SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

           AND EPA
CONCEPTS, IMPLICATIONS, AND

   RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
        A PROJECT REPORT

               by

       Dr. Gary O'Neal, Director
    Air and Toxics Division, Region 10



             for the

  Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation

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 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
           AND EPA
CONCEPTS, IMPLICATIONS, AND
   RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
        A PROJECT REPORT
               by
       Dr. Gary O'Neal, Director
    Air and Toxics Division, Region 10
              for the
  Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation

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                          ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
      Work on this project was conducted as part of a Senior Executive Service
rotational assignment. A large number of people both inside EPA and outside
contributed ideas and time as this work progressed.  A number of people and
organizations deserve specific acknowledgement for their support and assistance. These
are:

      1.     The senior management of EPA Region 10, for providing the flexibility and
             support for my participation in this assignment.

      2.     Dan Beardsley, Deputy Assistant Administrator for OPPE, for sponsoring
             the project and providing on-going guidance and support.

      3.     Tom Kelly, Director, Office of Regulatory Management and Evaluation
             (ORME), for his support and  continual challenges to be  intellectually
             rigorous in thinking about sustainable development.

      4.     Tim Titus, Director, Science, Economics, and Statistics Division
             (SESD/ORME)  for helping to arrange this assignment, providing an
             organizational home for it, and for his continual guidance on Headquarters
             procedures.

      5.     Tim Barry, Chief, Science Policy Branch, SESD, and his  staff for the
             support they provided (both technical and administrative) which ensured
             that this project could be completed on time.

      6.     Patrick McCabe, Research Assistant with the  Bruce Company working
             under a contract with EPA, for the key contributions he  made by
             challenging conventional thinking, being creative about new ideas and
             concepts, and for helping an engineer understand the intricacies of
             economics.
      Thanks to all the above plus the many others unnamed.  The project could not
have been completed without your help.
                                           Gary O'Neal

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                                 CONTENTS
(1)    What is "sustainable development?"	1

(2)    What are the origins of the concepts behind sustainable
      development?	7

(3)    How does sustainable development relate to current
      EPA priorities for pollution prevention and risk reduction?	17

(4)    What is the value-added of sustainable development
      concepts and principles? What would they add to
      environmental protection efforts currently in place?	19

(5)    Is sustainable development primarily an international
      issue, and if so, might efforts  to develop a nationally
      focussed sustainable development program be misplaced?	21

(6)    What are the roles that EPA could play in a National
      effort to promote sustainable development, given the fact
      that sustainable development is largely a resource
      management and population  issue that falls outside the
      Agency's purview?	23

(7)    Would EPA compromise its effectiveness as an advocate
      of the environment by adopting sustainable development
      policies that include economic development as
      an objective?	25

(8)    What are some possible projects that would promote
      sustainable development or the concepts behind it?	26

(9)    What does a sustainable development focus imply for
      EPA programs? Does an increased emphasis on
      sustainable development mean reduced emphasis on
      regulatory and compliance programs?	28

(10)  Summary: what are the most important lessons found
      in the sustainable development literature?	29

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                                      NOTE
      Unless specifically indicated, the material presented in this report reflects the
work and opinions of the author.  The recommendations do not at this time represent
the official position of the Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation or the
Environmental Protection Agency.

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                                CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION	SECTION I
CONCEPTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION II

    •  Concept Paper
    •  Sustainable Development: Some Key Questions for EPA
RESULTS OF INTERVIEWS AND DISCUSSIONS _____________________________ SECTION III

    •  General Themes and Ideas
    •  Suggestions for Policies, Programs, and Actions
    •  List of EPA Contacts
    •  List of Non-EPA Contacts
OPTIONS FOR ACTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION IV
lvH(\^\_IIVlIVlil
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                                  SECTION I
                                INTRODUCTION
      There is a growing awareness that many of our current ways of doing business,
both in this country and internationally, may not be sustainable either ecologically or
economically.  The strong linkage between environmental protection and economic
development is becoming ever more apparent.  The need for comprehensive efforts to
address our problems in this area were highlighted by the report of the U.N. sponsored
World Commission on Environment and Development entitled "Our Common Future".
This report challenged all countries to examine their priorities and reorient their
programs to increase the emphasis on long-term sustainable development. In the United
States we are just beginning this process.  EPA will be a key part of the effort.  The
purpose of the project which resulted in this report was to begin the process of
evaluating the  potential implications of the sustainable development theme on EPA
programs and to recommend next steps.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

      This project had several specific objectives. These were

            Review some of the current thinking and writing on the basic theme of
            sustainable development and related concepts.

