Idea of Sustainability - Dissertation Example

Download file to see previous pages The relationship between mankind and the environment started in the distant past when human beings lived in complete symbiosis with nature. Over the centuries people worked for their needs without any concern about environmental protection and conservation. In the course of time mastery of humans over nature has been increasing, until it has culminated in the industrial revolution in the 19-20th century. Such prominent characteristic features of that time as a material-intensive way of production, the vast expansion of intercontinental trade, and the fast growth of population caused considerable environmental damage. The impact of industrialization on nature can be well illustrated as follows:

...A vast acceleration of forest cutting, mining, land development, and fishing began. Industrialized societies saw forests disappearing to fuel the factories, mass migrations of people moving to cities to work in factories, and clouds of pollution hanging over the cities. ...The environment was turned into a site of economic competition between the various industrialized nations...

The first reaction of the society to environmental problems was a reactive approach that is characterized by clean-up activities mainly. But since the early 1960s, environmental problems have been eventually recognized as a political issue, which demands proactive measures. Nowadays it is widely recognized that a healthy environment is essential to sustainable development. More and more economists, state officials, and researchers understand that economic policy, based on using forests, water, soils, and other critical natural resources, without taking appropriate account of its current state and future development, is not wise and successful. Thus, a more proactive approach to resource usage is being taken, ensuring “continuing improvements in the present quality of life at a lower intensity of resource use, thereby leaving behind for future generations an undiminished or even enhanced stock of natural resources and other assets”, which refers to the concept of sustainable development.

This chapter represents a historical background overview of the concept of sustainable development, describing the process of the evolution of the concept from the initial ideas concerning sustainability in the environment, to the today’s more comprehensive and profound understanding of sustainable development as a “specific call to prioritize improvements in the well-being of the very worst-off now and in the future”. In addition, on the basis of the existing academic and professional literature, this chapter makes an overview of the philosophical and theoretical dimensions of sustainable development. Therefore, the chapter helps to understand the nature of sustainable development and to define ways in which sustainable development in the modern oil and gas industry could be achieved.

2. Evolution of the concept of sustainable development

2.1 The impact of Malthusians on the development of sustainability
Although the well-defined concept of sustainable development has been developed as a result of a series of environmental conferences and summits during the last half of the 20th century, the first questions concerning the role of nature in human life and the impact of civilization’s evolution on the condition of natural resources on the Earth emerged more than 200 years ago. ...Download file to see next pages Read More