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The core promise of "sustainable development" is that can permit people's
needs to be met while protecting the health, safety and quality of life
of future generations.
After more than a decade of research and debate, cities are now engaged
in implementing practical solutions which embody this promise. The point,
which is assumed throughout this Website, is to integrate economic and
environmental choices in specific decisions that increase the likelihood
of success in both.
Often, it will be essential to adopt new solutions to enable sound environment-economy
choices to be made.
Starting Points
A starting point is to consider what progress has been made with existing
solutions and to consider if it is rapid enough, and has sufficient benefits
for both sides of the equation.
In general, more developed economies have more money to invest in conventional
solutions. It is not surprising that they have accomplished more. However,
developing economies may want to consider how best to "leapfrog" over
the developed countries by adopting new technologies at a more rapid rate.
At the same time, more developed economies are also more wasteful in
a number of respects. Accordingly, they also need to innovate more rapidly
in urban development, especially in energy production and use. To see
a table ranking the top carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes,
click here.
Priority Areas
It can be difficult to focus priority attention on the most significant
aspects of achieving sustainable development, since there are so many
actions which do contribute a little to it. Click
here to view tables comparing the resource intensity and energy intensity
of different industries. The tables are drawn from Canadian experience,
but the sectors concerned are broadly similar in all economies. Those
which are most resource and energy intensive are often those deserving
of greatest priority in seeking changes to increase both productivity
and environmental quality.
Case Study:
Making Environment-Economy Choices in Buildings
and Facilities
Making Tough Choices in Public Health Services
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