Showing papers on "Sustainability published in 1993"

Smallholders, Householders: Farm Families and the Ecology of Intensive, Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract: Contrasting the prevailing theories of the evolution of agriculture, the author argues that the practice of smallholding is more efficient and less environmentally degrading than that of industrial agriculture which depends heavily on fossil fuel, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. He presents a convincing case for his argument with examples taken from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, and demonstrates that there are fundamental commonalities among smallholder cultures. "Smallholders, Householders" is a detailed and innovative analysis of the agricultural efficiency and conservation of resources practiced around the world by smallholders.

Institutional Incentives And Sustainable Development: Infrastructure Policies In Perspective

Abstract: * Introduction Paul A. Sabatier. * The Role of Infrastructure in Development * The Problem of Sustainable Infrastructure * Individuals, Incentives, and Transaction Costs * Provision and Production of Rural Infrastructure * Evaluating Institutional Performance * Analyzing Institutional Arrangements * Centralized Institutional Arrangements * Decentralized Institutional Arrangements * Polycentric Institutional Arrangements * Implications of an Institutional Approach to Sustainable Development

International Law and the Environment

Abstract: 1. International Law and the Environment 2. International Governance and the Formulation of Environmental Law and Policy 3. The Structure of International Environmental Law I: Rights and Obligations of States 4. The Structure of International Environmental Law II: Regulation, Compliance, Enforcement and Dispute Settlement 5. The Structure of International Environmental Law III: Environmental Rights and Crimes 6. Environmental Protection and Sustainable Use of International Watercourses 7. The Law of the Sea and the Protection of the Marine Environment 8. The International Control of Hazardous Waste 9. Nuclear Energy and the Environment 10. Protecting the Atmosphere and Outer Space 11. Conservation of Nature, Ecosystems, and Biodiversity: Principles and Problems 12. Conservation of Migratory and Land-based Species and Biodiversity 13. Conservation of Marine Living Resources and Biodiversity 14. International Trade and Environmental Protection

World without End: Economics, Environment, and Sustainable Development

Abstract: If world poverty is to be reduced, businesses and governments must continue to pursue economic growth. But growth cannot continue without attention to the environment. This book explores how growth can become environmentally sustainable. It shows that a balance between economic growth and care of the environment is needed in all nations -- especially poor ones -- to prevent environmental degradation, which results in lost economic output and endangers people's health. For example, erosion of soil depletes resources for fuel and fodder and causes food output to decline. The authors address a wide variety of subjects ranging from how to measure sustainable development, to the relation between population and environment, to market paradigms and pollution, to terms of trade and the environment. They use a great deal of material, such as background papers and research conducted for the World Bank, that has not been readily available to the public. And they present a more complete synthesis of the literature relevant for policymaking than has been given in any other book.

Environmental Economics: An Elementary Introduction

Abstract: 1.The big economy 2.Environment and ethics 3.Economic growth, population growth and the environment 4.Sustainable development 5.How markets work and why they fail 6.How governments fail the environment 7.Cost-benefit thinking 8.Valuing concern for nature 9.Coping with uncertainty 10.Using the market to protect the environment 11.Charging for the use of the environment 12.Green taxes 13.Trading environmental permits 14.Setting environmental standards 15.Renewable resources 16.Non-renewable resources 17.Business and the environment 18.Managing waste 19.Climate change 20.Economics and the ozone layer 21.Conserving biological diversity 22.International enivornmental policy: acid rain 23.Environment in the developing world

Biomass for energy: supply prospects.

Abstract: Biomass for energy can be obtained from residues of ongoing agricultural and forest-product industries, from harvesting forests, and from dedicated plantations. The harvesting of forests for biomass is likely to be limited by environmental concerns. Over the next couple of decades new bioenergy industries will be launched primarily using residues as feedstocks. Subsequently, the industrial base will shift to plantations, the largest potential source of biomass. The most promising sites for plantations are deforested and otherwise degraded lands in developing countries and excess croplands in the industrialized countries. Revenues from the sale of biomass crops grown on plantations established on degraded lands can help finance the restoration of these lands. Establishing plantations on excess croplands can be a new livelihood to farmers who might otherwise abandon their land because of foodcrop overproduction. In either case, biomass plantations can, with careful planning, substantially improve these lands ecologically relative to their present uses. But a substantial and sustained research and development effort is needed to ensure the realization and sustainability of high yields under a wide range of growing conditions. Moreover, the establishment and maintenance of biomass plantations must be carried out in the framework of sustainable economic development in ways thatmore » are acceptable and beneficial to the local people. Ultimately, land and water resource constraints will limit the contributions that biomass can make as an energy source in advanced societies. But biomass energy can nevertheless make major contributions to sustainable development before these limits are reached, if biomass is grown productively and sustainably and is efficiently converted to modern energy carriers that are used in energy-efficient end-use technologies. 88 refs., 5 figs., 13 tabs.« less

