Anita Boros, Gyula Koi (eds): Sustainability and Law
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1.The conceptual framework of sustainability (Anita Boros)
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1.1. The concept of sustainable development and sustainability
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1.1.1. The concept of sustainable development

1.1.1. The concept of sustainable development

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The concept of sustainable development was identified by some even before the Brundtland report, so, for example, according to Richard Heinberg, many indigenous peoples demand that the leader make his decisions in consideration of the needs of future generations.1 In Europe, it was first encountered in forestry books, such as in 1713 in Sylvicultura Oeconomica by Hans Carl von Carlowitz, in response to dwindling forest resources across Europe.2 Later, prominent representatives of political economy – Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, David Ricardo and Thomas Malthus - raised the question of the limits of economic and demographic growth , as well as their adverse effect on resources. After the naturalists and ecologists3 of the 19th and early 20th centuries who emphasised the conservation of natural resources for sustainable consumption,4 after World War II, supporting the - primarily economic - development of underdeveloped countries became one of the common goals of international efforts.5 At the same time, the concepts of economic development and economic growth appeared more and more frequently in international and national political declarations.

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At the beginning of the 1970s, several works were identified that report on the negative effects on the environment and some natural disasters6 due to the widespread environmental destruction caused by humans, emphasising the need to protect the environment and improve the quality of life.7 One of the results of this was the paradigm appearing in the works of many authors, which emphasised the finiteness of the planet’s resources and, with it, the unsustainable nature of an economy based on growth.8 At the same time, widespread criticism of the economic development programmes implemented in the developing world appeared due to the emphasis on short-term benefits and the neglect of environmental aspects,9 and then due to the lack of a deeper examination and consideration of social problems.10

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The Club of Rome’s book ‘Limits to Growth’ emphasised the need for a sustainable world system.11 According to Grober,12 this work should be considered the first appearance of sustainability in modern times.

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According to some, the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm was the first global summit to address the dichotomy of economic development and environmental integrity.13

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According to Ruggiero,14 the eco-development concept that developed in this period can be considered the predecessor of the modern concept of sustainable development. The eco -development concept - although it has not become widely known - primarily sought the answer to how it is possible to reconcile social development with the opportunities provided by ecosystems and the planet.15 In 1978, Ignacy Sachs defined eco-development as “an approach to development that aims to harmonise social and economic objectives with ecologically sound management in the spirit of solidarity with future generations.”16

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The Kuznets hypothesis was widespread, according to which economic growth must have the means to remedy environmental damage.17 According to Du Pisani, by the 1980s, the double ecological and social critique of economic development began to intertwine in the definitions of sustainable development.18

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There is no doubt, however, that the concept of sustainable development became widely known after the Brundtland report: in 1984, the UN General Assembly established the World Commission on Environment and Development, which, led by Brundtland, prepared its report entitled ‘Our Common Future.’ According to this, “sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.” Later, after the Rio Conference, a more intense period of strategy making followed. In 2006, the Stern Report drew attention to the need for international cooperation, and in 2015, the Paris Climate Conference wanted to ensure that the average temperature increase remained below two degrees Celsius. However, it is not this, but the program ‘Transforming our world: sustainable development until 2030’ and the formulated seventeen sustainable development goals (abbr. SDGs) approved by the Member States of the UN in 2015 that define the foundations of the system of sustainability rules, which were then integrated into the professional policy systems of many international organisations, such as the European Union.

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As the concept gained momentum, it served as a framework for addressing problems associated with economic growth, leading to the birth of a paradigm that would create a more socially and environmentally sustainable model: sustainable economic growth.19

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Most people associate the concept of sustainable development with the Brundtland report. At the same time, according to some, this definition is not specific enough to be able to identify indicators that determine the sustainability progress of countries based on it. Zhang and Dajian redefined the concept of sustainable development as “Achieving higher and more equally distributed well-being levels within ecological limits.”20 Galli et al. also highlighted that the measures supporting sustainable development are usually stronger at the national level,21 therefore individual states can contribute to global sustainable development through their national aspirations.22 In another definition, the goal of sustainable development is to establish a desirable link between economic, social and environmental systems that spans generations.23
 
1 Richard Heinberg, ‘What is sustainability’ in Richard Heinberg, Daniel Lerch (eds), The post carbon reader: managing the 21st century's sustainability crises. (Post Carbon Institute 2010) 11, 19. 523. ISBN 9780970950062, 0970950063
2

Carlowitz, H. C. (1713). Sylvicultura Oeconomica, oder haußwirthliche Nachricht und Naturmäßige Anweisung zur wilden Baumzucht. [Sylvicultura Oeconomica, or domestic information and natural instruction for wild tree cultivation]. (Leipzig:Johann Friedrich Baum). (16), 414. [i.e./recte 430, 24.]. ISBN no.

