Identify, in this and in other sustainable development documents you may wish to read, the underlying world view, value, and ethical assumptions being made. To what sort of theory do they subscribe, a
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Our C om mon Fu tu re , Fr om O ne E arth t o O ne W orld
A n O ve rv ie w b y t h e W orld C om m issi on o n E nvir o n m en t a n d
D eve lo p m en t
I. T he G lo b a l C halle n ge
1. Successes and failures
2. The Interlocking Crises
3. Sustainable Development
4. The Institutional Gaps
II . T he P oli c y D ir e ctio n s
1. Population and Human Resources
2. Food Security: Sustaining the Potential
3. Species and Ecosystems: Resources for Development
4. Energy: Choices for Environment and Development
5. Industry: Producing More with Less
6. The Urban Challenge
III . I n te rn atio n al C oop era tio n a n d I n stit u tio n al R efo rm
1. The Role of the International Economy
2. Managing the Commons
3. Peace, Security, Development, and the Environment
4. Institutional and Legal Change
4 .1 G ettin g a t t h e S ou rc e s
4 .2 D ea li n g w it h t h e E ffe cts
4 .3 A sse ssin g G lo b a l R is k s
4 .4 M akin g I n fo rm ed C hoic e s 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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4.5 P ro vid in g t h e L eg a l M ea n s
4.6 I n vestin g i n o u r Fu tu re
IV . A C all f o r A ctio n
1. I n th e m iddle of t h e 20 th cent ury , we sa w ou r pl anet f r o m spa ce fo r t h e fir st t im e. H ist oria ns
m ay ev ent ually f ind t h at t h is visio n had a g rea ter im pact o n th ou gh t t h an did t h e Co per nica n
rev olu tio n of t h e 16 th cent ury , wh ich u pset t h e hum an sel f- im ag e by r ev ea ling t h at t h e Earth is
no t t h e cent re of t h e univ erse. F ro m spa ce, we see a sm all a nd f r a g il e ball d om ina ted no t b y
h um an act ivity a nd ed ifice bu t b y a pa tter n of cl ou ds, o cea ns, g reener y, a nd so ils. H um anit y's
ina bil it y t o f it it s act ivities into t h at pa tte rn is ch ang ing pl anet ary sy stem s, f u nd am ent ally . M any
su ch ch ang es are acco mpa nied b y l if e- th rea tening h aza rd s. T his new rea lit y, f r o m wh ich t h er e is
no esca pe, m ust b e reco gniz ed - a nd m an ag ed .
2. F ortu na tel y, t h is new rea lit y co incid es wit h m ore po sitive dev elopm ents new to t h is cent ury .
W e ca n m ove inf orm atio n and g o od s fa st er a ro u nd t h e glo b e th an ev er b ef ore; we can pr od u ce
m ore fo od a nd m ore go od s wit h l ess invest m ent o f r eso urces; ou r t ech nolo gy a nd science giv es us
at l ea st, t h e po tent ial t o l o ok d eeper int o a nd b et ter u nd erstand na tu ra l sy stem s. F ro m spa ce, we
ca n see and st udy t h e Earth a s an org anism wh ose hea lt h d epend s on th e hea lt h o f a l it s pa rts.
W e have th e po wer t o r eco ncil e hum an affa ir s wit h na tu ra l l a ws and t o t h riv e in th e pr ocess. I n
th is ou r cu lt u ra l a nd spir itual h er itag es ca n reinf orce ou r eco nomic int erest s and su rv iv al
im per ativ es.
3. T his Co mmissio n bel iev es th at peo ple ca n bu il d a f u tu re th at is more pr osper ou s, m ore ju st ,
and m ore secu re. O ur r epo rt, O ur Co mmo n Fu tu re , is no t a pr ed ict ion of ev er incr easing
env ironm ental d eca y, po ver ty , a nd h ard sh ip in an ev er m ore po llu ted wo rld a m ong ev er
decr easing r eso urces. W e see inst ead t h e po ssib ilit y f o r a new era o f eco nomic gro wt h, o ne th at
m ust b e based o n po licies th at su stain an d ex pa nd t h e env ironm ental r eso urce base. A nd we
b el iev e su ch g ro wt h t o b e ab so lu tel y essent ial t o r el iev e th e grea t po ver ty t h at is deepening in
m uch o f t h e dev eloping wo rld .
4. B ut t h e Co mmissio n's hope fo r t h e fu tu re is co nd itio na l o n decisiv e po lit ica l a ct io n no w to
b eg in mana ging env ironm ental r eso urces to ensu re both su staina ble hum an pr ogress and h um an
su rv iv al. W e are no t f o reca sting a f u tu re; we are ser ving a no tice - a n urg ent no tice based o n th e
la test a nd b est scient ific evidence - t h at t h e tim e has co me to t a k e th e decisio ns need ed t o secu re
th e reso urces to su stain th is and co ming g ener atio ns. W e do no t o ffer a d et ail ed b lu epr int f o r
act io n, b u t inst ead a pa th wa y b y wh ich t h e peo ples of t h e wo rld m ay enl arg e th eir sph eres of
co oper atio n.
I. T he G lo b al C halle n ge
1. Successes and failures
5. T hose lo oking f o r su ccess and sig ns of h ope can find m any : inf ant m orta lit y is fa lling ; h um an
lif e ex pect ancy is incr easing ; th e pr opo rtio n of t h e wo rld 's ad u lt s wh o ca n rea d a nd wr ite is
cl im bing ; th e pr opo rtio n of ch ildren starting sch ool is rising ; and g lo b al f o od pr od u ct io n
incr eases fa st er t h an th e po pu la tio n gro w s.
6. B ut t h e sa me pr ocesses th at h ave pr od u ced t h ese gains have giv en rise to t r end s th at t h e
pl anet a nd it s peo ple ca nno t l o ng b ea r. T hese have tr a d it io na lly b een div id ed int o f a il ures of
'd ev elopm ent' a nd f a il ures in th e m ana gem ent o f o u r h um an env ironm ent. O n th e dev elopm ent
side, in ter ms of a b so lu te nu mber s th er e are m ore hung ry peo ple in th e wo rld t h an ev er b ef ore,
a nd t h eir nu mber s are incr easing . S o a re th e nu mber s wh o ca nno t r ea d o r wr ite, t h e nu mber s
wit hou t sa fe wa ter o r sa fe and so und h om es, a nd t h e nu mber s sh ort o f wo od fu el wit h wh ich t o
co ok a nd wa rm t h em selves. T he gap bet ween rich a nd po or na tio ns is wid ening - no t sh rink ing -
a nd t h er e is lit tle pr ospect , g iv en present t r end s and inst itutio na l a rra ng em ent s, t h at t h is pr ocess
wil l b e rev ersed . 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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7. T her e are also env ironm ental t r end s th at t h rea ten to r a d ica lly a lt er t h e pl anet , t h at t h rea ten
t h e liv es of m any species upo n it. incl uding t h e hum an species. E ach y ea r a no th er 6 m illio n
hect ares of pr od u ct ive dry la nd t u rns into wo rth less deser t. O ver t h ree deca des, t h is wo uld
a m ou nt t o a n area r o u gh ly a s la rg e as Sau di A ra b ia . M ore th an 11 millio n hect ares of f o rest s are
d est ro yed y ea rly , a nd t h is, o ver t h ree deca des, wo uld eq ual a n area a b ou t t h e siz e of I nd ia. M uch
of t h is fo rest is co nv erted t o l o w- gra d e fa rm la nd u na ble to su ppo rt t h e fa rm er s wh o set tle it. I n
E uro pe, a cid pr ecipit atio n kil ls fo rest s an d l a k es and d am ag es th e artist ic and a rch itect ura l
h er itag e of na tio ns; it m ay h ave acid ified v a st t r a ct s of so il b ey ond r ea sona ble hope of r epa ir. T he
bu rning o f f o ssil f u el s pu ts int o t h e atm osph ere ca rb on dio xid e, wh ich is causing g ra d u al g lo b al
wa rm ing . T his 'g reenh ou se effect ' m ay b y ea rly nex t cent ury h ave incr eased a ver ag e glo b al
tem per atu res eno ugh t o sh ift a g ricu lt u ra l pr od u ct io n area s, r a ise sea l ev els to f lo od co ast al cit ies,
and d isr upt na tio na l eco nomies. O th er ind ust ria l g ases th rea ten to d epl ete th e pl anet 's pr otect ive
ozo ne shiel d t o su ch a n ex tent t h at t h e nu mber o f h um an and a nim al ca ncer s wo uld r ise sharpl y
and t h e ocea ns' f o od ch ain wo uld b e disr upt ed , ind ust ry a nd a g ricu lt u re pu t t o xic su bst ances into
th e hum an fo od ch ain and int o u nd ergro u nd wa ter t a b les bey ond r ea ch o f cl ea nsing .
8. T her e has been a g ro wing r ea liz atio n in na tio na l g o ver nm ents and m ult il ater al inst itutio ns
th at it is im possib le to sepa ra te eco nomic d ev elopm ent issu es fr o m env ironm ent issu es; many
fo rm s of d ev elopm ent er od e th e env ironm ental r eso urces upo n wh ich t h ey m ust b e based , a nd
env ironm ental d eg ra d atio n ca n und ermine eco nomic dev elopm ent. P over ty is a m ajo r ca use and
ef fect o f g lo b al env ironm ental pr ob lem s. I t is th er efore fu til e to a ttem pt t o d ea l wit h
env ironm ental pr ob lem s wit hou t a b ro ad er per spect ive th at enco mpa sses th e fa ct ors und erly ing
wo rld po ver ty a nd int erna tio na l ineq ualit y.
9 . T hese concer ns wer e beh ind t h e est ab lish ment in 1983 of t h e W orld Co mmissio n on
E nv ironm ent a nd D ev elopm ent b y t h e U N Gener al A ssem bly . T he Co mmissio n is an
ind epend ent b od y, l ink ed t o b u t o u tsid e th e co ntro l o f g o ver nm ents and t h e U N sy stem . T he
Co mmissio n's m and ate gave it t h ree ob je ct ives: to r e- ex am ine th e cr itica l env ironm ent a nd
d ev elopm ent issu es and t o f o rm ula te rea list ic propo sals fo r d ea ling wit h t h em ; to pr opo se new
fo rm s of int erna tio na l co oper atio n on th ese issu es th at wil l inf lu ence policies and ev ent s in th e
dir ect ion of need ed ch ang es; and t o r a ise t h e lev els of u nd erstand ing a nd co mmitm ent t o a ct io n
of ind ivid uals, v o lu nt ary o rg aniz atio ns, b u sinesses, inst itutes, a nd g o ver nm ents.