            Conduct interviews with a cross-section of EPA managers and staff and
            others outside the Agency to gather current perceptions on the theme of
            sustainable development.

            Develop  appropriate background papers which discuss the theme and
            related concepts  and issues and relate them to EPA's role, responsibilities,
            and priorities.

            Develop  some options and recommendations for projects and actions which
            will enhance both understanding of and emphasis on sustainable
            development.

As indicated above, the overall objective was to provide a base of information and
related recommendations  which will serve as a starting point for a broad examination of
this theme and its implications within the Agency.

REPORT ORGANIZATION

      The rest of the project report is organized into four discrete sections with some
supporting appendices.  The contents are outlined below.

                                       1-1

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      Section II:  CONCEPTS. The basic theme of sustainable development raises
      many questions at both the philosophical and the practical level.  The
      relationships between sustainable development and other perspectives is not
      always clear.  This Section contains a concept paper on sustainable development
      and its implications and a related set of questions and answers on the subject.
      The paper examines basic concepts, ways to think about sustainable development,
      implications for EPA, and proposes a set of operating principles.  Both the paper
      and the "Qs & As" can be used independently of this report as a basis for further
      discussion.

      Section III: RESULTS OF INTERVIEWS AND DISCUSSIONS.  This Section
      presents a summary of the information obtained from the interviews in two
      formats.  The first is an overview of key themes drawn from the interviews.  The
      second is a compilation of recommendations for possible EPA actions by those
      interviewed. Both serve to highlight the scope  and  the potential implications of
      an increased emphasis on sustainable development  and the creative thinking
      stimulated by the concept. A list of those interviewed is also included.

      Section IV: OPTIONS FOR ACTION. This Section presents several different
      options for specific actions and projects.  They  range from specific policy analysis
      and development activities to  a comprehensive  set of actions.  They reflect a
      range of potential roles for EPA from a lower profile, internally focussed effort to
      an aggressive  effort to provide national leadership in this area.

      Section V:  RECOMMENDATIONS. This Section presents recommendations for
      future actions. The recommendation include both a proposed set  of specific
      projects and policy actions and a set of management and communication activities
      to maintain progress in examination of this theme.
GUIDE TO PROJECT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS.  For a quick overview of the project
results, review of the following segments is recommended:

            The Executive Summary of the concept paper in Section II

            The summary of findings from the interviews on sustainable development
            (Section HI, pages ffl-2 to IH-4)

            Section IV: OPTIONS FOR ACTION

            Section V: RECOMMENDATIONS
                                      1-2

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                                  SECTION n
                                   CONCEPTS
      Sustainable development as a theme is both straight-forward and complex. At the
intuitive level, it seems obvious that it is a goal we should strive for.  Consideration of its
implications at the operational level, however, raises a number of questions and issues.
What does the concept really imply? How does it relate to EPA's current mission?  Is
there overlap with other management priorities and themes?  The concepts need to be
understood and adequate answers to these and other questions need to be provided as
EPA proceeds toward a stronger focus on sustainable development  The following
material in this section provides additional background in this area through  two separate
but complementary papers.

      The first of these  is a concept paper.  This paper provides an overview of the
evolution and importance of sustainable development,  discusses questions of definitions
and many other basic issues, and presents a framework for looking at what needs to be
sustained and its implications for EPA. It then proceeds to a discussion of general
implications of sustainable development for EPA and recommends a set of operating
principles to guide EPA actions. This paper was prepared to provide a basic document
which could receive wide distribution to managers within EPA to stimulate further
discussion on sustainable development

      The second paper is a set of questions and answers on some of the basic issues
associated with sustainable development  It can be used for broader distribution to staff,
the public, etc, to provide an overview of the concepts and answers to key questions.

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     SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



              AND THE



ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
          A CONCEPT PAPER
   Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation



              July, 1990

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                     TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY	i





I.    INTRODUCTION	 1





II.    BASIC CONCEPTS	3





III.   WHAT NEEDS TO BE SUSTAINED--AND RELATED THREATS	9





IV.   EXPECTATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR EPA	 10





V.    SOME OPERATING PRINCIPLES	 13





VI.   SUMMARY	16

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                         SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

                    THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
I.     INTRODUCTION

      In 1987 the World  Commission on Environment and Development, a temporary
organization established by the United Nations, published its report entitled Our Common
Future.  This report, which highlighted the needs and problems associated with achieving
sustainable development, triggered a great deal of world-wide attention and debate.  In it
sustainable development is defined as "development that meets the needs of the present
without  compromising the  ability of future generations to meet their own needs." It is a
general definition, yet one with far reaching implications.  It indicates the need for a broad,
integrated approach to  meeting present and future needs for both economic development
and environmental protection.

