Towards Sustainable Development: An Implementing Framework

Historically, mankind’s relationship with the environment has gone through several stages, starting from primitive times, when human beings lived in a state of symbiosis with nature. This was followed by a period of increasing mastery over nature up to the industrial age, culminating in the rapid material-intensive growth pattern of the twentieth century, which adversely affected natural resources in many ways. The initial reaction to such environmental damage was a reactive approach characterized by increased clean-up activities. Currently, pollution levels are perceived as a serious threat in many industrialized countries, where the quality of life had hitherto been measured mainly in terms of growth in material output. Meanwhile, environmental degradation has become a serious impediment to economic development and the alleviation of poverty in the developing world. Thus, mankind’s attitude towards the environment has evolved to encompass the more proactive design of projects and policies that will help anticipate and minimize environmental degradation. In this context, the world is beginning to explore the concept of sustainable development, an approach that will permit continuing improvements in the quality of life at a lower intensity of resource use, thereby leaving for future generations an undiminished, or even enhanced, stock of natural resources and other assets (Munasinghe, 1993).