10. T hro u gh o u r d el ib er atio ns and t h e test imony o f peo ple at t h e pu blic hea ring s we hel d o n fiv e
co ntinent s, a ll t h e co mmissio ners ca me to f o cu s on one cent ra l t h em e: many pr esent
dev elopm ent t r end s lea ve incr easing nu mber s of peo ple po or a nd v u lner ab le, wh ile at t h e sa me
tim e deg ra d ing t h e env ironm ent. H ow can su ch d ev elopm ent ser ve nex t cent ury 's wo rld o f t wice
a s m any peo ple rel ying o n th e sa me env ironm ent? This rea liz atio n bro ad ened o u r v iew of
d ev elopm ent. W e ca me to see it no t in its r est rict ed co ntex t o f eco nomic gro wt h in dev eloping
co unt ries. W e ca me to see th at a new dev elopm ent pa th wa s req uir ed , o ne th at su stained h um an
pr ogress not j u st in a f ew pieces fo r a f ew y ea rs, b u t f o r t h e ent ire pl anet int o t h e dist ant f u tu re.
T hus 'su staina ble dev elopm ent' b eco mes a g o al no t j u st f o r t h e 'd ev eloping ' na tio ns, b u t f o r
ind ust ria l o nes as wel l.
2. The Interlocking Crises
11. U nt il r ecent ly , t h e pl anet wa s a l a rg e wo rld in wh ich h um an act ivities and t h eir ef fect s wer e
neatly co mpa rtm ent aliz ed wit hin natio ns , wit hin sect ors (ener gy, a g ricu lt u re, t r a d e) , a nd wit hin
bro ad a rea s of co ncer n (env ironm ent, ec ono mics, so cia l) . T hese compa rtm ent s have beg un to
d isso lv e. T his appl ies in particu la r t o t h e v a rio us glo b al 'cr ises' t h at h ave seiz ed pu blic co ncer n,
particu la rly o ver t h e pa st d eca de. T hese are no t sepa ra te cr ises: an env ironm ental cr isis, a
d ev elopm ent cr isis, a n ener gy cr isis. T hey a re all o ne.
12 . T he pl anet is pa ssing t h ro u gh a per iod o f d ra m atic gro wt h a nd f u nd am ent al ch ang e. O ur
h um an wo rld o f 5 b il lio n m ust m ak e ro om in a f init e env ironm ent f o r a no th er h um an wo rld . T he
po pu la tio n co uld st ab il iz e at b et ween 8 a nd 14 b il lio n so metim e nex t cent ury , a cco rd ing t o U N
pr oject ions. M ore th an 90 per cent o f t h e incr ease wil l o ccu r in th e po orest co unt ries, a nd 9 0 per
cent o f t h at g ro wt h in alr ea dy b u rst ing ci ties. 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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13. E co no mic act ivity h as m ult ipl ied t o cr ea te a $ 13 tr il lio n wo rld eco nomy, a nd t h is co uld g ro w
fiv e to t enf old in th e co ming h alf cent ury . I nd ust ria l pr od u ct io n has gro wn more th an fif ty fo ld
o ver t h e pa st cent ury , f o u r-fif th s of t h is gro wt h since 1950 . S u ch f ig ures ref lect a nd pr esa ge
pr ofo u nd im pacts upo n th e bio sph ere, a s th e wo rld inv ests in hou ses, t r a nspo rt, f a rm s, a nd
ind ust ries. M uch o f t h e eco nomic gro wt h pu lls ra w mater ial f r o m f o rest s, so ils, sea s, a nd
wa ter wa ys.
T he W orld Co mmissio n on Env ironm ent a nd D ev elopm ent f ir st m et in Oct ob er 19 84.
and pu blish ed it s R epo rt 9 0 0 d ays la ter , in Apr il 19 87. O ver t h ose few days:
T he dro u gh t- tr ig ger ed , env ironm ent-d ev elopm ent cr isis in Afr ica pea ked ,
pu tting 36 m illio n peo ple at r isk , k il ling p er haps a m illio n.
A l ea k f r o m a pest icides fa ct ory in Bhopa l, I nd ia, k il led m ore th an 2,0 00 peo ple
and b lind ed a nd inj ured o ver 2 0 0,0 00 m ore.
L iq uid g as ta nk s ex plod ed in Mex ico Cit y, k il ling 1, 000 a nd l ea ving t h ou sa nd s
more hom eless.
The Ch erno byl nu clea r r ea ctor ex plosio n sent nu clea r f a llo u t a cr oss Euro pe,
incr easing t h e risk s of f u tu re hum an ca ncer s.
Agricu lt u ra l ch em icals, so lv ent s, a nd m ercu ry f lo wed int o t h e Rhine Riv er d u ring
a wa reh ou se fir e in Swit zer la nd , k il ling m illio ns of f ish a nd t h rea tening d rink ing
water in th e Fed eral R epu blic of Ger many a nd t h e N et her la nd s.
An est imated 6 0 m illio n peo ple died o f d ia rrh oea l d isea ses rel ated t o u nsa fe
d rink ing wa ter a nd m alnu tr it io n; most o f t h e vict im s wer e ch ildren.
14 . A m ainspr ing o f eco nomic gro wt h is new tech nolo gy, a nd wh ile th is tech nolo gy o ffer s th e
po tent ial f o r sl owing t h e dang erou sl y r a p id co nsu mpt ion of f init e reso urces, it a lso ent ail s hig h
risk s, incl uding new fo rm s of po llu tio n and t h e int ro d u ct io n to t h e pl anet o f new va ria tio ns of l if e
fo rm s th at co uld ch ang e ev olu tio na ry pa th wa ys. M ea nwh ile, t h e ind ust ries most h ea vil y r el ia nt
on env ironm ental r eso urces and m ost h ea vil y po llu ting a re gro wing m ost r a pid ly in th e
dev eloping wo rld , wh ere th er e is both m ore urg ency f o r g ro wt h a nd l ess capa cit y t o m inim ize
dam ag ing sid e ef fect s.
15. T hese rel ated ch ang es have lo ck ed t h e glo b al eco nomy a nd g lo b al eco lo gy t o geth er in new
wa ys. W e have in th e pa st b een concer ned a b ou t t h e im pacts of eco nomic gro wt h u po n th e
env ironm ent. W e are no w fo rced t o co ncer n ou rsel ves wit h t h e im pacts of eco lo gica l st ress -
deg ra d atio n of so ils, wa ter r eg im es, a tm osph ere, a nd f o rest s upo n ou r eco nomic prospect s. W e
have in th e m ore recent pa st b een fo rced t o f a ce up to a sh arp incr ease in eco nomic
int erdepend ence am ong na tio ns. W e are no w fo rced t o a ccu stom o u rsel ves to a n accel erating
eco lo gica l int erdepend ence am ong na tio ns. E co lo gy a nd eco nomy a re beco ming ev er m ore
int erwo ven lo ca lly , r eg iona lly , na tio na lly , a nd g lo b ally int o a sea mless net o f ca uses and ef fect s.
16. I m po ver ish ing t h e lo ca l r eso urce base ca n im pover ish wid er a rea s: def orest atio n by h ig hla nd
fa rm er s ca uses flo od ing o n lo wl and f a rm s; fa ct ory po llu tio n ro b s lo ca l f ish ermen of t h eir ca tch .
Su ch g rim l o ca l cy cles now oper ate na tio na lly a nd r eg iona lly . D ry la nd d eg ra d atio n send s
environm ental r ef ugees in th eir m illio ns acr oss natio na l b ord er s. D ef orest atio n in Latin Am er ica
and A sia is causing m ore flo od s, a nd m ore dest ru ct ive flo od s, in downh ill, d ownst rea m na tio ns.
Acid pr ecipit atio n and nu clea r f a llo u t h ave spr ead a cr oss th e bord er s of E uro pe. S im ilar
ph eno mena a re em erging o n a g lo b al sca le, su ch a s glo b al wa rm ing a nd l o ss of o zo ne.
Int erna tio na lly t r a d ed h aza rd ou s ch em icals ent ering f o od s are th em selves int erna tio na lly t r a d ed .
In th e nex t cent ury , t h e env ironm ental p ressu re ca using po pu la tio n m ovem ent s m ay b e incr ease
sh arpl y, wh ile barrier s to t h at m ovem ent m ay b e ev en fir m er t h an th ey a re no w.
17. O ver t h e pa st f ew deca des, l if e- th rea tening env ironm ental co ncer ns have su rfa ced in th e
dev eloping wo rld . Co unt ry sid es are co ming u nd er pr essu re fr o m incr easing nu mber s of f a rm er s 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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and t h e la nd less. Cit ies are fil ling wit h pe opl e, ca rs, a nd f a ct ories. Yet a t t h e sa me tim e th ese
dev eloping co unt ries ou st o per ate in a wo rld in wh ich t h e reso urces gap bet ween most
d ev eloping a nd ind ust ria l na tio ns is wid ening , in wh ich t h e ind ust ria l wo rld d om ina tes in th e
ru le- m ak ing o f so me key int erna tio na l b od ies and in wh ich t h e ind ust ria l wo rld h as alr ea dy u sed
m uch o f t h e pl anet 's eco lo gica l ca pit al. T his ineq ualit y is th e pl anet 's m ain 'env ironm ental'
pr ob lem ; it is also it s m ain 'd ev elopm ent' pr ob lem .
18. I nt erna tio na l eco nomic rel atio nsh ips pose a pa rticu la r pr ob lem f o r env ironm ental
m ana gem ent in many d ev eloping co unt ries. A gricu lt u re, f o rest ry , ener gy pr od u ct io n, a nd m ining
gener ate at l ea st h alf t h e gro ss natio na l pr od u ct o f m any d ev eloping co unt ries and a cco unt f o r
ev en la rg er sh ares of l iv elih ood s and em ploym ent . E xpo rts of na tu ra l r eso urces rem ain a l a rg e
fa ct or in th eir eco nomies, especia lly f o r t h e lea st d ev eloped . M ost o f t h ese count ries fa ce
eno rm ou s eco nomic pressu res, b oth int erna tio na l a nd d om est ic, t o o ver ex ploit t h eir
env ironm ental r eso urce base.
19 . T he recent cr isis in Afr ica b est a nd m ost t r a g ica lly il lu st ra tes th e wa ys in wh ich eco nomics
and eco lo gy ca n int eract d est ru ct ively a nd t r ip int o d isa ster . T rig ger ed b y d ro u gh t, it s rea l ca uses
lie deeper . T hey a re to b e fo u nd in part in natio na l po licies th at g ave to o l it tle attent ion, t o o l a te,
t o t h e need s of sm allh old er a g ricu lt u re and t o t h e th rea ts po sed b y r a pid ly r ising po pu la tio ns.