The economic value and sustainable harvest of plants and animals from the tropical forest: Assumptions, hypotheses, and methods

Abstract: Recent studies of non-timber products from tropical rain forests have emphasized the economic value of these products and the sustainability of present harvests. Many of these studies rely upon a set of untested assumptions about the effects of harvesting upon the forest and the economic value of non-timber forest products in both the marketplace and in the daily life of rural people. These assumptions were formulated as a series of hypotheses during the workshop held in the Regional Community Forestry Training Center, Kesetsart University, Bangkok, in May 1992. The six hypotheses developed by workshop participants will be used to guide future research. As the hypotheses are tested, the data will be used to create a more realistic assessment of the sustainability and economic value of extraction of non-timber products from tropical forests.

FELSM: An international framework for evaluating sustainable land management

Abstract: (Extract from Foreword)This working document has been prepared as a focus for future work on the development of an International Framework for the Evaluation of Sustainable Land Management (FESLM). The Framework is designed as a structured, logical pathway for making decisions on whether or not a carefully defined form of land management is likely to prove sustainable in a defined situation over a defined period of time. The logical pathway approach was selected because our knowledge of sustainability will always be imperfect. This approach assists us in making decisions that can be substantiated without having to wait for all the final data.

Global Ecology: A New Arena of Political Conflict

Abstract: * Introduction * Part 1: In the Wake of Rio * 1. Global Economy and the Shadow of 'Development' - Wolfgang Sachs * 2. Foxes in Charge of the Chickens - Nicholas Hildyard * 3. Politics of the UNCED Process - Matthias Finger * 4. The Landscape of Diplomatic Conflicts - Tariq Banuri * 5. Winners and Losers in Climate Change - Klaus M. Meyer-Abich * Part 2: Confusion Over Sustainability * 6. Making Development Sustainable - Paul Ekins * 7. Scarcity and Sustainability - Hans Achterhuis * 8. Competing Notions of Biodiversity - Christine von Weizsacker * 9. The Shaky Ground of Sustainability - Donald Worster * Part 3: Against Environmental Management on a Global Scale * 10. The Greening of the Global Reach - Vandana Shiva * 11. Resisting Green Globalism - Larry Lohman * 12. The Fallacy of Ecomessianism: Observations from Latin America - Eduardo Gudynas * 13. 'Gaia': The Globalitarian Temptation * Part 4: Ecology from Below * 14. Sacred Groves: Regenerating the Body, Land, the Community * 15. Village Contradictions in Africa - Yash Tandon * 16. No Nature Without Social justic: A Plea for Cultural and Ecological Pluralism in India - Smitu Kothar and Pramod Parajuli * 17. Towards Green Villages - Anil Agarwal and Sunita Narain * Index

Environmental planning, ecosystem science, and ecosystem approaches for integrating environment and development

Abstract: Currently popular concepts such as sustainable development and sustainability seek the integration of environment and development planning. However, there is little evidence that this integration is occurring in either mainstream development planning or environmental planning. This is a function of the history, philosophies, and evolved roles of both. A brief review of the experience and results of mainstream planning, environmental planning, and ecosystem science suggests there is much in past scientific and professional practice that is relevant to the goal of integrated planning for environment and development, but still such commonly recommended reforms as systems and multidisciplinary approaches, institutional integration, and participatory, goal-oriented processes are rarely achieved. “Ecosystem approaches,” as developed and applied in ecology, human ecology, environmental planning, anthropology, psychology, and other disciplines, may provide a more transdisciplinary route to successful integration of environment and development. Experience with ecosystem approaches is reviewed, their advantages and disadvantages are discussed, and they are compared to traditional urban and regional planning, environmental planning, and ecosystem science approaches. Ultimately a synthesis of desirable characteristics for a framework to integrate environment and development planning is presented as a guide for future work and a criterion for evaluating existing programs.

