Policies to Enhance Sustainable Development [electronic resource] /
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Organisation for Economic Co operation and DevelopmentContent Provider
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentContent Provider
Paris : OECD Publishing,
2001.
Sustainable development involves linking the economic, social and environmental objectives of societies in a balanced way. It stresses the importance of taking a broader view of what human welfare entails, of using a long-term perspective about the consequences of today's activities, and of recognising the global nature of many of the most pressing challenges facing societies. OECD countries committed themselves to sustainable development at the 1992 Rio Conference on Environment and Development. However, action to meet these commitments remains slow. This report identifies some of the main barriers -- conceptual and practical -- that stand in the way of progress, and some of the areas where concrete government actions will allow a better integration of environmental, economic and social goals. Particular focus is placed on how the use of the price system, reform of governments' decision-making processes, technology policies, and international trade and investment may each contribute to removing incentives to unsustainable resource depletion and environmental degradation. Recommendations in each of these areas are presented in this Report, and then applied to two areas -- climate change and natural resource management -- where the risks of non-sustainability appear to be highest.
Description based upon print version of record.
""Preface""; ""Other OECD publications released in the context of the three-year project on sustainable development""; ""Table of Contents""; ""Chapter 1: Key Challenges and Policy Responses""; ""Introduction""; ""Box 1.  Key concepts""; ""Box 2.  Important elements of sustainable development policies""; ""De-coupling environmental pressures from economic growth: key challenges""; ""Figure 1.  Global temperatures and emissions of greenhouse gases in OECD countries""; ""The social dimension of sustainable development""; ""Box 3.  Social capital""
""Inadequate responses: knowledge and implementation gaps""""Box 4.  Measuring sustainable development""; ""A framework for sustainable development policies: key policy responses""; ""Making markets work for sustainable development""; ""Strengthening decision making""; ""Harnessing science and technology""; ""Managing linkages with the global economy""; ""Responding to climate change""; ""Managing natural resources""; ""Chapter 2: Making Markets Work for Sustainable Development""; ""Establishing the right policy framework""; ""Using market-based instruments to provide the right signals""
""Environment-related taxes""""Figure 2.  Environmental taxes in OECD countries in 1998""; ""Tradable permits""; ""Box 5.  Examples of emission trading schemes in the United States""; ""Reforming sectoral support programmes""; ""Box 6.  A classification of agricultural support""; ""Overcoming obstacles to market-based policy reform""; ""Enhancing the effectiveness of other instruments""; ""Regulatory reform""; ""Multi-stakeholder initiatives""; ""Box 7.  The role of financial and insurance markets for sustainable development""; ""Box 8.  Examples of negotiated agreements""
""Information programmes""""Chapter 3: Strengthening Decision Making""; ""Introduction""; ""Policy integration""; ""Box 9.  Strategic environmental assessment of the budget process in Denmark""; ""Sectoral policy integration""; ""Box 10.  Policy integration issues for sustainable development in selected sectors""; ""Policy integration between levels of government""; ""Strengthening the machinery of government""; ""Box 11.  The â€œwhole-of-governmentâ€? approach to policy integration in the United Kingdom""; ""Accountability""
""Box 12.  Environmentally-sustainable growth in the OECD Economic Review process""""Transparency and participation""; ""Chapter 4: Harnessing Science and Technology""; ""Introduction""; ""Providing the right framework conditions""; ""Addressing the potential risks of technological change""; ""Using environmental policy instruments to guide technological change""; ""Box 13.  Environmental policy instruments and innovation""; ""Box 14.  Examples of emerging technologies""; ""Ensuring that priorities for sustainable development are reflected in basic research""; ""Box 15.  Fostering clusters""
""Box 16.  Examples of environmental technology partnerships""
Sustainable development involves linking the economic, social and environmental objectives of societies in a balanced way. It stresses the importance of taking a broader view of what human welfare entails, of using a long-term perspective about the consequences of today's activities, and of recognising the global nature of many of the most pressing challenges facing societies. OECD countries committed themselves to sustainable development at the 1992 Rio Conference on Environment and Development. However, action to meet these commitments remains slow. This report identifies some of the main barriers -- conceptual and practical -- that stand in the way of progress, and some of the areas where concrete government actions will allow a better integration of environmental, economic and social goals. Particular focus is placed on how the use of the price system, reform of governments' decision-making processes, technology policies, and international trade and investment may each contribute to removing incentives to unsustainable resource depletion and environmental degradation. Recommendations in each of these areas are presented in this Report, and then applied to two areas -- climate change and natural resource management -- where the risks of non-sustainability appear to be highest.
Sustainable development