Their r o ots ex tend a lso t o a g lo b al eco nomic system t h at t a k es more ou t o f a po or co ntinent t h an
it pu ts in. D eb ts th at t h ey ca nno t pa y f o rce Afr ica n na tio ns rel ying o n co mmod it y sa les to o ver use
th eir f r a g il e so ils, t h us tu rning g o od l a nd t o d eser t. T ra d e barrier s in th e wea lt h y na tio ns - a nd in
m any d ev eloping na tio ns - m ak e it h ard f o r A fr ica n na tio ns to sel l t h eir g o o d s fo r r ea sona ble
r et urns, pu tting y et m ore pr essu re on eco lo gica l sy stem s. A id f r o m d ono r na tio ns has no t o nl y
been inadeq uate in sca le, b u t t o o o ft en has ref lect ed t h e pr iorit ies of t h e na tio ns giv ing t h e aid ,
ra th er t h an th e need s of t h e recipient s.
The Co mmissio n has so ugh t wa ys in wh ich g lo b al d ev elopm ent ca n be pu t o n a
su staina ble pa th int o t h e 21st Cent ury . S om e 5,0 00 d ays wil l el apse bet ween th e
pu blica tio n of o u r r epo rt a nd t h e fir st d ay o f t h e 21st Cent ury . W hat env ironm ental
cr ises lie in store over t h ose 5,0 00 d ays?
D uring t h e 19 70 s, t wice as m any peo ple su ffer ed ea ch y ea r f r o m 'na tu ra l' d isa ster s as
d u ring t h e 19 60 s. T he disa ster s m ost d ir ect ly a sso ciated wit h
env ironm ent/developm ent m ism ana gem ent - d ro u gh ts and f lo od s - a ffect ed t h e m ost
peo ple and incr eased m ost sh arpl y in ter ms of nu mber s affect ed. S om e 18 .5 m illio n
peo ple wer e affect ed b y d ro u gh t a nnu ally in th e 19 60 s, 2 4 .4 m illio n in th e 19 70 s. T her e
wer e 5.2 m illio n flo od v ict im s yea rly in th e 19 60 s, 15 .4 m illio n in th e 19 70 s. N um ber s
of v ict im s of cy clones and ea rth qu ak es also sh ot u p as gro wing nu mber s of po or peo ple
bu il t u nsa fe hou ses on dang erou s gro u nd .
The resu lt s are no t in fo r t h e 19 60 s. B ut w e have seen 35 b il lio n afflict ed b y d ro u gh t in
A fr ica a lo ne and t ens of m illio ns affect ed b y t h e bet ter m ana ged a nd t h us less-
pu bliciz ed I nd ian dro u gh t. F lo od s have pou red o ff t h e def orest ed A nd es and H im ala ya s
wit h incr easing f o rce. T he 19 60 s seem d est ined t o sweep th is dir e tr end o n int o a cr isis-
fil led 19 90 s.
20 . T he pr od u ct io n base of o th er d ev eloping wo rld a rea s su ffer s sim ilarly f r o m b oth l o ca l f a il ures
a nd f r o m t h e wo rk ing s of int erna tio na l eco nomic system s. A s a co nseq uence of t h e 'd eb t cr isis' o f
L atin Am er ica , t h at co ntinent 's na tu ra l r eso urces are no w being u sed no t f o r d ev elopm ent b u t t o
m eet f ina ncia l o b lig atio ns to cr ed itors ab ro ad . T his appr oach t o t h e deb t pr ob lem is sh ort-
sig hted f r o m sev eral st and point s: eco nomic, po lit ica l, a nd env ironm ental. I t r eq uir es rel ativ ely
po or co unt ries sim ult a neo usl y t o a ccept g ro wing po ver ty wh ile ex po rting g ro wing a m ou nt s of
sca rce reso urces.
2 1. A m ajo rit y o f d ev eloping co unt ries now have lo wer per ca pit a inco mes th an wh en th e deca de
beg an. R ising po ver ty a nd u nem ploym ent h ave incr eased pr essu re on env ironm ental r eso urces
a s m ore peo ple have been fo rced t o r el y m ore dir ect ly u po n th em . M any g o ver nm ents have cu t 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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back ef fo rts to pr otect t h e env ironm ent a nd t o b ring eco lo gica l co nsid eratio ns into d ev elopm ent
planning .
22. T he deepening a nd wid ening env ironm ental cr isis present s a t h rea t t o na tio na l secu rit y - a nd
ev en surv iv al - t h at m ay b e grea ter t h an wel l- a rm ed , il l- d ispo sed neig hbou rs and u nf riend ly
a llia nces. A lr ea dy in parts of L atin Am er ica , A sia , t h e M iddle East , a nd A fr ica , env ironm ental
d ecl ine is beco ming a so urce of po lit ica l u nr est a nd int erna tio na l t ensio n. T he recent d est ru ct io n
of m uch o f A fr ica 's dry la nd a g ricu lt u ra l pr od u ct io n wa s m ore sev ere th an if a n inv ad ing a rm y
had pu rsu ed a sco rch ed -ea rth po licy . Yet m ost o f t h e affect ed g o ver nm ents st ill spend f a r m ore to
pr otect t h eir peo ple fr o m inv ad ing a rm ies th an fr o m t h e inv ad ing d eser t.
2 3. Gl ob ally , m ilit ary ex pend itures to ta l a b ou t $ 1 tr il lio n a y ea r a nd co ntinu e to g ro w. I n m any
co unt ries, m ilit ary spend ing co nsu mes such a h ig h pr opo rtio n of GN P t h at it it sel f d oes grea t
dam ag e to t h ese societ ies' d ev elopm ent ef fo rts. Go ver nm ents tend t o b ase th eir a ppr oach es to
'secu rit y' o n tr a d it io na l d ef init ions. T his is most o b vio us in th e attem pts to a ch iev e secu rit y
th ro u gh t h e dev elopm ent o f po tent ially p la net -d est ro ying nu clea r wea pons system s. S tu dies
su ggest t h at t h e co ld a nd d ark nu clea r wi nter f o llo wing ev en a l im ited nu clea r wa r co uld d est ro y
pl ant a nd a nim al eco system s and l ea ve any h um an su rv iv ors occu pying a d ev ast ated pl anet v er y
dif fer ent f r o m t h e one th ey inh erited .
24 . T he arm s ra ce - in all pa rts of t h e wo rld - pr e-em pts reso urces th at m ight b e used m ore
pr od u ct ively t o d im inish t h e secu rit y t h rea ts cr ea ted b y env ironm ental co nflict a nd t h e
resent ment s th at a re fu el led b y wid espr ea d po ver ty .
2 5. M any pr esent ef fo rts to g u ard a nd m aint ain hum an pr ogress, t o m eet h um an need s, a nd t o
r ea liz e hum an am bit io ns are sim ply u nsu staina ble - in both t h e rich a nd po or na tio ns. T hey d ra w
to o h ea vil y, t o o q u ick ly , o n alr ea dy o ver dra wn env ironm ental r eso urce acco unt s to b e affo rd ab le
f a r int o t h e fu tu re wit hou t b ank ru pt ing t h ose acco unt s. T hey m ay sh ow pr ofit o n th e bala nce
sh eet s of o u r g ener atio n, b u t o u r ch ildren wil l inh erit t h e lo sses. W e borro w env ironm ental
ca pit al f r o m f u tu re gener atio ns wit h no i nt ent ion or pr ospect o f r epa ying . T hey m ay d am n us fo r
ou r spend th rif t wa ys, b u t t h ey ca n nev er co llect o n ou r d eb t t o t h em . W e act a s we do b eca use we
can get a wa y wit h it : fu tu re gener atio ns do no t v o te; th ey h ave no po lit ica l o r f ina ncia l po wer ;
th ey ca nno t ch alleng e ou r d ecisio ns.
26 . B ut t h e resu lt s of t h e pr esent pr oflig acy a re ra pid ly cl osing t h e opt ions fo r f u tu re gener atio ns.
M ost o f t o d ay's decisio n m ak er s wil l b e dea d b ef ore th e pl anet f eel s; th e hea vier ef fect s of a cid
pr ecipit atio n, g lo b al wa rm ing , o zo ne depl etio n, o r wid espr ead d eser tif ica tio n and species lo ss.
M ost o f t h e yo u ng v o ter s of t o d ay wil l st ill b e aliv e. I n th e Co mmissio n's hea ring s it wa s th e
yo u ng , t h ose wh o h ave th e m ost t o l o se, w ho wer e th e harsh est cr itics of t h e pl anet 's pr esent
mana gem ent .
3. Sustainable Development
27. H um anit y h as th e ab il it y t o m ak e dev elopm ent su staina ble to ensu re th at it m eet s th e need s
of t h e pr esent wit hou t co mpr om ising t h e a b il it y o f f u tu re gener atio ns to m eet t h eir o wn need s.
The co ncept o f su staina ble dev elopm ent d oes im ply l im its - no t a b so lu te lim its bu t l im itatio ns
im posed b y t h e pr esent st ate of t ech nolo gy a nd so cia l o rg aniz atio n on env ironm ental r eso urces
a nd b y t h e ab il it y o f t h e bio sph ere to a b so rb t h e ef fect s of h um an act ivities. B ut t ech nolo gy a nd
so cia l o rg aniz atio n ca n be both m ana ged a nd im proved t o m ak e wa y f o r a new era o f eco nomic
gro wt h. T he Co mmissio n bel iev es th at wid espr ead po ver ty is no l o ng er inev itab le. P over ty is no t
onl y a n ev il in itsel f, b u t su staina ble dev elo pm ent r eq uir es meet ing t h e basic need s of a ll a nd
ex tend ing t o a ll t h e oppo rtu nit y t o f u lf il t h eir a spir atio ns fo r a b et ter l if e. A wo rld in wh ich
pover ty is end emic wil l a lwa ys be pr one to eco lo gica l a nd o th er ca ta st ro ph es.
28 . M eet ing essent ial need s req uir es not o nl y a new era o f eco nomic gro wt h f o r na tio ns in wh ich
th e m ajo rit y a re po or, b u t a n assu ra nce th at t h ose poor g et t h eir f a ir sh are of t h e reso urces
req uir ed t o su stain th at g ro wt h. S u ch eq uit y wo uld b e aid ed b y po lit ica l sy stem s th at secu re
ef fect ive cit izen participa tio n in decisio n m ak ing a nd b y g rea ter d em ocr acy in int erna tio na l
decisio n m ak ing . 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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29 . S u st aina ble glo b al d ev elopm ent r eq uir es th at t h ose wh o a re m ore afflu ent a d opt l if e- styles
wit hin th e pl anet 's eco lo gica l m ea ns - in th eir u se of ener gy, f o r ex am ple. F urth er , r a pid ly
g ro wing po pu la tio ns can incr ease th e pr essu re on reso urces and sl ow any r ise in liv ing
stand ard s; th us su staina ble dev elopm ent ca n onl y b e pu rsu ed if po pu la tio n siz e and g ro wt h a re
in harm ony wit h t h e ch ang ing pr od u ct ive po tent ial o f t h e eco system .