      Economic development is essential if resources (technology, materials, funds, food,
educated people) are to be available to meet basic human needs.  This is particularly true
the developing countries.  To ignore these needs and propose, as some do, a return to a
simpler life is to ignore reality. Environmental protection and maintenance of our resource
base are also essential if people are to live in a healthy environment, if ecosystems are to
provide  their fundamental  life support functions, and if  natural resources which support
basic economic activity are to remain available.  To ignore these needs and to focus, as
some do, only on economic development is also to ignore reality. The whole thrust of the
growing emphasis on sustainable development is to recognize that in today's world economic
development, environmental protection, and resource conservation are inextricably linked.
Those linkages and related processes need to be better understood and made to work if the
if sustainable development  is to be achieved.

      Some might wonder  if the concerns about sustainable development are exaggerated.
Examples of current issues  provide the counter argument:

             The push for industrial development in Eastern Europe at all costs has
             resulted  in pollution disaster  zones with  the land poisoned  and health
             problems  rampant.

             Inadequate development in  many third world countries has led to high levels
             of poverty and massive migrations to urban centers. Support systems in these
             areas are  overwhelmed and quality of life and the environment are further
             degraded.

             Agricultural practices in parts of Australia and the U.S. result in excessive soil
             erosion with related impacts on agricultural production and water quality.

             Inadequately  planned water diversions and over use of pesticides in parts of
             the Soviet Union have fundamentally altered major ecosystems and their
             related economies and seriously impacted public health.


                               II - Concept Paper -1

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             Efforts by third-world countries to repay massive debts result  in export-
             oriented  economic  development  that  frequently  degrades  the   local
             environment.

             Water use practices in the U.S. (for both residential and agricultural purposes)
             are increasingly of concern in many areas.  Economic production may be
             threatened due to limited supplies in the face of rapid growth and increasing
             uncertainty about water supplies due to possible global climate change. Water
             quality degradation and soil salinization due to irrigation practices are also
             prevalent.

These are just a few of many examples which highlight the linkages between ecological
systems and economic development. If our society is to adequately meet future needs and
responsibilities and function in a sustainable way, these linkages must be made  to work so
that both ecological and economic needs are met.

      In response to the WCED report, and to  the growing public dialogue and concern
regarding environmental issues, countries at all levels of development are examining their
internal and international policies and programs to see how progress toward sustainable
development can be accelerated. Here in the United States, many of the programs carried
out by EPA and other federal and state agencies are key components of any comprehensive
approach to sustainable development.  However, both EPA and the country at  large need
to test current programs and priorities against the implications of this concept Do we have
it right?  Are there things we can and should do to better focus our efforts on the  long-
term goal of sustainable development?  The purpose of this paper is to start the process
within EPA of addressing this issue in a more comprehensive and focussed way than has
been done to date.

      Sustainable development is a topic which has meaning  at several levels. It is (or can
be) an ideal toward which we want to move, a general societal goal, a process, or the
objective of a specific project or action.  This  makes difficult the determination of its
implications for the Agency or for the country. Many questions evolve from the necessary
debate and discussion surrounding a new topic such as this. The following are some of the
key questions regarding sustainable development and EPA:

             How do we define  sustainable development hi  operational terms?
             Is this just another buzz-word and  isn't EPA already doing this?
             Isn't sustainable development primarily an international issue?
             How does sustainable development relate to current priorities like pollution
             prevention and risk reduction?
             Why should we focus on this since it relates primarily to resource management
             agencies and is really outside our mandate and jurisdiction?
             If  we  focus  on sustainable development, wouldn't we  compromise our
             environmental protection posture?
             What should our role be?  Implemented Catalyst?  Communicator?

As we work through the implications of the concept for EPA, many more general and


                               n - Concept Paper - 2

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program specific questions will be identified.  This paper will provide some preliminary
answers to some of these questions and hopefully stimulate further thinking on the topic.

      The rest of this paper will focus on several discrete aspects of this subject. The next
section provides an overview of a number of the basic concepts inherent in sustainable
development.  This is followed by a section which highlights some ways to look at the
question of what needs to be sustained and identification of related threats.  The next two
sections then deal more explicitly with  implications and expectations for EPA and some
principles to guide EPA efforts in this area.