Achieving Sustainable Use of Renewable Resources

Abstract: Sustainable use is a widely accepted goal for renewable resource management. It \"meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs\" ( 1). However, natural variability, scientific uncertainty, and conflicting objectives (or values) can cause difficulties in achieving sustainable resource use. In a recent Policy Forum article, Ludwig et al. (2) argued that claims. of sustainability should not be trusted and that populations are inevitably overexploited (often irreversibly), in part because scientific consensus on resource status cannot be attained. We maintain that the history of fisheries management provides both positive examples of sustainable resource use and lessons for future improvements. Our conclusions have the potential for broader application to other renewable resources. Specifically, we argue that (i) there is a sound theoretical and empirical basis for sustainable use, (ii) overexploitation is not inevitable or necessarily irreversible nor is it generally the result of inadequate scientific advice, and (iii) the tradition of open-access management systems coupled with risk-prone management decisions under uncertainty are the principal obstacles to achieving sustainability. We conclude that sustainable use of renewable resources can be attained.

The Road From Rio: Sustainable Development and the Nongovernmental Movement in the Third World

Abstract: Foreword by Thomas Dichter The Politics of Development Grassroots Organizations (GROs) GRO Networks Grassroots Support Organizations (GRSOs) Poverty, Environmental Degradation and Population Growth: The Role of GRSOs GRSO Networks What Works: Assessing the Performance of GROs and GRSOs GRO-GRSO Linkages Conclusions: Sustainability and Replicability Bibliography

Shady Practice: Gender and the Political Ecology of Resource Stabilization in Gambian Garden/Orchards

Abstract: An increasing ecological awareness and greater efforts on a global scale to reverse processes of environmental degradation give rise to new forms of social and economic conflict—a “politics of resource stabilization”—which political ecology theorists have yet to fully explore. Blaikie and Brookfield (1987) argue that the long-term payback period of capital-intensive and natural reclamation processes may potentially lead resource “managers” to adopt coercive labor mobilization tactics or seek out opportunities to capture inequitable subsidies in achieving stabilization goals. Both of these tendencies express themselves quite clearly in a lucrative horticultural production district on the North Bank of the River Gambia in West Africa.Two decades of drought, since the early 1970s, have prompted hundreds of women's groups in The Gambia to intensify fruit and vegetable production in low-lying communal garden projects. In an attempt at promoting environmental stabilization through tree planting, develop...

The Life Cycle Concept as a Basis for Sustainable Industrial Production

Abstract: Summary The Life cycle concept will become the backbone in a new industrial culture named sustainable production. Sustainability means that products are designed for their whole life cycle i.e. production, distribution, usage and disposal with minimized (acceptable) influence on the environment, occupational health and use of resources. A key element in this new engineering life cycle approach is a method/tool to assess and evaluate environmental, occupational health and resource consequences in all life cycle phases at the product development stage. In this paper a preliminary method for evaluating environmental consequences containing the major environmental effects is presented. The method outlined quantifies the term “environmental friendly” so it can be used as a “yardstick” in evaluating different technical solutions. The complex problems in the final design decisions are discussed and future perspectives outlined.

Transport for a Sustainable Future: The Case for Europe

Abstract: Transport and sustainability global warming air pollution noise time pollution transport and health the cost of transport transport and Europe. Appendices: chemicals present in vehicle exhausts air pollutant factsheets.

State of the World 1993: A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress toward a Sustainable Society.