30. Yet in th e end , su staina ble dev elopm ent is no t a f ix ed st ate of h arm ony , b u t r a th er a pr ocess
of ch ang e in wh ich t h e ex ploit atio n of r eso urces, t h e dir ect ion of inv estment s, t h e orient atio n of
tech nolo gica l d ev elopm ent, a nd inst itutio na l ch ang e are m ad e co nsist ent wit h f u tu re as wel l a s
pr esent need s. W e do no t pr etend t h at t h e pr ocess is ea sy o r st ra ig htfo rwa rd . P ainf ul ch oices
h ave to b e m ad e. T hus, in th e fina l a na ly sis, su staina ble dev elopm ent m ust r est o n po lit ica l wil l.
4. The Institutional Gaps
31. T he ob ject ive of su staina ble dev elopm ent a nd t h e int egra ted na tu re of t h e glo b al
env ironm ent/developm ent ch alleng es pose prob lem s fo r inst itutio ns, na tio na l a nd int erna tio na l,
t h at wer e est ab lish ed o n th e basis of na rro w pr eo ccu patio ns and co mpa rtm ent aliz ed co ncer ns.
Gover nm ents' g ener al r espo nse to t h e speed a nd sca le of g lo b al ch ang es has been a r el uct ance to
r eco gniz e su fficient ly t h e need t o ch ang e t h em selves. T he ch alleng es are both int erdepend ent
and int egra ted , r eq uir ing co mpr eh ensiv e appr oach es and po pu la r pa rticipa tio n.
32 . Yet m ost o f t h e inst itutio ns fa cing t h ose challeng es tend t o b e ind epend ent, f r a g m ent ed,
wo rk ing t o r el ativ ely na rro w mand ates wit h cl osed d ecisio n pr ocesses. T hose respo nsible fo r
m ana ging na tu ra l r eso urces and pr otect ing t h e env ironm ent a re inst itutio na lly sepa ra ted f r o m
th ose respo nsible fo r m ana ging t h e eco nom y. T he rea l wo rld o f int erlo ck ed eco nomic and
eco lo gica l sy stem s wil l no t ch ang e; th e policies and inst itutio ns concer ned m ust .
33. T her e is a g ro wing need f o r ef fect ive int erna tio na l co oper atio n to m ana ge eco lo gica l a nd
eco nomic int erdepend ence. Yet a t t h e sa me tim e, co nfidence in int erna tio na l o rg aniz atio ns is
dim inish ing a nd su ppo rt f o r t h em d wind ling .
34. T he oth er g rea t inst itutio na l f la w in coping wit h env ironm ent/developm ent ch alleng es is
go ver nm ents' f a il ure to m ak e th e bod ies whose policy a ct io ns deg ra d e th e env ironm ent
respo nsible fo r ensu ring t h at t h eir po licie s pr event t h at d eg ra d atio n. E nv ironm ental co ncer n
aro se fr o m d am ag e ca used b y t h e ra pid eco nomic gro wt h f o llo wing t h e Seco nd W orld W ar.
Go ver nm ents, pr essu red b y t h eir cit izens, sa w a need t o cl ea n up th e m ess, a nd t h ey est ab lish ed
env ironm ental m inist ries and a g encies to d o t h is. M any h ad g rea t su ccess within th e lim its of
th eir m and ates - in im proving a ir a nd wa ter q u alit y a nd enh ancing o th er r eso urces. B ut m uch o f
th eir wo rk h as of necessit y b een aft er -th e- fa ct r epa ir o f d am ag e: ref orest atio n, r ecl aim ing d eser t
la nd s, r eb uil ding u rb an env ironm ents, r est oring na tu ra l h ab it ats, a nd r eh ab il it ating wil d l a nd s.
35. T he ex ist ence of su ch a g encies gave m any g o ver nm ents and t h eir cit izens th e fa lse im pressio n
th at t h ese bod ies wer e by t h em selves ab le to pr otect a nd enh ance th e env ironm ental r eso urce
b ase. Yet m any ind ust ria liz ed a nd m ost d ev eloping co unt ries carry h uge eco nomic bu rd ens fr o m
inh erited pr ob lem s su ch a n air a nd wa ter po llu tio n, d epl etio n of g ro u nd wa ter , a nd t h e
pr olif er atio n of t o xic ch em icals and h aza rd ou s wa stes. T hese have been jo ined b y m ore recent
pr ob lem s - er osio n, d eser tif ica tio n, a cid if ica tio n, new chem icals, a nd new fo rm s of wa ste - t h at
a re dir ect ly r el ated t o a g ricu lt u ra l, ind ust ria l, ener gy, f o rest ry , a nd t r a nspo rta tio n po licies and
pr act ices.
36 . T he m and ates of t h e cent ra l eco nomic and sect ora l m inist ries are also o ft en to o na rro w, t o o
co ncer ned wit h q u ant ities of pr od u ct io n or g ro wt h. T he m and ates of m inist ries of ind ust ry
incl ude pr od u ct io n ta rg et s, wh ile th e acco mpa ny ing po llu tio n is lef t t o m inist ries of
env ironm ent. E lect ricit y b oard s pr od u ce power , wh ile th e acid po llu tio n th ey a lso pr od u ce is lef t
to o th er b od ies to cl ea n up. T he pr esent ch alleng e is to g iv e th e cent ra l eco nomic and sect ora l
m inist ries th e respo nsibilit y f o r t h e qu ali t y o f t h ose parts of t h e hum an env ironm ent a ffect ed b y
th eir d ecisio ns, a nd t o g iv e th e env ironm ental a g encies more po wer t o co pe wit h t h e ef fect s of
u nsu staina ble dev elopm ent.
37. T he sa me need f o r ch ang e hold s fo r int erna tio na l a g encies concer ned wit h d ev elopm ent
lend ing, t r a d e reg ula tio n, a g ricu lt u ra l d ev elopm ent, a nd so o n. T hese have been slow to t a k e th e 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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environm ental ef fect s of t h eir wo rk int o a cco unt , a lt h ou gh so me are tr y ing t o d o so .
38 . T he ab il it y t o a nt icipa te and pr event env ironm ental d am ag e req uir es th at t h e eco lo gica l
dim ensio ns of po licy b e co nsid ered a t t h e sa me tim e as th e eco nomic, t r a d e, ener gy, a g ricu lt u ra l,
a nd o th er d im ensio ns. T hey sh ou ld b e co nsid ered o n th e sa me ag end as and in th e sa me na tio na l
and int erna tio na l inst itutio ns.
39 . T his reo rient atio n is one of t h e ch ief inst itutio na l ch alleng es of t h e 19 90 s and b ey ond .
Meet ing it wil l r eq uir e m ajo r inst itutio na l d ev elopm ent a nd r ef orm . M any co unt ries th at a re to o
po or o r sm all o r t h at h ave lim ited m ana ger ial ca pa cit y wil l f ind it d if ficu lt t o d o t h is una ided .
They wil l need f ina ncia l a nd t ech nica l a ssist ance and t r a ining . B ut t h e ch ang es req uir ed inv olv e
a ll co unt ries, l a rg e and sm all, r ich a nd po or.
I I. T he P oli c y D ir e ctio n s
40 . T he Co mmissio n has fo cu sed it s attent ion in th e area s of po pu la tio n, f o od secu rit y, t h e lo ss of
species and g enet ic reso urces, ener gy, in du st ry , a nd h um an set tlem ent s - r ea liz ing t h at a ll o f
th ese are co nnect ed a nd ca nno t b e tr ea te d in iso la tio n one fr o m a no th er . T his sect ion co ntains
o nl y a f ew of t h e Co mmissio n's m any r ec om mend atio ns.
1. Population and Human Resources
41. I n m any pa rts of t h e wo rld , t h e po pu la tio n is gro wing a t r a tes th at ca nno t b e su stained b y
ava il ab le env ironm ental r eso urces, a t r a tes th at a re ou tst ripping a ny r ea sona ble ex pect atio ns of
im provem ent s in hou sing , h ea lt h ca re, f o od secu rit y, o r ener gy su ppl ies.
42. T he issu e is no t j u st nu mber s of peo ple, b u t h ow th ose nu mber s rel ate to a va il ab le reso urces.
T hus th e 'po pu la tio n pr ob lem ' m ust b e dea lt wit h in part b y ef fo rts to el im ina te m ass po ver ty , in
o rd er t o a ssu re m ore eq uit ab le access to r eso urces, a nd b y ed uca tio n to im prove hum an po tent ial
to m ana ge th ose reso urces.
4 3. U rg ent st eps are need ed t o l im it ex tr em e ra tes of po pu la tio n gro wt h. Ch oices mad e no w wil l
influ ence th e lev el a t wh ich t h e po pu la tio n stab il iz es nex t cent ury wit hin a r a ng e of 6 b il lio n
peo ple. B ut t h is is no t j u st a d em ogra ph ic issu e; provid ing peo ple wit h f a cil ities and ed uca tio n
th at a llo w th em t o ch oose th e siz e of t h eir f a m ilies is a wa y o f a ssu ring - especia lly f o r wo men -
th e basic hum an rig ht o f sel f- d et er mina tio n.
44. Go ver nm ents th at need t o d o so sh ou ld d ev elop lo ng -ter m, m ult if acet ed po pu la tio n po licies
a nd a ca mpa ign to pu rsu e bro ad d em ogra ph ic go als: to st reng th en socia l, cu lt u ra l, a nd eco nomic
motiv atio ns fo r f a m ily pl anning , a nd t o pr ovid e to a ll wh o wa nt t h em t h e ed uca tio n,
co ntra cept ives, a nd ser vices req uir ed .
45. H um an reso urce dev elopm ent is a cr ucia l r eq uir em ent no t o nl y t o b u il d u p tech nica l
kno wled ge and ca pa bil it ies, b u t a lso t o cr ea te new va lu es to h el p ind ivid uals and na tio ns cope
wit h r a pid ly ch ang ing so cia l, env ironm enta l, a nd d ev elopm ent r ea lit ies. K no wled ge sh ared
g lo b ally wo uld a ssu re grea ter m utu al u nd erstand ing a nd cr ea te grea ter wil ling nes s to sh are
g lo b al r eso urces equit ab ly .