H.    BASIC CONCEPTS

      Sustainable development is simple to comprehend at an intuitive level and very
difficult to understand at a more specific, operational level. Discussions of the subject often
cover both specific implementation issues and  debates over basic philosophical principles.
A number of common questions and concerns regarding sustainable development concepts
generally emerge from this dialogue process. The following is an overview of some of these
issues.

More on Definitions
      Because sustainable development can be many things (goal, process, planned action),
attempts to define it more explicitly have resulted hi a wide variety of proposed definitions.
Many have concluded that attempts  to find the perfect consensus definition are a waste of
time. Despite this conclusion there are, however, some examples that  more specifically
suggest both the meaning and implications of the concept.

      At the  general, or "visionary" level, Jim MacNeill, Secretary General of the World
Commission on Environment and  Development, indicates that "sustainable development is
growth based on forms and processes of development that do not undermine the integrity
of the environment on which they depend." This definition and the WCED definition cited
previously serve to illustrate two key concepts found in most of the literature on sustainable
development.   First, each emphasizes the importance of environment as an integral
contributor,  rather than just a constraint, to economic development.  Second,  each stresses
the need for longer time horizons to ensure that environmental and development decision-
making is consistent with our own long-term interests and our stewardship responsibilities
to future generations.

      In general, the "visionary" definitions such as these are most helpful for articulating
in a succinct fashion the concepts behind sustainable development  These  concepts are
relevant to a wide range of policy and management decision makers in both the public and
private sectors.  Without further  refinement,  however, general concepts are difficult to
incorporate  into policies and specific  management decisions currently driven by more
conventional objectives and criteria.  For these purposes, operational definitions that focus
on sustainable development as a process or as a goal are most useful.

      Ideally, policies and programs on sustainable development should be formulated
around a clearly defined set  of long-term goals.  These must reflect the integration of
environmental  and resource use considerations with the need for  sound economic


                               II  - Concept  Paper - 3

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development.  Establishing such goals is both difficult and controversial. If they are to be
both  credible and politically tenable, the goals will have to reflect a  blend of scientific
assessments, general social priorities, and attitudes about uncertainty. Since social priorities,
including ethical concerns for future generations, play an important pan in goal setting, an
appropriate  arena for the establishment of these goals  might be the legislature, with
guidance and input from the environmental sciences and the public at large.

       A variety of sustainable development goals have been suggested  by several sources.
These range in nature from strictly environmental goals (reduce emissions by X%, recycle
Y% of waste, etc.) and natural resource oriented goals (reduce fossil fuel use by X%, shift
to Y% renewable resource use, etc.) to general economic goals (sustain current rate of
productivity  growth, maintain Y% economic growth after  deduction  of depreciation of
environmental  capital and cleanup  costs, etc.).   Such suggestions  contribute  to  an
understanding of the implications of sustainable development.   To  date,  however, no
integrated and comprehensive set  of sustainable development goals for the U.S. has been
proposed.

       At this point, it is perhaps most useful to  think of sustainable  development as a
process. In this dynamic context, the transitions needed to move toward sustainability begin
to provide definition and meaning to the basic concept. Gus  Speth, President of the World
Resources Institute, provides one view of the types of societal transitions needed.  These
are:1
              a shift away from the era of growing fossil fuel use toward an era of energy
              efficiency and renewable energy;

              a move away from an era of capital- and materials-intensive "high throughput"
              technologies to an era of new "closed technologies";

              a change to a future  in which societies actually apply their best science to
              design with nature;

              a move to an environmentally honest economy where
                    - policies do not subsidize raw materials and waste
                    - prices include costs of pollution and resource depletion
                    - national accounts include costs of depreciation of natural assets;

              a move toward more international approaches to reducing pollution;

              a demographic transition to a stable world population.

Speth's suggestions help clarify the scope  and implications of sustainable development.
Material presented in Sections III and IV will provide additional insights in this area.
   'Gus Speth, 1988, •Environmental Pollution: High and Rising,* in Crossroads: Environmental Priorities for
the Future,  ed. Peter Borrelli, Island Press.

                                 II - Concept Paper - 4

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The Concept of Stewardship

      Inherent in any definition of sustainable development is the need for wise use and
stewardship of our natural resources. This is certainly not a new idea.  In discussions of
sustainable development, however, a number of concepts and ideas are highlighted  by
consideration of stewardship responsibilities.  Chief  among  these is  the fundamental
question of intergenerational equity. At issue is the stewardship of our renewable resources
and ecosystems so that future generations may continue to benefit from and be supported
by them. This mandates a long-term perspective and development of a clear vision of the
economic and ecological systems this generation wants  to leave to its inheritors.

