The concept and practice of sustainability for Europe

Abstract

At the present juncture of human history, two tendencies of global proportions can be observed: on the one hand, spectacular advances in scientific technology, medicine and communications have opened immense possibilities for enriching the quality of human life; on the other hand, there is a growing consensus that the dominant economic system is impoverishing vast number of people. This system is causing drastic depletion of resources, massive pollution of air, water and soil, and the destruction of other living creatures throughout the world. Through the depletion of the ozone layer, extensive soil erosion, the extinction of species and global warming, current economic patterns threaten the regenerative capacity of the biosphere. European countries must not remain mere spectators in front of today's critical environmental conditions. The European continent contributed immensely to the present environmental degradation. The European countries are in more than one sense the source of this problem. The pattern of production and consumption practised in Western Europe are the potential roots of both regional and international disorder and conflict. In fact, the very detailed report on the state of the environment in the European Community published in April 1992 together with its proposal for a fifth environmental protection action programme speaks for itself. The conclusion drawn in this report on the issue of air, water and soil pollution, nature conservation, the urban environment and waste management are very clear. Despite the measures taken over the past ten years, the state of the environment has, on the whole, deteriorated drastically, which means that there is still an urgent need to take action. Discourse about ecological responsibility has therefore a special relevance to the European continent. Europe has a special responsibility. When speaking about the urgency of change, Europe must take a leading role to implement this change. The resources of the earth which God destined to all humankind, are not distributed justify, for the Western European industrialized countries are consuming a great share of these resources. This injustice must be redressed for the benefit of all present and future generations!