4 6 . T rib al a nd ind igeno us peo ples wil l need specia l a ttent ion as th e fo rces of eco nomic
dev elopm ent d isr upt t h eir t r a d it io na l l if e-st yles - l if e- styles th at ca n offer m od er n so ciet ies many
lesso ns in th e m ana gem ent o f r eso urces in complex f o rest , m ou nt ain, a nd d ry la nd eco system s.
Som e are th rea tened wit h v ir tu al ex tinct ion by insensit ive dev elopm ent o ver wh ich t h ey h ave no
co ntro l. T heir t r a d it io na l r ig hts sh ou ld b e reco gniz ed a nd t h ey sh ou ld b e giv en a d ecisiv e vo ice in
fo rm ula ting po licies ab ou t r eso urce dev elopm ent in th eir a rea s. ( S ee Ch ap te r 4 f o r a wid er
discu ssion of t h ese issu es and r eco mmend atio ns. )
2. Food Security: Sustaining the Potential
47. Gr owt h in wo rld cer eal pr od u ct io n has st ea dil y o u tst ripped wo rld po pu la tio n gro wt h. Yet
ea ch y ea r t h er e are m ore peo ple in th e w orld wh o d o no t g et eno ugh f o od . Gl ob al a g ricu lt u re has
th e po tent ial t o g ro w eno ugh f o od f o r a ll, b u t f o od is oft en not a va il ab le wh ere it is need ed. 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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48 . P ro d u ct io n in ind ust ria liz ed co unt ries has usu ally b een hig hly su bsid ized a nd pr otect ed f r o m
int erna tio na l co mpet itio n. T hese subsid ies have enco ura g ed t h e over use of so il a nd ch em icals,
t h e po llu tio n of b oth wa ter r eso urces and f o od s wit h t h ese chem icals, a nd t h e deg ra d atio n of t h e
co unt ry sid e. M uch o f t h is effo rt h as pr od u ced su rpl uses and t h eir a sso ciated f ina ncia l b u rd ens.
A nd so me of t h is su rpl us has been sent a t co ncessio nal r a tes to t h e dev eloping wo rld , wh ere it
has und ermined t h e fa rm ing po licies of r ecipient na tio ns. T her e is, h owev er, g ro wing a wa reness
in some co unt ries of t h e env ironm ental a nd eco nomic co nseq uences of su ch pa th s, a nd t h e
em phasis of a g ricu lt u ra l po licies is to enco ura g e co nser va tio n.
49 . M any d ev eloping co unt ries, o n th e oth er h and , h ave su ffer ed t h e oppo site pr ob lem : fa rm er s
are no t su fficient ly su ppo rted . I n so me, im proved t ech nolo gy a llied t o pr ice incent ives and
g o ver nm ent ser vices has pr od u ced a m ajo r b rea kth ro u gh in fo od pr od u ct io n. B ut el sewh ere, t h e
fo od -g ro wing sm all f a rm er s have been neglect ed. Co ping wit h o ft en ina deq uate tech nolo gy a nd
few eco nomic incent ives, m any a re pu shed o nt o m arg ina l l a nd : to o d ry , t o o st eep, l a ck ing in
nu tr ient s. F orest s are cl ea red a nd pr od u ct ive dry la nd s rend ered b arren.
5 0 . M ost d ev eloping na tio ns need m ore ef fect ive incent ive sy stem s to enco ura g e pr od u ct io n,
especia lly o f f o od cr ops. I n sh ort, t h e 't er ms of t r a d e' need t o b e tu rned in fa vo u r o f t h e sm all
f a rm er . M ost ind ust ria liz ed na tio ns, o n th e oth er h and , m ust a lt er pr esent sy stem s in ord er t o
cu t su rpl uses, t o r ed uce unf air co mpet itio n wit h na tio ns th at m ay h ave rea l co mpa ra tiv e
ad va nt ag es, a nd t o pr om ote eco lo gica lly so und f a rm ing pr act ices.
51. F ood secu rit y r eq uir es attent ion to q u est ions of d ist rib utio n, since hung er o ft en arises fr o m
la ck o f pu rch asing po wer r a th er t h an la ck o f a va il ab le fo od . I t ca n be fu rth er ed b y l a nd r ef orm s,
and b y po licies to pr otect v u lner ab le su bsist ence fa rm er s, pa stora 1ist s, a nd t h e la nd less - g ro u ps
wh o b y t h e yea r 2 0 00 wil l incl ude 220 m illio n hou seh old s. T heir g rea ter pr osper ity wil l d epend
on int egra ted r u ra l d ev elopm ent t h at inc rea ses work o ppo rtu nit ies both insid e and o u tsid e
ag ricu lt u re. ( S ee Ch ap te r 5 f o r a wid er d iscu ssion of t h ese issu es and r eco mmend atio ns. )
3. Species and Ecosystems: Resources for Development
52 . T he pl anet 's species are und er st ress. T her e is a g ro wing scient ific co nsensu s th at species are
d isa ppea ring a t r a tes nev er b ef ore wit nes sed o n th e pl anet , a lt h ou gh t h er e is also co ntro ver sy
over t h ose ra tes and t h e risk s th ey ent ail . Yet t h er e is still t im e to h alt t h is pr ocess.
53. T he div er sit y o f species is necessa ry f o r t h e no rm al f u nct ioning o f eco system s and t h e
bio sph ere as a wh ole. T he genet ic mater ial in wil d species contrib utes bil lio ns of d olla rs yea rly t o
t h e wo rld eco nomy in th e fo rm o f im proved cr op species, new dru gs and m ed icines, a nd r a w
m ater ials fo r ind ust ry . B ut u til it y a sid e, t h er e are also m ora l, et hica l, cu lt u ra l, a est het ic, a nd
pu rel y scient ific rea sons fo r co nser ving w ild b eing s.
54 . A f ir st pr iorit y is to est ab lish t h e pr ob lem o f d isa ppea ring species and t h rea tened eco system s
on po lit ica l a g end as as a m ajo r eco nomic a nd r eso urce issu e.
55. Go ver nm ents ca n stem t h e dest ru ct io n of t r o pica l f o rest s and o th er r eser vo ir s of b io lo gica l
div er sit y wh ile dev eloping t h em eco nomica lly . R ef orm ing f o rest r ev enu e sy stem s and co ncessio n
ter ms co uld r a ise bil lio ns of d olla rs of a d dit io na l r ev enu es, pr om ote m ore ef ficient , l o ng -ter m
fo rest r eso urce use, a nd cu rta il d ef orest atio n.
56 . T he net work o f pr otect ed a rea s th at t h e wo rld wil l need in th e fu tu re m ust incl ude m uch
la rg er a rea s bro u gh t u nd er so .ne deg ree of pr otect ion. T her efore, t h e co st o f co nser va tio n wil l
rise - d ir ect ly a nd in ter ms of o ppo rtu nit ies fo r d ev elopm ent f o reg one. B ut o ver t h e lo ng t er m t h e
oppo rtu nit ies fo r d ev elopm ent wil l b e en hanced . I nt erna tio na l d ev elopm ent a g en cies shou ld
t h er efore giv e co mpr eh ensiv e and sy stem atic attent ion to t h e pr ob lem s and o ppo rtu nit ies of
species conser va tio n.
57. Go ver nm ents sh ou ld inv estigate th e pro spect o f a g reeing t o a 'S pecies Convent ion', sim ilar in
spir it a nd sco pe to o th er int erna tio na l co nv ent ions ref lect ing pr incipl es of 'u niv ersa l r eso urces' .
They sh ou ld a lso co nsid er int erna tio na l f ina ncia l a rra ng em ent s to su ppo rt t h e im plem ent atio n of
su ch a co nv ent ion. ( S ee Ch ap te r 6 f o r a wid er d iscu ssion of t h ese issu es and r eco mmend atio ns. ) 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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4. Energy: Choices for Environment and Development
58 . A sa fe and su staina ble ener gy pa th wa y is crucia l t o su staina ble dev elopm ent; we have no t y et
fo u nd it . R ates of incr ease in ener gy u se have been decl ining . H owev er, t h e ind ustr ia liz atio n,
ag ricu lt u ra l d ev elopm ent, a nd r a pid ly g ro wing po pu la tio ns of d ev eloping na tio ns wil l need m uch
m ore ener gy. T od ay, t h e aver ag e per son in an ind ust ria l m ark et eco nomy u ses more th an 80
tim es as m uch ener gy a s so meo ne in sub-S ah ara n Afr ica . T hus any r ea list ic glo b al ener gy
scena rio m ust pr ovid e fo r su bst ant ially incr eased pr im ary ener gy u se by d ev eloping co unt ries.
5 9 . T o b ring d ev eloping co unt ries' ener gy u se up to ind ust ria liz ed co unt ry l ev els by t h e yea r 2 0 25
wo uld r eq uir e incr easing pr esent g lo b al e ner gy u se by a f a ct or o f f iv e. T he pl anet ary eco system
co uld no t st and t h is, especia lly if t h e incr eases wer e based o n no n-renewa ble fo ssil f u el s. T hrea ts
o f g lo b al wa rm ing a nd a cid ifica tio n of t h e env ironm ent m ost pr ob ab ly r u le ou t ev en a d ou bling
o f ener gy u se bared o n pr esent m ixes of p rim ary so urces.
6 0 . A ny new era o f eco nomic gro wt h m ust t h er efore be less ener gy int ensiv e th an gro wt h in th e
pa st. E ner gy ef ficiency po licies must b e th e cu tting ed ge of na tio na l ener gy st ra teg ies fo r
su staina ble dev elopm ent, a nd t h er e is much sco pe fo r im provem ent in th is dir ect ion. M od er n
appl iances can be red esig ned t o d el iv er t h e sa me am ou nt s of ener gy-ser vices with o nl y t wo -
th ir ds or ev en one- half o f t h e pr im ary en ergy inpu ts need ed t o r u n tr a d it io na l eq uipm ent. A nd
ener gy ef ficiency so lu tio ns are oft en cost-ef fect ive.
61. A ft er a lm ost f o u r d eca des of im mense t ech nolo gica l ef fo rt, nu clea r ener gy h as beco me wid ely
used . D uring t h is per iod, h owev er, t h e na tu re of it s co sts, r isk s, a nd b enef its have beco me m ore
ev ident a nd t h e su bject o f sh arp co ntro ver sy . D iffer ent co unt ries world -wid e ta k e up dif fer ent
po sitions on th e use of nu clea r ener gy. T he discu ssion in th e Co mmissio n also r ef lect ed t h ese
dif fer ent v iews and po sitions. Yet a ll a g reed t h at t h e gener atio n of nu clea r po wer is onl y
ju st ifia ble if t h er e are so lid so lu tio ns to t h e unso lv ed pr ob lem s to wh ich it g iv es rise. T he hig hest
pr iorit y sh ou ld b e acco rd ed t o r esea rch a nd d ev elopm ent o n env ironm entally so und a nd
eco lo gica lly v ia ble alt er na tiv es, a s wel l a s on m ea ns of incr easing t h e sa fet y o f nu clea r ener gy.