Keiner, M. (2005). History, definition(s) and models of sustainable development. (Zürich: ETH Zurich). 7. DOI: 10.3929/ethz-a-004995678

3 Lumley, S., Armstrong, H. P. (2004). ‘Some of the nineteenth century origins of the sustainability concept.’ Environment, Development and Sustainability, 15(5) 367-378. DOI: 10.1023/ B:ENVI .0000029901.02470.a7
4 Callicott, J. B., Karen Mumford, K. (1997). ‘Ecological sustainability as a conservation concept: Sustainability ecological how concept of conservation.’ Conservation biology, 11(1) 32-40. DOI: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.95468.x
5 Arndt, H.W. (2015). Economic development. The history of an idea. (Chicago:University of Chicago Press). 230. ISBN 0226027201 (hardcover/ISBN10) ISBN 9780226027203 (hardcover/ISBN13)
6 Carson, R. (2015) [1962]. Silent spring. In Thinking about the environment. (London:Routledge). 150-155. ISBN 9781315698724; Mitlin, D. (1992). ‘Sustainable development: A guide to the literature.’ Environment and urbanization, 4(1)111-124. DOI: 10.1177/09562478920040011
7 Dunlap, R. E., Mertig, A. G. (1991). ‘The evolution of the US environment movement from 1970 to 1990: An overview.’ Society & Natural Resources, 4(3) 209-218. DOI: 10.1080/08941929109380755; Purvis-Mao-Robinson (2019) op. cit.
8Jacobus A. Du Pisani, ‘Sustainable development - historical roots of the concept’ (2006) 3(2), Environmental sciences, 83-96. DOI: 10.1080/15693430600688831; Purvis-Mao-Robinson (2019) op. cit.; Woodhouse, E. (1972).‘Re-visioning​ the future of the third world: an ecological perspective on development.’ World Politics, 25(1) 1-33. DOI: 10.2307/2010429
9 Caldwell, L. K. (1984). ‘Political Aspects of ecologically sustainable development.’ Environmental Conservation, 11(4) 299-308. DOI: 10.1017/S037689290001465X
10 Hirsch, F. (1976). The Social Limits of Growth. (Cambridge (MA):Harvard University Press) 226. DOI: 10.4159/harvard.9780674497900; Seers, D. (1969). The Meaning of Development in Politics Economy of Development and Underdevelopment. (New York City:Random House). 44. ISBN no.
11 Meadows, D., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J., Behrens Ill, W.W. (2015). ‘The limits to growth’ In: Conca, K., Dabelko, G. D. (eds.), Green planet blues. Critical perspectives on global environmental policies. (London:Routledge). 25-29. ISBN no. DOI:10.4324/9780429493744-3
12 Grober, U., Cunningham, R. (2012): Sustainability. A cultural history. (Totnes:Green Books). 156. ISBN 978-0-8578-4045-5
13 Du Pisani (2006) op. cit.
14 Ruggiero, V. (2012). ‘Economic Development: Threats and Opportunities’ Beijing Law Review, 3(3) 121-127. DOI: 10.4236/blr.2012.33016
15 Naredo, J. M. (2004). 'Sobre el origen, el uso y el contenido del término sostenible.’ Cuadernos de investigación urbanística, No. 41 7-18. ISSN 1886-6654; Glaeser, B. (ed.) (1984). Ecodevelopment: concepts, projects, strategies. (Amsterdam:Elsevier Science & Technology). xiii, 247. ISBN 978008028936; Clinton, R.L. (1977). ‘Ecodevelopment.’ World Affairs, 140(2) 111-126. URL: https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/wrldaf140&div=18&id=&page= (accessed 22 Oct 2024).
16 Sachs, I. (1978).‘Environment and development — key concepts for a new approach to education.’ Prospects, 8(8) 438–445. DOI: 10.1007/BF02282151
17 Kuznets, S. (2019). ‘Economic growth and income inequality,’ In: Seligson, M. A. (ed.), The gap between rich and poor. (London:Routledge). 25-37. ISBN 9780429311208
18 Du Pisani (2006) op. cit.
19 O'Riordan, T. (1985). ‘Research policy and review 6. Future directions for environmental policy.’ Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 17(11), 1431-1446. DOI: 10.1068/a171431
20 Zhang, S., Zhu, D. (2020). ’Have countries moved towards sustainable development or not? Definition, criteria indicators and empirical analysis.’ Journal of Cleaner Production, 23(23) Vol. 267 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121929
21 Galli, A., Đurović, G., Hanscom, L., Knežević, J. (2018). 'Think globally, act locally: Implementing the sustainable development goals in Montenegro.' Environmental science & policy, 84(6) 159-169. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2018.03.012
22 Häyhä, T., Lucas, P. L., van Vuuren, D. P., Cornell, S. E., Holger Hoff, H. (2016). ‘From Planetary Boundaries to national fair shares of the global safe operating space - How can the scales be bridged?’ Global Environmental Changes, 40(9) 60-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.06.008
23 Cobbinah, P.B., Black, R., Thwaites, R. (2011).‘Reflections on six decades of the concept of development: Evaluation and future research,’ Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 13(7) 143-158. ISSN: 1520-5509
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