he argues catastrophically that to achieve economic sta
bility and ecological proposes freezing the growth of global population and indu
strial capital, showing the reality of limited resources, indicating a strong bi
as towards population control. The second is related to the environmental critic
ism of contemporary living, and that has spread from the Stockholm Conference in
1972, when environmental issues gained public visibility. So, what is observed
is that the idea or focus of sustainable development becomes relevant in a short
time, assuming a directive character in the debates on the directions of develo
pment.
2
In 1973 Maurice Strong first used the concept of eco-development to characterize
an alternative conception of development policy (Brusecke, 1996). The basic pri
nciples were formulated by Ignacy Sachs (1993), presupposing the existence of fi
ve dimensions of eco-development, namely: 1) social sustainability, 2) economic
sustainability, 3) ecological sustainability, 4) sustainability and spatial 5) c
ultural sustainability, introduces an important dimension of complexity. These p
rinciples are articulated with theories of self-determination that were being de
fended by non-aligned countries since the mid 60s. These five dimensions reflect
a reading that Sachs is developing into a new proposal, the eco-development, wh
ich proposes actions that make explicit the need to make consistent improvements
in the levels and quality of life with environmental preservation. The eco-deve
lopment is presented more as an alternative strategy to the international econom
ic order, emphasizing the importance of local models based on appropriate techno
logies, particularly in rural areas, seeking to reduce dependence on technical a
nd cultural. The assumptions of eco-development and other formulations developed
in the seventies could introduce the environmental issue in the traditional eco
nomic development prevailing in Latin America, and from them has advanced in the
adoption of environmental policies more structured and consistent. This process
is formed from the implementation of sectoral analysis and specific proposals w
hich allowed the introduction, especially relating to resource management. The e
co-development appears to respond to the need to harmonize environmental process
es with the socio-economic, maximizing production of ecosystems to support human
needs present and future. The eco-development was presented as too alternative
for the correlation of forces within the ruling system would allow it to extrapo
late principles from acceptable levels local / microregionais to the global scal
e, where it currently is currently explain the problems of environment, developm
ent and world order (Herrero, 1997). According to him, probably the greatest vir
tue of
3
eco-development is that besides the definitive incorporation of ecological aspec
ts in theory, emphasizes the need to reverse the self-destructive tendency of de
velopment processes in their abuse against nature. Many of these efforts have be
en evacuated or have lost momentum during the '80s, despite the growing role of
the environmental movement, because of the centrality that takes the economic cr
isis. However, it should be noted that on a practical theme was emptied, this di
d not occur theoretically, in that it has developed extensive intellectual and s
cientific€which the focus of sustainable development is a component. In two subs
equent decades, the key determinant for the growing confluence of two strands, e
conomistic and environmentalist - was mainly due to advancement of environmental
crisis, one part, and the deepening of economic and social problems for most na
tions. Among the changes mundias those two decades, those related to environment
al degradation and the growing inequality between regions assume a prominent pla
ce that reinforced the importance of adopting integrative schemes. Although both
cases were initially conceived in a fragmented way, with no obvious links, now
becomes more explicit in their articulation of understanding in terms of a crisi
s that is becoming global. Articulated, therefore, on the one hand, the impacts
of the economic crisis of the 80s and the need to rethink existing paradigms, an
d others, the alarm raised by the phenomena of global warming and ozone layer de
struction, among other problems. So, what is observed is that while aggravated s
ocial problems and deepened the distance between the poor and industrialized cou
ntries, emerged with more impact various manifestations of the environmental cri
sis, which directly relate to the production and consumption patterns prevalent.
