Sustainable Development: An Anthropocentric View
The Evolution of Sustainable Development
The first precedent we have in the 1960s is the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966, UN). This was followed by the Stockholm Declaration in 1972. In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development, in the UN’s first Brundtland Report, defined sustainable development as:
“Development that ensures present needs without compromising the ability of future generations so they can meet their own needs.”
The Brundtland Report on sustainable development presents an anthropocentric concept, viewing the environment and economic development as tools for humans to achieve a higher quality of life. This perspective is the most common in many jurisdictions, including ours. However, continuous review and reinterpretation have caused intense debate.
Part of the debate stems from what many authors describe as difficulty in combining economic and environmental progress. Others, like “green radicals”, believe the focus should be on sustaining the natural resource base.
Different Perspectives on Sustainable Development
- Geoforum magazine criticizes the anthropocentric view of the Brundtland Report, arguing that it assumes humans want to protect the biosphere.
- W. Rees focuses on ecologically sustainable development, understanding that the anthropocentric concept is an excuse to continue squandering nature.
- Bertelmus offers a less radical anthropocentric vision, stating that sustainable development emphasizes human purposes and maintains income levels by preserving the sources of that income (produced and natural capital).
- W. Sachs believes that sustainable development is an excuse for increasing human intervention in nature, aiming to save the industrial system rather than the planet.
The UN’s Role in Shaping Sustainable Development
The UN’s 1992 Rio Conference re-interpreted the concept, causing a global discussion that broadly followed the Brundtland Commission’s line but included specific measures. The Johannesburg Summit in 2002 introduced new requirements and tools to make sustainable development a reality.
These principles emphasize an anthropocentric view, where humans are the focus of concern and have the right to live harmoniously with nature. It is clear that different interpretations of sustainable development exist, and EU policy takes a legal form based on the Brundtland Commission’s definition.
Sustainable Development and Market Globalization
Regarding environmental issues, the view that scientific progress alone would be sufficient to solve them has been surpassed. It also doesn’t make sense to contrast environment and development, as the former is simply a failure of the latter. Environmental problems are problems of uneven development for the human species and are undoubtedly harmful to natural species.
The Interdependence of Globalization and Sustainable Development
With globalization and interdependence comes the need to make collective decisions in all areas that affect us collectively, such as the environment. Currently, real sustainable development is impossible as the most immediate human needs are still a priority for many states, which prioritize economic factors (trade, production, etc.) over ecological ones.
As stated in the UOC materials, nature and economic development do not progress equally. Sustainable development, the market, and globalization are interrelated, and we cannot understand one without considering its impact on the others.
We must strive to make globalization understood as interdependence coupled with more balanced development among states. This will gradually facilitate the advancement of the concept of sustainable development, making the other factors serve the primary goal of sustainability.