ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT VS SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES - REFLECTIONS ON THE PLAYERS IN A CRUCIAL CONTEST

The World Commission on Environment and Development adopted and legiti mated the idea of sustainable development in its report Our Common Fut ure. Without substantiation, WCED claimed that economic growth and env ironmental protection were compatible. The 1992 UN Conference on Envir onment and Development at Rio de Janeiro adopted the idea, without fur ther testing, as its intellectual core. Since 1992, the United Nations , the United States, and many other nations have created agencies to t rack progress toward sustainable development. In favor of the idea are individuals, including, it appears, most economists, who advocate cen tralization, internationalization, and rapid economic development. The opposition consists principally of people from academic disciplines, especially ecologists and humanists. This group does not communicate e ffectively, but if it did, it might agree that: economic development a nd environmental protection are not compatible; insistence by economis ts that all natural resources be given a dollar value is useless, if n ot harmful; biodiversity has intrinsic value; sustainable development weakens local autonomy; and social welfare is a key component of envir onmental health. To strengthen the defense of ecosystems, ecologists, humanists, and others should apply their knowledge to practical enviro nmental problems. By making their knowledge accessible in local politi cal arenas, they will concurrently shore up the ability of local units to protect their environments and speak with force in larger politica l arenas. All proponents of environmental health must become advocates of environmental justice.