Interesting, however, emphasize that the structure of the Brazilian environment
al movement takes on a more complex and multisectoral setting in the late 80s, d
emanding actors with practices focused on finding a
4
viable alternative for the conservation and / or restoration of degraded environ
ment. In this context, we highlight some environmental organizations that enable
increasingly to exert a marked influence on the state environmental agencies on
the legislative power on the scientific community and business. This context ha
s generated conditions of greater impact to a questioning of the ongoing process
that seeks to combine development and environment, from the moment the approach
es of international agencies are to internalize the problems of protecting and p
reserving the environment. Beginning in 1987 with the release of a report Brundt
landt also known as "Our Common Future", the idea of "sustainable development" i
s taken, an inflection point in the debate about the impacts of development. The
report is the result of a UN commission, and part of an approach to the complex
ity of the causes that originate the socioeconomic and ecological problems of gl
obal society. Not only enhances the necessary relationships between economics, t
echnology, society and politics, and draws attention to the need to strengthen a
new ethical posture in relation to the preservation of the environment, charact
erized by the challenge of accountability both between generations and among mem
bers of the society of our times. Report Brundtlandt presents a list of actions
to be taken by States and also sets targets to be undertaken at the internationa
l level, with the staff the various multilateral institutions. The findings in t
his final decade fall far short of expectations, following the complexity of est
ablishing and agreeing on emission limits, protection of biodiversity, particula
rly by developed countries. In the process leading to UN Conference on Environme
nt and Development, Rio 1992 - the focus was adopted as a conceptual framework t
hat presided over the whole process of debates, statements and documents formula
ted. Thus the interdependence between the social and economic development and th
e changes in the environment during
5
decades ignored, both in the speech came as the agenda of most governments aroun
d the world. The conference represented a first step in a long process of unders
tanding among nations on the concrete steps "to reconcile the activities econômc
as with the need to protect the planet and ensure a sustainable future for all p
eoples." The report represents what some analysts may be called reformism - opti
mism from the perspective of expanding the dominant economic system. Importantly
, despite the criticisms it has undergone, the concept of sustainable developmen
t represents a major breakthrough, in that the global Agenda 21, as a comprehens
ive plan of action for sustainable development in the XXI century, which conside
rs the complex relationship between development and environment in a variety of
areas.€The adoption of the concept by international bodies mark the assertion of
a philosophy of development from a tripod combines economic efficiency with soc
ial justice and ecological prudence, the premise of building an equitable and ju
st society. The dimensions identified by the concept of sustainable development
include economic calculation, the aspect of biophysical and socio-political comp
onent, as a reference for interpreting the world and to allow interference in pr
edatory logic prevailing. The differentiating factor between sustainable develop
ment and eco-development, lies in favor of the latter on the scale embracing bot
h from the side of the questioning of environmental problems, from the viewpoint
of the reactions and solutions that are formulated by society. Sustainable deve
lopment does not specifically refer to a problem of limited ecological adaptatio
ns of a social process, but one strategy or multiple model for society, which mu
st take into account both an ecological economic viability. In a broad sense the
concept of sustainable development at the necessary redefinition of the
1
This report is the result of the work of the UN World Commission on Environment
and commissioning
6
human nature-society relations, and therefore a substantial change of the civili
zing process itself. It integrates fully within the five dimensions outlined by
Sachs (1993) and introduces the challenge of thinking about the transition from
concept to action. Reflecting this direction, one must realize the existence of
a set of technological constraints, cultural, economic and socio-environmental,
which actually depend on the actual possibilities of practical application of th
ese premises. The lack of specificity totalizing aspirations and has made the co
ncept of sustainable development is difficult to be classified as concrete model
s, operational and analytically accurate. That is why she is still not possible
to say that it constitutes a paradigm in the classic sense of the concept, but a
n orientation or a focus, or a perspective that includes normative principles. O
ften, it is observed that the concept of sustainable development as an integrati
ng idea, despite the consensus that has been built, and which serves to boost th
e approaches integrating between environment and development as well as in paral
lel between economy and ecology. It can be argued that still prevails the transc
endence of the focus on sustainable development anchored more in its ability to
force idea, its impact on intellectuals and their role in articulating discourse
s and practices atomised, where despite following fragmented has caused a single
array the existence of an environmental crisis, economic and also social. Susta
inable development can only be understood as a process where, first, the most si
gnificant restrictions relate to the exploitation of resources, the orientation
of technological development and institutional framework. Another, the growth sh
ould emphasize the qualitative aspects, especially those related to equity, the
use of resources - especially energy - and the generation of waste and contamina
nts. Moreover, emphasis on development should set itself to overcome the social
deficits in basic needs and changing consumption patterns, particularly in count
ries
Development chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtlandt and Mansour Khalid, hence the name
of the final report.
