3-7: Sustainable Development

Change is inevitable and necessary for the sake of future generations and for ourselves. We can choose a course for change that will lead to the mutually reinforcing goals of economic growth, environmental protection, and social justice.
-- Presidents Council on Sustainable Development, 1996

Note: Be sure to visit the President's Council on Sustainable Development Homepage

Pre-Class Preparation

Objectives

To understand the concept of sustainable development.
To review the challenge of moving toward sustainable development in industrial and developing nations.

Procedure

Read the learning unit.
Note: There are no images for this lecture
Take the learning unit quiz. Quizzes are available from your portfolio. You may access your portfolio via the list of students participating in this year's course, as represented by the icon below.
Additional Required Reading. Although you are not ultimately responsible for content listed in this section, we encourage you to fully explore the links in order to provide a better scope on the upcoming class discussion.

Class Discussion

Problem to ponder...

Class Discussion Summary: by your classmate Predrag Popovic

The lecture covered President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) document on a new consensus for future. The entire document is on the Internet and a link can be found on the lecture page.

The PCSD definition of sustainable development is:

"...to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

The definition is emphasized by Dr. Takle to be very powerful and maybe the only definition that need to be memorized from this course. The PCSD is a very interesting blend of environmental and business leader which role is to give a vision to the US which is beneficial to future generation of how to pursue an economic growth while protecting environment and ensuring social equity. Dr. Takle dwelled on the parts of the PCSD document in which

The council list of believes regarding the sustainable development which represents a common ground for all of the PCSD members. The PCSD set 10 national goals toward achieving the sustainable development

The PCSD is formed in 1993 by president Clinton in order to advise him on the issue and to provide a way to integrate environment protection, economic growth and social equity. Dr. Takle expressed a view that the PCSD and its work are progressive and powerful, and he mentioned that a PCSD member was a guest lecture in the class.

Post-Class Activities

Participate in the electronic dialog. Use this forum for:

continuing class discussion;
posing new questions to students or the instructor;
responding to issues/questions raised by students in class/electronic dialog.

Visitor Access (Visitors are welcome to participate in the dialog. Just click on the icon below)	Student Access (Students must post all dialog from their portfolio. Click on the icon below to access the student list.)

Recommended Reading Materials

	Earth Pledge Foundation Homepage winning essays.
	International Institute for Sustainable Development.
	Interdisciplinary Science for Sustainable Development
	Spatial Data in Geographic Information System Format on Agricultural Chemical Use, Land Use, and Cropping Practices in the United States.
	Sustainable Consumption and Production Homepage.
	Sustainable Development Dimensions

References

	Assessing Sustainable Development: Principles in Practice
	Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development
	Pacific Institute of Studies in Development, Environment and Security
	The Politics of Sustainable Development: Theory, Policy and Practice in the European Union Note: This link is currently being updated...
	Sustainable Development Dimensions
	Pauly, D., V. Christensen, J. Dalsgaard, R.Froese, and F. Torres, Jr., 1998: Fishing down marine food webs. Science 279, 860-863

	Climate change and North-South relations. (From UNEP.)
	A few words from Thomas Jefferson.
	The special concern of developing countries. (From UNEP.)