6 2. E ner gy ef ficiency ca n onl y b u y t im e fo r t h e wo rld t o d ev elop 'l o w- ener gy pa th s' b ased o n
renewa ble so urces, wh ich sh ou ld f o rm t h e fo u nd atio n of t h e glo b al ener gy st ru ct ure du ring t h e
21st Cent ury . M ost o f t h ese sources are cu rrent ly pr ob lem atic, b u t g iv en inno va tiv e dev elopm ent,
th ey co uld su ppl y t h e sa me am ou nt o f pr im ary ener gy t h e pl anet no w co nsu mes. H owev er,
ach iev ing t h ese use lev els wil l r eq uir e a pr ogra m me of co ord ina ted r esea rch , d ev elopm ent, a nd
d em onst ra tio n pr oject s co mmand ing f u n ding necessa ry t o ensu re th e ra pid d ev elopm ent o f
renewa ble ener gy. D ev eloping co unt ries will r eq uir e assist ance to ch ang e th eir ener gy u se
pa tter ns in th is dir ect ion.
63. M illio ns of peo ple in th e dev eloping w orld a re sh ort o f f u el wo od , t h e m ain dom est ic ener gy o f
h alf o f h um anit y, a nd t h eir nu mber s are gro wing . T he wo od -po or na tio ns must o rg aniz e th eir
ag ricu lt u ra l sect ors to pr od u ce la rg e am ou nt s of wo od a nd o th er pl ant f u el s.
64. T he su bst ant ial ch ang es req uir ed in th e pr esent g lo b al ener gy m ix wil l no t b e ach iev ed b y
m ark et pr essu res alo ne, g iv en th e dom ina nt r o le of g o ver nm ents as pr od u cer s of ener gy a nd
th eir im porta nce as co nsu mer s. I f t h e recent m om ent um b eh ind a nnu al g ains in ener gy
ef ficiency is to b e m aint ained a nd ex tend ed,g o ver nm ents need t o m ak e it a n ex plicit g o al o f t h eir
po licies fo r ener gy pr icing t o co nsu mer s, pr ices need ed t o enco ura g e th e ad opt ion of ener gy-
sa ving m ea su res may b e ach iev ed t h ro u gh sev eral m ea ns. A lt h ou gh t h e Co mmissio n ex presses
no pr efer ence, 'co nser va tio n pr icing ' r eq uir es th at g o ver nm ents ta k e a l o ng -ter m v iew in
weig hing t h e co sts and b enef its of t h e va rio us m ea su res. Giv en th e im porta nce of o il pr ices on
int erna tio na l ener gy po licy , new mech anism s fo r enco ura g ing d ia lo gu e bet ween consu mer s and
pr od u cer s sh ou ld b e ex plored .
65. A sa fe, env ironm entally so und , a nd e co no mica lly v ia ble ener gy pa th wa y t h at wil l su stain
h um an pr ogress into t h e dist ant f u tu re is cl ea rly im per ativ e. I t is also po ssib le. B ut it wil l r eq uir e
new dim ensio ns of po lit ica l wil l a nd inst itutio na l co oper atio n to a ch iev e it. ( S ee Ch ap te r 7 f o r a
wid er d iscu ssion of t h ese issu es and r eco mmend atio ns. ) 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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5. Industry: Producing More with Less
6 6. T he wo rld m anu fa ct ures sev en tim es more go o d s to d ay t h an it d id a s recent ly a s 19 50 . Giv en
popu la tio n gro wt h r a tes, a f iv e- t o t enf old incr ease in manu fa ct uring o u tpu t wil l b e need ed j u st
to r a ise dev eloping wo rld co nsu mpt ion of m anu fa ct ured g o o d s to ind ust ria liz ed wo rld l ev els by
th e tim e po pu la tio n gro wt h r a tes lev el o ff nex t cent ury .
6 7. E xper ience in th e ind ust ria liz ed na tio ns has pr oved t h at a nt i-po llu tio n tech nolo gy h as been
co st-ef fect ive in ter ms of h ea lt h , pr oper ty , a nd env ironm ental d am ag e avo id ed , a nd t h at it h as
m ad e m any ind ust ries more pr ofit ab le by wa king t h em m ore reso urce- efficient . W hile eco nomic
gro wt h h as co ntinu ed, t h e co nsu mpt ion of r a w mater ials has hel d st ea dy o r ev en decl ined , a nd
new tech nolo gies offer f u rth er ef ficiencies.
6 8 . N atio ns have to b ea r t h e co sts of a ny ina ppr opr iate ind ust ria liz atio n, a nd m any d ev eloping
co unt ries are rea liz ing t h at t h ey h ave nei th er t h e reso urces nor - g iv en ra pid t ech nolo gica l
chang e - t h e tim e to d am ag e th eir env ironm ents no w and cl ea n up la ter . B ut t h ey a lso need
a ssist ance and inf orm atio n fr o m ind ust ria liz ed na tio ns to m ak e th e best u se of t ech nolo gy.
T ra nsna tio na l co rpo ra tio ns have a specia l r espo nsibilit y t o sm ooth t h e pa th o f ind ust ria liz atio n
in th e na tio ns in wh ich t h ey o per ate.
6 9. E m er ging t ech nolo gies offer t h e pr om ise of h ig her pr od u ct ivity, incr eased ef ficiency , a nd
d ecr eased po llu tio n, b u t m any b ring r isk s of new to xic ch em icals and wa stes and o f m ajo r
accid ents of a t y pe and sca le bey ond pr esent co ping m ech anism s. T her e is an urg ent need f o r
tig hter co ntro ls over t h e ex po rt o f h aza rd ou s ind ust ria l a nd a g ricu lt u ra l ch em icals. P resent
co ntro ls over t h e du m ping o f h aza rd ou s wa stes shou ld b e tig htened .
70 . M any essent ial h um an need s ca n be net o nl y t h ro u gh g o o d s and ser vices provid ed b y
ind ust ry , a nd t h e sh ift t o su staina ble dev elopm ent m ust b e po wer ed b y a co ntinu ing f lo w of
wea lt h f r o m ind ust ry . ( S ee Ch ap te r 8 f o r a wid er d iscu ssion of t h ese issu es and
reco mmend atio ns. )
6. The Urban Challenge
71. B y t h e tu rn of t h e cent ury , a lm ost h alf o f h um anit y wil l l iv e in cities; th e wo rld o f t h e 21st
cent ury wil l b e a l a rg el y u rb an wo rld . O ver o nl y 6 5 y ea rs, t h e dev eloping wo rld 's urb an
po pu la tio n has incr eased t enf old , f r o m a ro u nd 10 0 m illio n in 1920 t o 1 bil lio n to d ay. I n 19 40 ,
one per son in 100 l iv ed in a cit y o f 1 m illio n or m ore inh ab it ant s; by 19 80 , o ne in 10 l iv ed in such
a cit y. B et ween 1985 a nd t h e yea r 2 0 00, T hir d W orld cit ies could g ro w by a no th er t h ree- qu arter s
of a b il lio n peo ple. T his su ggest s th at t h e dev eloping wo rld m ust , o ver t h e nex t f ew yea rs,
incr ease by 6 5 per cent it s ca pa cit y t o pr od u ce and m ana ge its urb an inf ra st ru ct ure, ser vices, a nd
sh elter m er ely t o m aint ain to d ay's oft en extr em ely ina deq uate co nd itio ns.
72 . F ew city g o ver nm ents in th e dev eloping wo rld h ave th e po wer , r eso urces, a nd t r a ined
per sonnel t o pr ovid e th eir r a pid ly g ro win g po pu la tio ns wit h t h e la nd , ser vices, a nd f a cil ities
need ed f o r a n ad eq uate hum an lif e: clea n wa ter , sa nit atio n, sch ools, a nd t r a nspo rt. T he resu lt is
m ush ro om ing il leg al set tlem ent s wit h pr im itiv e fa cil ities, incr eased o ver crowd ing , a nd r a m pa nt
disea se link ed t o a n unh ealt h y env ironm ent. M any cit ies in ind ust ria l co unt ries also f a ce
pr ob lem s - d et er iora ting inf ra st ru ct ure, e nv ironm ental d eg ra d atio n, inner -cit y d eca y, a nd
neig hbou rh ood co lla pse. B ut wit h t h e m ea ns and r eso urces to t a ck le th is decl ine, t h e issu e fo r
m ost ind ust ria l co unt ries is ult im atel y o n e of po lit ica l a nd so cia l ch oice. D ev eloping co unt ries are
no t in th e sa me sit uatio n. T hey h ave a m ajo r u rb an cr isis on th eir h and s.
73. Go ver nm ents wil l need t o d ev elop ex plicit set tlem ent s st ra teg ies to g u id e th e pr ocess of
u rb aniz atio n, t a k ing t h e pr essu re off t h e la rg est u rb an cent res and b u il ding u p sm aller t o wns and
cit ies, m ore cl osel y int egra ting t h em wit h t h eir r u ra l h int erla nd s. T his wil l m ea n ex am ining a nd
ch ang ing o th er po licies - t a x atio n, f o od pr icing , t r a nspo rta tio n, h ea lt h , ind ust ria liz atio n - t h at
wo rk a g ainst t h e go als of set tlem ent s st ra teg ies.
74 . Go od cit y m ana gem ent r eq uir es decent ra liz atio n of f u nd s, po lit ica l po wer , a nd per sonnel - t o
lo ca l a u th orit ies, wh ich a re best pl aced t o a ppr ecia te and m ana ge lo ca l need s. B ut t h e su staina ble 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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dev elopm ent o f cit ies will d epend o n closer wo rk wit h t h e m ajo rit ies of u rb an po or wh o a re th e
tr u e cit y b u il der s, t a pping t h e sk ills, ener gies and r eso urces of neig hbou rh ood g ro u ps and t h ose
in th e 'inf orm al sect or'. M uch ca n be ach iev ed b y 'sit e and ser vice' sch emes th at pr ovid e
hou seh old s wit h b asic services and h el p th em t o g et o n wit h b u il ding so und er h ou ses aro u nd
th ese. ( S ee Ch ap te r 9 f o r a wid er d iscu ssion of t h ese issu es and r eco mmend atio ns. )
III. I n te rn atio n al C oop era tio n a n d I n st it u tio n al R efo rm
1. The Role of the International Economy
75 . T wo co nd itio ns must b e sa tisf ied b ef ore int erna tio na l eco nomic exch ang es can beco me
benef icial f o r a ll inv olv ed . T he su staina bil it y o f eco system s on wh ich t h e glo b al eco nomy d epend s
must b e gu ara nt eed . A nd t h e eco nomic pa rtner s m ust b e sa tisf ied t h at t h e basis of ex ch ang e is
eq uit ab le. F or m any d ev eloping co unt ries, neit her co nd itio n is set .
