1.2.3 The Principle of Sustainability (Sustainable Development)

Another important principle is the principle of sustainable development, which may be viewed as an instance of applying the precautionary principle to resources. This principle is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for future generations. For the first time, the term ‘sustainable development’ was used by the Brundtland Commission (1987), which has given the most famous definition of sustainable development as development that ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (United Nations 1987).

The term ‘sustainable development’ seeks to combine the resources and processes of natural systems with the human needs and economic activities of social systems. Already in the 1970s the term ‘sustainability’ had been used for an economy ‘in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems’ (Stivers 1976). On the base of the idea of sustainability and according to the alarming theses of The Limits to Growth (Meadows et al. 1971) many ecologists tried to create the new concept of a ‘steady state economy’ (Daly 1973), especially with respect to environmental concerns. In this context, ‘sustainable development’ does not refer solely to environmental issues, but also takes into account social and economic considerations: the resolving of conflicts between different competing goals and stakeholders, and the harmonising of economic growth and social welfare with environmental quality. The concept of sustainable development – both of nature and society – points out that the survival of mankind depends essentially on the survival of nature (or the natural environment), because economic and socio-cultural welfare is directly coupled with the the welfare of nature – resources, plants, animals, etc. Ultimately, the exploitation and degradation of nature can result in the inability to maintain human life and even in the extinction of mankind. The theory of sustainable development is therefore based on the assumption that societies have to manage three forms of non-substitutable capital: economic, social and natural capital (for further information see Dyllick and Hockerts 2002; Daly 1973, 1991).

It may be that we can find ways to replace some natural resources, but it is unlikely that we will ever be able to replace the services provided by the eco-system: for example, to protect us against dangerous cosmic radiation with an intact ozone layer, or to supply us with sufficient oxygen as the tropical forests or the algae of the oceans do. The multi-functionality of many natural resources and also biodiversity are irreplaceable. Moreover, the deterioration of natural resources and the loss of natural services (e.g. the absorption of nutrients by a lake) are often irreversible processes – like the loss of ethnic and cultural diversity (e.g. indigenous languages). Therefore only a sustainable development can secure both: the protection of a functional intact environment and the survival and welfare of human beings.