Developing countries will be doing themselves no favours if they, too, pursue a path of industrialisation which before long proves unsustainable. Sustainable development will not happen of its own accord. We need a break with the harmful practices of the past and a break in the political stalemate that prevails on too many environmental issues. There is some good news to report. Public awareness has grown.
Civil society is engaged.
The private sector is beginning to seize the opportunities of green technology. Partnerships are being formed. The global machinery of policy-making and governance is moving in the right direction. We have the human and material resources to place our economies on more sustainable footing. But the bottom line is that the challenges of sustainability are overwhelming our responses.