76 . Gr owt h in many d ev eloping co unt ries is being st ifled b y d epr essed co mmod it y pr ices,
protect ionism , int oler ab le deb t b u rd ens, a nd d ecl ining f lo ws of d ev elopm ent f ina nce. I f l iv ing
stand ard s are to g ro w so a s to a llev iate po ver ty , t h ese tr end s m ust b e rev ersed .
77. A pa rticu la r r espo nsibilit y f a lls to t h e W orld B ank a nd t h e Int erna tio na l D ev elopm ent
Asso ciatio n as th e m ain cond uit f o r m ult il ater al f ina nce to d ev eloping co unt ries. I n th e co ntex t o f
co nsist ently incr eased f ina ncia l f lo ws, t h e W orld B ank ca n su ppo rt env ironm entally so und
pr oject s and po licies. I n fina ncing st ru ct ura l a d ju st m ent , t h e Int erna tio na l M onet ary F und
sh ou ld su ppo rt wid er a nd l o ng er t er m d ev elopm ent o b ject ives th an at pr esent : gro wt h, so cia l
go als, a nd env ironm ental im pacts.
78 . T he pr esent l ev el o f d eb t ser vice of m any co unt ries, especia lly in Afr ica a nd L atin Am er ica , is
no t co nsist ent wit h su staina ble dev elopm ent. D eb to rs are being r eq uir ed t o u se tr a d e su rpl uses
to ser vice deb ts, a nd a re dra wing h ea vil y o n no n-renewa ble reso urces to d o so . U rg ent a ct io n is
necessa ry t o a llev iate deb t b u rd ens in wa ys th at r epr esent a f a ir er sh aring b et ween both d eb to rs
a nd l end ers of t h e respo nsibilit ies and b u rd ens.
79 . Cu rrent a rra ng em ent s fo r co mmod it ies could b e sig nifica ntly im proved : m ore co mpensa to ry
fina ncing t o o ffset eco nomic sh ock s wo uld enco ura g e pr od u cer s to t a k e a l o ng -ter m v iew, a nd
no t t o o ver pr od u ce commod it ies; and m ore assist ance could b e giv en fr o m d iv er sif ica tio n
pr ogra m mes. Co mmod it y-specif ic arra ng em ent s ca n bu il d o n th e m od el o f t h e In ter na tio na l
Tro pica l T im ber A greem ent, o ne of t h e fe w th at specif ically incl udes eco lo gica l co ncer ns
80 . M ult ina tio na l co mpa nies can pl ay a n im porta nt r o le in sustaina ble dev elopm ent, especia lly
a s dev eloping co unt ries come to r el y m ore on fo reig n eq uit y ca pit al. B ut if t h ese compa nies are to
h ave a po sitive inf lu ence on dev elopm ent, t h e neg otia ting ca pa cit y o f d ev eloping co unt ries vis a
vis tr a nsna tio na ls m ust b e st reng th ened so t h ey ca n secu re ter ms wh ich r espect t h eir
env ironm ental co ncer ns.
81. H owev er, t h ese specif ic mea su res must b e lo ca ted in a wid er co ntex t o f ef fect ive co oper atio n
to pr od u ce an int erna tio na l eco nomic system g ea red t o g ro wt h a nd t h e el im ina tio n of wo rld
po ver ty . ( S ee Ch ap te r 3 f o r a m ore det ail ed d iscu ssion of issu es and r eco mmend atio ns on th e
int erna tio na l eco nomy.)
2. Managing the Commons
8 2. T ra d it io na l f o rm s of na tio na l so ver eig nty r a ise particu la r pr ob lem s in mana ging t h e 'g lo b al
co mmons' a nd t h eir sh ared eco system s - t h e ocea ns, o u ter spa ce, a nd A nt arct ica . S om e pr ogress
h as been mad e in all t h ree area s; much r em ains to b e done.
8 3. T he U N Co nference on th e Law of t h e S ea wa s th e m ost a m bit io us attem pt ev er t o pr ovid e an
int erna tio na lly a g reed r eg im e fo r t h e m ana gem ent o f t h e ocea ns. A ll na tio ns shou ld r a tif y t h e
L aw of t h e Sea T rea ty a s so on at po ssib le . F ish eries ag reem ents sh ou ld b e st reng th ened t o
pr event cu rrent o ver ex ploit atio n, a s sh ou ld co nv ent ions to co ntro l a nd r eg ula te th e du m ping o f
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84. T her e are gro wing co ncer ns ab ou t t h e m ana gem ent o f o rb it al spa ce, cent ering o n using
sa tel lit e tech nolo gy f o r m onit oring pl ane ta ry sy stem s; on m ak ing t h e m ost ef fect ive use of t h e
lim ited ca pa cit ies of g eo synch ro no us orb it f o r co mmunica tio ns satel lit es; and o n lim iting spa ce
deb ris. T he orb it ing a nd t est ing o f wea pons in spa ce wo uld g rea tly incr ease th is deb ris. T he
int erna tio na l co mmunit y sh ou ld seek t o d esig n and im plem ent a spa ce reg im e to ensu re th at
spa ce rem ains a pea ceful env ironm ent f o r t h e benef it o f a ll.
8 5. A nt arct ica is mana ged u nd er t h e 19 59 A nt arct ica T rea ty . H owev er, m any na tio ns ou tsid e of
th at pa ct v iew th e Trea ty S yst em a s to o l im ited , b oth in participa tio n and in th e sco pe of it s
co nser va tio n m ea su res. T he Co mmissio n's reco mmend atio ns dea l wit h t h e sa feg uard ing o f
pr esent a ch iev em ent s; th e inco rpo ra tio n o f a ny m iner als dev elopm ent int o a m ana gem ent
reg im e; and v a rio us opt ions fo r t h e fu tu re. ( S ee Ch ap te r 10 f o r m ore discu ssion in issu es and
reco mmend atio ns on th e m ana gem ent o f t h e co mmons. )
3. Peace, Security, Development, and the Environment
86. A m ong t h e dang ers fa cing t h e env ironm ent, t h e po ssib ilit y o f nu clea r wa r is und ou bted ly t h e
gra vest . Cer ta in aspect s of t h e issu es of p ea ce and secu rit y b ea r d ir ect ly u po n th e co ncept o f
su staina ble dev elopm ent. T he wh ole no tio n of secu rit y a s tr a d it io na lly u nd erstood in ter ms of
po lit ica l a nd m ilit ary t h rea ts to na tio na l so ver eig nty - m ust b e ex pa nd ed t o incl ude th e gro wing
im pacts of env ironm ental st ress - l o ca lly , na tio na lly , r eg iona lly , a nd g lo b ally . T her e are no
m ilit ary so lu tio ns to 'env ironm ental inse curit y'.
8 7. Go ver nm ents and int erna tio na l a g en cies shou ld a ssess th e co st-ef fect iveness, in ter ms of
ach iev ing secu rit y, o f m oney spent o n arm am ent s co mpa red wit h m oney spent o n red ucing
po ver ty o r r est oring a r a va g ed env ironm ent.
88. B ut t h e grea test need is to a ch iev e im proved r el atio ns am ong t h ose majo r po wer s ca pa ble of
d epl oying wea pons of m ass dest ru ct io n. T his is need ed t o a ch iev e ag reem ent o n tig hter co ntro l
over t h e pr olif er atio n and t est ing o f v a rio us ty pes of wea pons of m ass dest ru ct io n - nu clea r a nd
no n nu clea r - incl uding t h ose th at h ave env ironm ental im plica tio ns. ( S ee Ch ap te r 11 f o r m ore
d iscu ssion of issu es and r eco mmend atio ns on th e link s bet ween peace, secu rit y, d ev elopm ent,
and t h e env ironm ent.)
4. Institutional and Legal Change
8 9. T he Repo rt t h at f o llo ws contains th ro u gh ou t ( a nd especia lly in Ch ap te r 12 ), m any specif ic
reco mmend atio ns fo r inst itutio na l a nd l e g al ch ang e. T hese canno t b e ad eq uatel y su mmariz ed
her e. H owev er, t h e Co mmissio n's m ain pro po sals are em bod ied in six pr iorit y a rea s.
4.1 G ettin g a t t h e S ou rc e s
90 . Go ver nm ents m ust b eg in no w to m ak e th e key na tio na l, eco nomic, a nd sect ora l a g encies
d ir ect ly r espo nsible and a cco unt ab le fo r ensu ring t h at t h eir po licies, pr ogra m mes, a nd b u dget s
su ppo rt d ev elopm ent t h at is eco nomica ll y a nd eco lo gica lly su staina ble.
9 1. B y t h e sa me to ken, t h e va rio us reg iona l o rg aniz atio ns need t o d o m ore to int egra te
env ironm ent f u lly in th eir g o als and a ct ivities. N ew reg iona l a rra ng em ent s wil l especia lly b e
need ed a m ong d ev eloping co unt ries to d ea l wit h t r a nsb ou nd ary env ironm ental issu es.
92. A ll m ajo r int erna tio na l b od ies and a g encies shou ld ensu re th at t h eir pr ogra m mes enco ura g e
and su ppo rt su staina ble dev elopm ent, a nd t h ey sh ou ld g rea tly im prove th eir co ord ina tio n and
co oper atio n. T he Secr etary -Gener al o f t h e U nit ed N atio ns Org aniz atio n sh ou ld pr ovid e a h ig h
lev el cent re of l ea der sh ip fo r t h e U N sy stem t o a ssess, a d vise, a ssist , a nd r epo rt o n pr ogress mad e
to wa rd s th is go al.
4 .2 D ea li n g w it h t h e E ffe cts 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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93. Go ver nm ents sh ou ld a lso r einf orce th e ro les and ca pa cit ies of env ironm ental pr otect ion and
reso urce mana gem ent a g encies. T his is need ed in many ind ust ria liz ed co unt ries, b u t m ost
u rg ent ly in dev eloping co unt ries, wh ich w ill need a ssist ance in streng th ening t h eir inst itutio ns.
The U N E nv ironm ent P ro gra m me (U N EP) sh ou ld b e st reng th ened a s th e pr incipa l so urce on
env ironm ental d ata , a ssessm ent, a nd r epo rting a nd a s th e pr incipa l a d vo ca te and a g ent f o r
ch ang e and int erna tio na l co oper atio n on cr itica l env ironm ent a nd na tu ra l r eso urce protect ion
issu es.