7
developed in order to maintain and increase the resources base, particularly agr
icultural, energy, biotic, mineral, air and water. The question that arises is h
ow to overcome the contradictions and what is the scope of alternative proposals
in the current world scenario? What is observed is that the imbalance in owners
hip and accelerated use of resources and the ecological capital that systematica
lly favors the dominant center of the economic system, has the potential power o
f concentrating the problems of environment and development. The structure of un
equal access and distribution of the planet's resources and influence they wield
the disparities of economic and political powers, intensify inequalities dispro
portionately and international social and environmental imbalances, in that the
world economic system is approaching ecological limits the global ecosystem. So
the idea of sustainability implies the prevalence of the premise that you must s
et a definite limitation on the possibilities of growth and a number of initiati
ves that take into account the existence of relevant social actors and participa
nts and assets through educational practices and a process for informed dialogue
,€which reinforces a sense of shared responsibility and the formation of ethical
values. This also implies that a policy of development towards a sustainable so
ciety can not ignore or cultural dimensions, nor the relationships of power and
even less recognition of ecological constraints, otherwise just keep a predatory
development. Currently advancing towards a sustainable society is permeated wit
h obstacles, in that there is limited awareness in society about the implication
s of the development model in progress. It can be argued that the root causes th
at cause ecologically predatory activities may be attributed to social instituti
ons, to
information and communication systems and values adopted by society. This involv
es mainly the need to encourage more active participation of society in
8
discussion of their destinations as a way to establish a set of socially identif
ied problems, goals and solutions. The path to be drawn inevitably means a chang
e in access to information and institutional changes that ensure accesibilidade
and transparency in management. There is a major challenge to be faced, and this
is centered on the possibility that the information systems and social institut
ions to become facilitators of a process that strengthens the arguments for buil
ding a sustainable society, from premises in pursuit of a focused active citizen
ship and change of individual and collective values. For this purpose it is nece
ssary to create all conditions to facilitate the process, supplying data, develo
ping and disseminating indicators and making transparent the process by focusing
on environmental education practices which could ensure the means of creating n
ew lifestyles, develop ethical awareness that question the current model of deve
lopment characterized by its predatory nature and the strengthening of socio-env
ironmental inequalities. Sustainability as a new basic criterion and integrator
needs to constantly stimulate the ethical responsibilities to the extent that th
e emphasis on extraeconômicos serves to reconsider aspects of equity, social jus
tice and ethics of living beings.
II - Cities and the need to implement policies for environmental sustainability
A reflection on social practice in an urban context marked by continual degradat
ion of the environment and its ecosystem can not do without or the analysis of t
he determinants of the process, the actors involved and the forms of organizatio
n
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social leverages new developments, and alternative actions with a view to sustai
nability. The notion of sustainability implies a necessary interrrelação between
social justice, quality of life, environmental balance and the need for capacit
y development support. In urban areas underground Brazilian environmental proble
ms have been fattened the giant strides and its slow resolution has become publi
c knowledge for the virulence of its impact - increased immeasurably from floods
, difficulties in managing solid waste and increasing interference from inadequa
te disposal of solid waste in potentially degradable in the environment, impacts
of increasing air pollution on health. Concern for sustainable development is t
he possibility of
ensure, as Rees (1988). socio-political changes that will not undermine the ecol
ogical and social systems in which communities are sustained. It is increasingly
clear the complexity of this process of transformation of an increasingly urban
landscape not only threatened, but directly affected by risks and socio-environ
mental damages. We adopted the arguments of Beck (1994) concerning the configura
tion of a logic of risk distribution. This is fully consistent with the aspects
outlined above, since the challenge that is put forward is to create conditions
for, if not reduce, at least mitigate the alarming picture of risk, which affect
s the population unequally. The risks, according to Beck, are directly related t
o reflexive modernity and yet unpredictable effects of globalization. The issue
of sustainability is confronted with what Beck calls a "paradigm of risk society
." This implies the need for the multiplication of social practices guided by in
creasing access to information and environmental education within an integrated
perspective. It is leveraging initiatives from the supposed increased access to
10
information and transparency in the management of urban environmental problems m
ay involve a reorganization of power and authority. The passage of environmental
understanding in a more focused perspective on the natural sciences to a wider
scope on the subject also includes the social component, broadened the understan
ding of the issue to a socio-environmental dimension, not forgetting to take int
o account cultural criteria and specific determinations of public policy. The pr
eoccupation with the theme of sustainable development not only introduces the al
ways controversial issue of carrying capacity in February, but the scope and lim
its of actions aimed at reducing the impact of injuries in everyday urban and an
swers guided by disruptions in the modus operandi of omission and connivance wit
h the practices prevailing autophagic. It becomes necessary to increase the reso
urces and access to information, as well as the inductive role of government in
providing educational and informational content, questions emerge about the limi
tations of processes that expand the possibilities for changing the current fram
ework of social and environmental degradation. The issue of solid waste is proba
bly the one that best exemplifies the possibilities of formulating public polici
es that either minimize or preventive. However, the timidity of the discontinuit
y of policies and initiatives have created a truly vicious circle ruled by the l
ogic of paralysis, and the confrontation of alternative practices through the lo
gic of the status quo. Several successful experiences of management from alterna
tive practices show that it is possible to break the vicious circle and engage t
he public in actions based on co-responsibility and commitment to environmental
protection (CIRS, 1998). In no other cases exist, according to White & Whitney (
1992), such favorable conditions to establish the links between human activity a
nd ecological system, as
11
as to how a company manages the waste it produces. This argument is crucial, sin
ce it transcends the specific aspect of solid waste management and opens a wide
field of deepening around the ends and means to achieve some degree of social an
d environmental sustainability. Other urban issues that are par excellence relat
ed to sustainability are the options for transport, planning and land use and ac
cess to sanitation services and basic infrastructure, all in relation with the e
nhancement of environmental risks. The main challenge facing us today is that ci
ties, regardless of its size, create the conditions to ensure a quality of life
that can be considered acceptable, do not negatively affect the environment of y
our surroundings and act preemptively to prevent the continuation the level of d
egradation, notably in regions inhabited by the poorest sectors. Its inclusion w
ithin the realm of environmental sustainability requires a paradigm shift, which
constitutes a complementary element to achieve an economic development compatib
le with the pursuit of equity. The modernization of instruments requires a compl
ex socio-institutional engineering supported by educational and pedagogical proc
esses to ensure that access of various social actors involved, and especially th
e most vulnerable social groups, to information about public services and enviro
nmental problems. With reference to the aggravation of problems and the growing
sense of paralysis and insolubility of the destructive impacts of the crisis of
urban metabolism, the urban environmental challenge must focus on actions that s
treamline access to citizens' environmental awareness from an intense education.
