'Reframing
Sustainably Development' proposes a new sustainability paradigm
in order to avert environmental and subsequent social and economic
collapse.
CIWEM considers that the current emphasis on an integrated consideration of environmental, social and economic components of sustainability is undermined by poor decision making, weak governance and institutional frameworks which, ultimately, allow too great an emphasis on economic growth to the detriment of environmental and resource conservation. Furthermore, there remains confusion with currently accepted definitions of sustainable development concerning the precise meaning of terms including 'development' and 'future'. Thus, as a global community we are a long way from any kind of sustainable development.
In order to rectify this failure,
CIWEM considers that sustainable development must be re-framed to
focus more explicitly on the fundamental environmental dimension
within culturally sympathetic contexts. The single limiting
factor of a so-called sustainable human race is the management and
rate of exploitation of a finite planet - its resources and natural
environment - of which humankind is a part. If these resources can
be managed and conserved appropriately then pressures on people and
the environment will be lessened and social and economic benefit
will ultimately follow.
This report is endorsed by the Society
for the Environment.
Mainstreaming Sustainability - A CIWEM Review of the UK Government's progress, January 2012
Since the election of the Coalition
Government in May 2010 there has been a significant shift in the
sustainability agenda. The current Government position on
sustainability is that it should not be driven from a
non-departmental, independent body but mainstreamed throughout
government utilising the same frameworks as for other agendas.
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Mainstreaming
Sustainability critically examines this new approach to
sustainable development and sets out CIWEM's position on whether we
consider it to be an appropriate model. This work takes into
account recent commentary by the Sustainable Development Commission
(closed down in April 2011), the House of Commons Environmental
Audit Committee and others including CIWEM's own experts. CIWEM has also analysed the actions taken on planning and zero-carbon homes from the DCLG, low carbon and green economy policies from the DECC and action on the natural environment from Defra. The Government's own performance across its estate in terms of carbon cutting and procurement is also assessed. CIWEM has judged each area against the principles of SD in Securing the Future. |
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CIWEM's related activities
The policy team will be developing a
new SD workstream in summer 2012 looking into defining SD post
Rio+20.
CIWEM has been particularly vocal
on the issue of sustainable development within the government's
reforms to the planning system and the publication of the
National Planning Policy Framework. We were on the
front page of the Telegraph following our press release: "A builders' charter". We
considered the initial draft of the framework to be completely
deficient and have been pleased to see a marked improvement in the
definitions of SD in the final draft. Our responses to the
Department of Communities and Local Government and the Communities
and Local Government Committee can be found in the side tab.
Nick Reeves gave oral
evidence to the Communities and Local Government
Committee on our concerns over an economic bias to
sustainability in the NPPF. The Committee's final report agreed
with many of our recommendations.
In Summer 2011 Alastair, Laura and Jo
from the policy team met with Jonathon Porritt to
discuss the current structures in place for SD and where/how best
to influence the government.
Following the publication of
'Mainstreaming Sustainability' in Jan 2012, the
policy team met Defra's head of transparency and stakeholder
engagement in the Sustainable Development Unit to discuss how they
may better encourage and implement SD into policy across government
in early May.
Our Sustainability panel have been
working on a signposting tool Signposts to Sustainability to help
those in the industry put in place the most appropriate measures to
increase sustainability at the various stages across the life of a
project.