4.3 A sse ssing G lo b al R isk s
94. T he ca pa cit y t o id ent ify, a ssess, a nd r epo rt o n risk s of ir rev ersib le dam ag e to na tu ra l sy stem s
and t h rea ts to t h e su rv iv al, secu rit y, a nd wel l b eing o f t h e wo rld co mmunit y m ust b e ra pid ly
r einf orced a nd ex tend ed. Go ver nm ents, i nd ivid ually a nd co llect ively, h ave th e pr incipa l
respo nsibilit y t o d o t h is. U N EP's Earth w atch pr ogra m me sh ou ld b e th e cent re of l ea der sh ip in
th e U N sy stem o n risk a ssessm ent
95. H owev er, g iv en th e po lit ica lly sensit ive na tu re of m any o f t h e m ost cr itica l r isk s, t h er e is also
a need f o r a n ind epend ent b u t co mplem ent ary ca pa cit y t o a ssess and r epo rt o n cr itica l g lo b al
risk s. A new interna tio na l pr ogra m me fo r co oper atio n am ong l a rg el y no n-go ver nm ental
o rg aniz atio ns, scient ific bod ies, a nd ind ust ry g ro u ps shou ld t h er efore be est ab lish ed f o r t h is
pu rpo se.
4.4 M ak in g I n fo rm ed C hoic e s
96. M ak ing t h e dif ficu lt ch oices involv ed in ach iev ing su staina ble dev elopm ent wil l d epend o n
th e wid espr ead su ppo rt a nd inv olv em ent o f a n inf orm ed pu blic and o f N GO s, t h e scient ific
co mmunit y, a nd ind ust ry . T heir r ig hts, r o les and pa rticipa tio n in dev elopm ent pl anning ,
decisio n-mak ing , a nd pr oject im plem ent atio n sh ou ld b e ex pa nd ed.
4.5 P ro vid in g t h e L eg a l M ea n s
97. N atio na l a nd int erna tio na l l a w is being r a pid ly o u td ist anced b y t h e accel erating pa ce and
ex pa nd ing sca le of im pacts on th e eco lo gica l b asis of d ev elopm ent. Go ver nm ents no w need t o f il l
m ajo r g aps in exist ing na tio na l a nd int erna tio na l l a w rel ated t o t h e env ironm ent, t o f ind wa ys to
r eco gniz e and pr otect t h e rig hts of pr esen t a nd f u tu re gener atio ns to a n env ironm ent a d eq uate
fo r t h eir h ea lt h a nd wel l- b eing , t o pr epa re und er U N a u spices a u niv ersa l D ecl ara tio n on
env ironm ental pr otect ion and su staina ble dev elopm ent a nd a su bseq uent Co nvent ion, a nd t o
st reng th en proced ures fo r a vo id ing o r r eso lv ing d ispu tes on env ironm ent a nd r eso urce
m ana gem ent issu es.
4.6 I n ve st in g i n o u r Fu tu re
9 8 . O ver t h e pa st d eca de, t h e over all co st-ef fect iveness of inv estment s in halt ing po llu tio n has
b een dem onst ra ted . T he esca la ting eco nomic and eco lo gica l d am ag e co sts of no t inv esting in
env ironm ental pr otect ion and im provem ent h ave also b een repea ted ly d em onst ra ted - o ft en in
grim t o lls of f lo od a nd f a m ine. B ut t h er e are la rg e fina ncia l im plica tio ns: fo r r enewa ble ener gy
d ev elopm ent, po llu tio n co ntro l, a nd a ch iev ing l ess reso urce int ensiv e fo rm s of a g ricu lt u re.
9 9. M ult il ater al f ina ncia l inst itutio ns have a cr ucia l r o le to pl ay. T he W orld B ank is pr esent ly
r eo rient ing it s pr ogra m mes to wa rd s grea ter env ironm ental co ncer ns. T his sh ou ld b e
acco mpa nied b y a f u nd am ent al co mmitm ent t o su staina ble dev elopm ent b y t h e Bank . I t is also
essent ial t h at t h e Reg iona l D ev elopm ent B ank s and t h e Int erna tio na l M onet ary F und
inco rpo ra te sim ilar o b ject ives in th eir po licies and pr ogra m mes. A new priorit y a nd f o cu s is also
need ed in bil ater al a id a g encies. 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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100. Giv en th e lim itatio ns on incr easing pr esent f lo ws of int erna tio na l a id , pr opo sals fo r secu ring
a d dit io na l r ev enu e fr o m t h e use of int erna tio na l co mmons and na tu ra l r eso urces shou ld no w be
ser iousl y co nsid ered b y g o ver nm ents.
IV . A C all f o r A ctio n
10 1. O ver t h e co urse of t h is cent ury , t h e rel atio nsh ip bet ween th e hum an wo rld a nd t h e pl anet
th at su stains it h as und ergo ne a pr ofo u n d ch ang e.
102. W hen th e cent ury b eg an, neit her h um an nu mber s no r t ech nolo gy h ad t h e po wer r a d ica lly t o
a lt er pl anet ary sy stem s. A s th e cent ury cl oses, no t o nl y d o v a st ly incr eased h um an nu mber s and
th eir a ct ivities have th at po wer , b u t m ajo r, u nint ended ch ang es are occu rr ing in th e atm osph ere,
in soils, in wa ter s, a m ong pl ant s and a nim als, a nd in th e rel atio nsh ips am ong a ll o f t h ese. T he
ra te of ch ang e is ou tst ripping t h e ab il it y o f scient ific discipl ines and o u r cu rr ent ca pa bil it ies to
a ssess and a d vise. I t is fr u st ra ting t h e att em pts of po lit ica l a nd eco nomic inst itutio ns, wh ich
evolv ed in a d if fer ent , m ore fr a g m ent ed wo rld , t o a d apt a nd co pe. I t d eepl y wo rries many peo ple
wh o a re seek ing wa ys to pl ace th ose concer ns on th e po lit ica l a g end as.
10 3. T he onu s lies with no o ne gro u p of n atio ns. D ev eloping co unt ries fa ce th e ob vio us lif e-
th rea tening ch alleng es of d eser tif ica tio n, d ef orest atio n, a nd po llu tio n, a nd end ure m ost o f t h e
po ver ty a sso ciated wit h env ironm ental d eg ra d atio n. T he ent ire hum an fa m ily o f na tio ns wo uld
su ffer f r o m t h e disa ppea ra nce of r a in fo rest s in th e tr o pics, t h e lo ss of pl ant a nd a nim al species,
a nd ch ang es in ra inf all pa tter ns. I nd ust ria l na tio ns fa ce th e lif e- th rea tening ch alleng es of t o xic
ch em icals, t o xic wa stes, a nd a cid ifica tio n. A ll na tio ns may su ffer f r o m t h e rel ea ses by
ind ust ria liz ed co unt ries of ca rb on dio xid e and o f g ases th at r ea ct wit h t h e ozo ne la yer , a nd f r o m
any f u tu re wa r f o u gh t wit h t h e nu clea r a rsena ls co ntro lled b y t h ose natio ns. A ll na tio ns wil l h ave
a r o le to pl ay in chang ing t r end s, a nd in rig hting a n int erna tio na l eco nomic system t h at incr eases
ra th er t h an decr eases ineq ualit y, t h at incr eases ra th er t h an decr eases number s of po or a nd
h ung ry .
10 4. T he nex t f ew deca des are cr ucia l. T he tim e has co me to b rea k o u t o f pa st pa tter ns. A ttem pts
to m aint ain socia l a nd eco lo gica l st ab il it y t h ro u gh o ld a ppr oach es to d ev elopm ent a nd
env ironm ental pr otect ion wil l incr ease instab il it y. S ecu rit y m ust b e so ugh t t h ro u gh ch ang e. T he
Co mmissio n has no ted a nu mber o f a ct io ns th at m ust b e ta k en to r ed uce risk s to su rv iv al a nd t o
pu t f u tu re dev elopm ent o n pa th s th at a re su staina ble. Yet we are awa re th at su ch a r eo rient atio n
on a co ntinu ing b asis is sim ply b ey ond t h e rea ch o f pr esent d ecisio n-mak ing st ru ct ures and
inst itutio na l a rra ng em ent s, b oth na tio na l a nd int erna tio na l.
10 5. T his Co mmissio n has been caref ul t o b ase ou r r eco mmend atio ns on th e rea lit ies of pr esent
inst itutio ns, o n wh at ca n and m ust b e acco mplish ed t o d ay. B ut t o k eep opt ions open fo r f u tu re
g ener atio ns, t h e pr esent g ener atio n m ust b eg in no w, a nd b eg in to get her .
10 6. T o a ch iev e th e need ed ch ang es, we bel iev e th at a n act ive fo llo w- up of t h is repo rt is
im per ativ e. I t is wit h t h is in mind t h at we call f o r t h e U N Gener al A ssem bly , u po n du e
co nsid eratio n, t o t r a nsf orm t h is repo rt in to a U N P ro gra m me on Su st aina ble D ev elopm ent.
Specia l f o llo w- up co nferences could b e in itia ted a t t h e reg iona l l ev el. W ithin an appr opr iate
per iod a ft er t h e pr esent atio n of t h is repo rt t o t h e Gener al A ssem bly , a n int erna tio na l co nference
co uld b e co nv ened t o r ev iew progress mad e, a nd t o pr om ote fo llo w up arra ng em ent s th at wil l b e
need ed t o set b ench mark s and t o m aint ain hum an pr ogress.
10 7. F ir st a nd f o rem ost , t h is Co mmissio n has been concer ned wit h peo ple - o f a ll co unt ries and
a ll wa lk s of l if e. A nd it is to peo ple th at we ad dress ou r r epo rt. T he ch ang es in hum an attit udes
th at we call f o r d epend o n a v a st ca mpa ign of ed uca tio n, d eb ate, a nd pu blic pa rticipa tio n. T his
ca mpa ign m ust st art no w if su staina ble hum an pr ogress is to b e ach iev ed.
108. T he M em ber s of t h e W orld Co mmissio n on Env ironm ent a nd D ev elopm ent ca me fr o m 2 1
ver y d if fer ent na tio ns. I n ou r d iscu ssions, we disa greed o ft en on det ail s and pr iorit ies. B ut
despit e ou r wid ely d if fer ing b ack gro u nd s a nd v a ry ing na tio na l a nd int erna tio na l r espo nsibilit ies,
we wer e ab le to a g ree to t h e lines alo ng wh ich ch ang e m ust b e dra wn. 6/1/2020 Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World - A/42/427 Annex, Overview - UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements
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109. W e are una nim ou s in ou r co nv ict ion th at t h e secu rit y, wel l- b eing , a nd v er y su rv iv al o f t h e
pl anet d epend o n su ch ch ang es, no w.