But it is also important to be aware of the difficulties that exist today to en
able, for example, proposals that link environmental degradation with reduction
in income generation. Although this topic is the subject of projects guided by t
he political will of
2
The text of Daniel Hogan "Population Growth and Sustainable Development", publis
hed in
12
city administrators, the intent is not always successful or well understood by r
esidents. These are programs that require a period of maturation and whose legit
imacy is quite slow, by the different social strata (Jacobi, 1994). Currently li
ving is a contradictory situation, which has, if not discouraged, at least hampe
red the maintenance of recycling initiatives through cooperatives of pickers. Th
ese are experiences that should be valued, despite their small scale, because th
ey generate economic benefits (guarantee of steady income to the families involv
ed);€environmental benefit (recycling of various materials) and social benefit,
because this work provides opportunities for social integration of people who ha
ve always been marginalized.
The current scenario, marked by increasing social exclusion caused by a labor ma
rket becoming increasingly selective, introduces a complicating factor, since a
growing number of people have no choice but to work in jobs socially excluded. T
he growing masses of unemployed people who could potentially be absorbed into re
cycling cooperatives have against him almost total absence of mechanisms that en
courage the expansion of such initiatives. The challenge that arises is, first,
to generate jobs with sustainable practices and, secondly, increase the level of
environmental awareness, increasing the chances of the population to participat
e more fully in decision making as a means of strengthening their co -responsibi
lity in the supervision and control of staff responsible for social and environm
ental degradation. Finally, it is important to highlight that an agenda for urba
n environmental sustainability must take into account the importance of stimulat
ing the expansion of means of access to information usually scattered and diffic
ult to understand as part of a policy of strengthening the role of the different
agents.
New Moon, São Paulo: Cedec, No. 31, 1993, presents an excellent discussion on th
is issue.
13
The present moment requires that society be more motivated and mobilized to take
a more purposeful, so as to be able to question the lack of a concrete initiati
ve of governments to implement policies guided by the binomial sustainability an
d development in a context of increasing difficulty in promoting social inclusio
n. Several successful experiences, especially from municipalities, show that wit
h political will it is possible to make government actions guided by the adoptio
n of the principles of environmental sustainability coupled with results in the
sphere of economic and social development.
References: Beck, Ulrich. Risk society. London: Sage Publications, 1994. Bruseck
e, Franz. "Destructuring and Development." Ferreira, Leila Viola, Eduardo (eds.)
Uncertainties of Sustainability in globalization. Campinas: Ed UNICAMP, 1996. H
errero, Luis. Desarrollo Sostenible and Ecological Economics. Madrid: Sintesis,
1997. Hogan, Daniel. "Population growth and sustainable development." New Moon,
São Paulo: Cedec, No. 31, 1993. Jacobi, Pedro (ed.). Research on environmental i
ssues and quality of life in São Paulo. São Paulo: Cedec / SEI, 1994. Rees, Will
iam. Defining sustainable development. Vancouver: University of British Columbia
, 1988 (Background paper). Sachs, Ignacy. Transition Strategies for the XXI Cent
ury-Development and Environment. São Paulo: Studio Nobel / Fundap, 1993. White,
Rodney and Whitney, Joseph. Cities and the environment: an overview. Sustainable
cities. Boulder: Westview Press, 1992 (ed. by White, Whitney and Stren).