In many countries, sectoral economic decisions would be made with little input about their environmental impact and longer-term consequences for the natural resource base. Environmental ministries and institutions would often intervene only after the damage has been done. At the same time, and despite growing affluence for many, there are enormous human problems of widespread poverty and suffering, and a pattern of economic growth that is worsening disparity. Without a doubt, great strides against pollution have been made by OECD countries. On the other hand, economies in transition and developing countries continue to be plagued by pollution and land degradation.
Current trends threaten to make both local and global environmental problems worse.
Brundtland's imperative for sustainable development led to the extraordinary gathering of the world community at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro almost three years ago. The Summit and its outcome signaled the emergence of environmental security along side economic and military security as major preoccupation of national leaders and a third pillar in international relations. Taken as a whole, the Earth Summit accords show a clear recognition by policymakers that degradation of the environment and depletion of its valuable resources not only impede economic development, but threaten human survival. At Rio, the world community reached an unprecedented consensus on the need to integrate environmental concerns into the mainstream of economic decision-making. This is an essential precondition for successfully redirecting the economic, demographic, and political forces that underlie environmental degradation at both the local and global levels.