Sustainable development emerged in the 1980s and gained momentum with the publication of Our Common Future in 1987. It is defined as development that meets the present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs. Key areas of sustainable development are society, environment, and economy. The 1992 Rio Declaration established principles of intergenerational equity, precautionary principle, environmental impact assessment, and polluter pays.

1. Environmental Principles
Environmental Law 121
UC College of Law

2. Sustainable Development
 emerged in the 1980s
 gained worldwide momentum with the
publication of Our Common Future by the
World Commission on Environment and
Development (also known as the Brundtland
Commission) in 1987

3. Definition
“Development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.”

4. Another Definition of Sustainable
Development
“improving the quality of human life
while living within the carrying
capacity of supporting
ecosystems. ”
 Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living by the
World Conservation Union (IUCN), the United Nations
Environment Programme and the World Wide Fund For Nature
(WWF) in 1991

5. 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment
and Development
 Principle 1: Human beings are at the centre
of concerns for sustainable development.
They are entitled to a healthy and productive
life in harmony with nature.
 Principle 4: In order to achieve sustainable
development, environmental protection shall
constitute an integral part of the development
process and cannot be considered in
isolation from it.

6. 1992 Philippine Strategy for
Sustainable Development - Philippines
Agenda 21
 Sustainable development as defined in the
PA 21 (1996) is “harmonious integration of a
sound and viable economy, responsible
governance, social cohesion and ecological
integrity, to ensure that development is a life-sustaining
process.”

7. Three key areas of sustainable
development
- Society: an understanding of social institutions and their role in
change and development, as well as the democratic and
participatory systems which give opportunity for the expression of
opinion, the selection of governments, the forging of consensus
and the resolution of differences.
- Environment: an awareness of the resources and fragility of
the physical environment and the affects on it of human activity
and decisions, with a commitment to factoring environmental
concerns into social and economic policy development.
- Economy: a sensitivity to the limits and potential of economic
growth and their impact on society and on the environment, with
a commitment to assess personal and societal levels of
consumption out of concern for the environment and for social
justice.

8. 3 key actors in sustainable development – PA 21
- Business, the key actor in economy, which
is mainly concerned with producing goods
and services for people.
- Government, the key actor in polity, which
is concerned with democratic governance
and security of human rights.
- Civil society, the key actor in culture, which
is concerned with the development of the
social and spiritual capacities of human
beings.

9. ““SSUUSSTTAAIINNAABBLLEE
TTOOTTAALL,,
IINNTTEEGGRRAATTEEDD
DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT””

10. EEQQUUIITTYY
ECOLOGICAL
SUSTAINABILITY
FFRREEEEDDOOMM
EECCOONNOOMMIICC
GGRROOWWTTHH

11. MODEL SSTTRREESSSSEESS DDIIFFFFEERREENNCCEE BBEETTWWEEEENN
GGRROOWWTTHH && DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT
DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT ::
AABBOOUUTT IINNCCRREEAASSEESS
IINN MMAATTEERRIIAALL WWEEAALLTTHH
AABBOOUUTT IINNCCRREEAASSIINNGG
FFRREEEEDDOOMM

12. VVeerryy ddiiffffeerreenntt mmooddeell..
11.. CCeenntteerreedd oonn hhuummaann wweellffaarree bbyy wwaayy ooff ccoommmmuunniittyy
wweellffaarree ((vviillllaaggeess,, nnaattiioonnss oorr tthhee wwhhoollee wwoorrlldd));;
22.. SSeeeess hhuummaann wweellffaarree aass iinnsseeppaarraabbllee ffrroomm hheeaalltthh ooff
nnaattuurraall eennvviirroonnmmeenntt;;
33.. AArreeaa bbaasseedd,, ddiiccttaatteess pprruuddeenntt uussee ooff nnaattuurraall rreessoouurrcceess
tthhaatt oofftteenn nnoott rreeppllaacceeaabbllee;;
44.. RReewwaarrddss rreeaall wweeaalltthh ccrreeaattiioonn,, ffiilllliinngg ooff ggeennuuiinnee nneeeeddss;;
55.. RReeccooggnniizzeess nneecceessssiittyy ttoo iinncclluuddee eevveerryyoonnee iinn ssoocciiaall,,
eeccoonnoommiicc sseeccuurriittyy nneett..

13. NNeeww mmooddeell……..
66.. VVaalluueess ddiivveerrssiittyy wwhhiillee sseeeekkiinngg uunniittyy;;
77.. SSeeeekkss ttoo iinntteeggrraattee sseeccuullaarr,, ssaaccrreedd;;
88.. CClloosseerr ttoo JJoohhnn NNaasshh’’ss eeqquuiilliibbrriiuumm mmooddeell ooff
rreellaattiioonnsshhiippss –– ppeeooppllee wwoorrkkiinngg ttoo ggeett wwhhaatt tthheeyy
wwaanntt bbuutt mmiinnddffuull ooff ootthheerrss’’ nneeeeddss;;
77.. PPeeooppllee ffuullffiilllliinngg tthheeiirr nneeeeddss aass sstteewwaarrddss ooff EEaarrtthh’’ss
lliimmiitteedd rreessoouurrcceess;;
88.. AAcccceeppttiinngg tthhaatt tteecchhnnoollooggyy ccaannnnoott ssoollvvee aallll oouurr
pprroobblleemmss;; tthhaatt iitt iiss aatt ttiimmeess tthhee pprroobblleemm..

14. Concept of
Intergenerational Equity
 Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development (1992) - Principle 3: “the right
to development must be fulfilled so as to
equitably meet developmental and
environmental needs of present and future
generations.”
 Oposa v. Factoran, et al. (224 SCRA 792,
G.R. No. 101083 July 30, 1993)

15. Oposa vs. Factoran
 “….petition bears upon the right of Filipinos to
a balanced and healthful ecology which the
petitioners dramatically associate with the
twin concepts of "inter-generational
responsibility" and "inter-generational
justice."

16. The Precautionary Principle
 In order to protect the environment, the
precautionary approach shall be widely
applied by States according to their
capabilities. Where there are threats of
serious or irreversible damage, lack of full
scientific certainty shall not be used as a
reason for postponing cost-effective
measures to prevent environmental
degradation. - Principle 15, Rio Declaration

17. Concept of Environmental Impact
Assessment
 Environmental impact assessment, as a
national instrument, shall be undertaken for
proposed activities that are likely to have a
significant adverse impact on the
environment and are subject to a decision
of a competent national authority. - Principle
17, Rio Declaration

18. Polluter Pays Principle
 National authorities should endeavour to
promote the internalization of environmental
costs and the use of economic instruments,
taking into account the approach that the
polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of
pollution, with due regard to the public
interest and without distorting international
trade and investment. - Principle 16, Rio
Declaration