Abstract: The Worldwatch Institute has release its 10th State of the World Report which is now translated into 27 languages It stresses that we have entered a new ear in which reversing environmental degradation is the key to future economic progress California now produces sufficient electricity from wind power and solar thermal plants for almost 2 million people Between the late 1970s and the early 1990s the number of newly constructed nuclear power plants fell from 20-30 plants/year to almost 1 plant/year Between 1988 and 1991 world production of chlorofluorocarbons declined by 46% Between 1985 and 1990 conversion of erodible cropland in the US to grassland or forests reduced soil losses by at least 33% Environmental awareness has increased greatly in the last 10 years even among industry and political leaders Despite these gains environmental degradation continues A new study shows that sulfur deposition is adversely affecting forests in every country in Europe and that productivity of Europes forests has fallen 16% Grain production per capita has decreased 6% since 1984 thereby threatening food security Deforestation continues to cause soil erosion reduction of the ozone layer and increased flooding 92 million people are added to this planet each year Human activities have reduced groundwater tables and brought about other forms of water scarcity Environmentally related illnesses are increasing worldwide The report warns that policy decisions made in the 1990s determine the condition of the world left for our children It notes that we must make revolutionary changes to achieve sustainable development and provides recommendations to do so eg replace fossil fuels with efficient solar-based energy systems and the greening of business

Sustainable Development: Needs, Values, Rights

Abstract: 'Sustainable development' is analysed as a product of the Modernist tradition, in which social criticism and understanding are legitimized against a background of evolutionary theory, scientific specialization, and rapid economic growth. Within this tradition, sustainable development emphasizes the need to live within ecological limits, but allows the retention of an essentially optimistic idea of progress. However, the inherent contradictions in the concept of sustainable development may lead to rejection of the Modernist view in favour of a new vision of the world in which the authority of science and technology is questioned and more emphasis is placed on cultural diversity.

Sustainable Use of Wetlands. Valuing Tropical Wetland Benefits: Economic Methodologies and Applications

Abstract: Tropical wetlands are increasingly disappearing as the result of development decisions. Common examples are the conversion of mangrove swamps to fishponds, diverting water away from river floodplains, draining wetlands for agriculture and other land uses, and over-loading wetlands with pollution. Too often, such development decisions are taken without considering the loss in wetland benefits arising from damages and conversion; the underlying assumption is often that the net benefits to society of any development option must presumably be greater. However, there is much evidence to suggest that this assumption is not always correct. Many tropical wetlands are being directly exploited, often through non-market, 'informal' economic activity to support human livelihoods, e.g. through fishing, hunting, fuelwood extraction and water supply. Some of the ecological functions of wetlands, such as flood control, storm prevention and groundwater recharge, may provide even wider benefits through protection or support of economic activity and property. Finally, some wetlands comprise unique natural environments and habitats, which are of considerable value. The basic methodology for assessing and valuing the economic benefits of tropical wetlands is relatively straightforward, but difficult to apply because of data and resource constraints. Preliminary applications in Central America suggest the importance of ranking wetland characteristics and distinguishing between direct-use values, indirect-use values and non-use values. A further application in a Nigerian floodplain shows how calculation of a few direct-use values alone - for agriculture, fuelwood and fishing - demonstrates that wetland benefits are significant, particularly when contrasted with the benefits from irrigation projects that are diverting water away from the floodplain. The analysis shows that sustainable use of the floodplain can yield substantial economic returns to local inhabitants, and these benefits should not be excluded as an opportunity cost of any scheme that diverts water away from the wetland system. Finally, a case study of a mangrove system in Indonesia illustrates how the degree of 'environmental linkages' between the components of the system are critical in determining the extent to which the mangrove forest can be exploited for woodchip production.

Sustainable ecotourism: balancing economic, environmental and social goals within an ethical framework.

Abstract: The tourism industry is under scrutiny, both from the public and internally, in order to assess how well it meets the criteria of sustainable development. Ecotourism is described not as an alternative to mass tourism but as a potentially sustainable form of visitor demand and resource supply if nine fundamental ethics based principles can be operationalised. A view of ecotourism as having a spectrum of demanded and supplied products is advanced with illustrations from Brazil. A consideration of the constraints of ecotourism is included and the relationships among adventure, nature based and cultural tourism is indicated with an ethical overlay defining sustainable ecotourism. Some positive ecotourism related practices of an Arctic adventure tourism company illustrate key practical decisions to promote sustainbility.

Impact Assessment and Sustainable Resource Management

Abstract: 1.The need for redefinition 2.Impact assessment methods and methodology 3.Institutional arrangements for impact assessment 4.Public policy and interest representation 5.Planning and the role of impact assessment 6.Impact assessment redefined 7.Frontier developments 8.Linear facilities 9.Waste management 10.Implications for sustainable resource management Conclusions References