      The wise use of our resources to achieve this vision or goal requires a cooperative
approach to economic development and environmental protection that has not often been
seen.  At present it is fair to say that in the United States today none of these issues has
been clearly resolved.  There is no clear consensus on how to account for costs and benefits
in a way that adequately addresses both economic and  ecological values  and an equitable
balance between present and future generations. In general there is not a clearly articulated
vision of what we want the future to be in either environmental or economic terms.  True
stewardship in the context of long-term sustainability requires that these issues be addressed.

The Ecological/Economic Development  Linkage  (continued')

      This subject has been addressed to some degree in both the Introduction section and
the section above on Stewardship. Three additional aspects deserve attention. The first is
mutual  understanding, the  second  is truth-in-accounting, and  the third is  the use of
incentives.

      Over the past twenty  years, much  of the interaction  between environmental
protection and  conservation interests and those whose interests  have primarily been
economic growth and development oriented has been adversarial and contentious in nature.
This conflict is in part due to fundamentally different missions or interpretations of data,
scientific research, etc. It is also caused, however, by a lack of mutual understanding of the
concerns and interests of both groups. Too little effort has been spent working to establish
common ground and build consensus.   Movement toward sustainable  development will
require  increased communication and understanding between economic and environmental
interests.

      Truth-in-accounting refers to the need to adequately reflect both the benefits derived
from environmental protection efforts and the long-term costs of ecological degradation and
resource depletion in a variety of economic indicators and analyses. Currently this is either
not done at all or is only marginally adequate.  Since at a fundamental level our society is
driven by  economic processes,  our accounting of those processes needs to reflect the true
and full costs associated with them. This implies changes in everything  from the way we
determine and report the value of our national income  to changes in price structure to
adequately reflect costs of pollution and resource depletion. Bringing about these changes
will be a fundamental component in progress toward sustainable development.

      The  third element which will  strengthen  the linkage  between environmental


                               II - Concept Paper - 5

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protection and economic development is increasing  the use of environmentally sound
incentives. A variety of mechanisms (tax policies, permit fees, use related fees, etc.) can
be  used  to  promote  more  effective  resource use  and  environmental  protection.
Appropriately designed and applied, these incentives can strengthen the consideration of
environmental values in overall planning for economic development A significant amount
of effort (legislative activity, regulatory development, etc.) is currently underway in this area.

Growth versus Development

       To some, the very term sustainable development in fact implies a dynamic that is
unsustainable.  It conjures up visions of ever increasing demands for use of resources and
the related destruction or contamination of ecological systems. This concern frequently
centers on the potential growth in the numbers of people seeking a  developed country
lifestyle with its high per capita resource demands. In this describing this scenario, "growth"
and "development" are often used interchangeably. The concerns highlighted by this point
of view are real: if increased attention is not focussed on sustainability, such growth in
global per capita resource use and degradation is a path we will very likely follow.

       Another and more useful way to think about growth, development and sustainability
has been presented by Herman Daly,J currently a Senior Economist at the World Bank.  In
this perspective, growth is defined in a manner similar to that above. The continued growth
in population and in the  scale of human demands, activities and impacts relative to  the
earth's ability to absorb them is clearly ultimately unsustainable.  "Development," however,
is used by Daly  to refer to "qualitative improvement," and he contrasts this term with
"growth,"  that is,  quantitative  expansion in the "physical dimensions  of the economy."
Development as envisioned  by Daly will include increases in the efficiency of resource use
and continual progress toward  environmentally benign technologies and patterns  of
economic activity.  In this scenario, quality of life improvements are possible even as  the
scale of human impacts on the environment is stabilized or, where necessary, reduced.
Sustainable development concepts and thinking focus on achieving this scenario as opposed
to unlimited growth in per capita resource use. The distinction is critically important.

Population. Poverty, and Sustainable Development

       At its most basic level, any consideration of sustainable development must address
the issues of population growth, poverty, and the resulting  impacts on resource and
development needs, on quality of life, and on the health of ecological support systems.
Population growth creates the need for economic development by increasing needs for basic
services and thus tends to expand resource consumption. Increased population and resource
depletion may also lead to further ecologically disruptive demographic shifts.  The poverty
existing in so many r arts of the world makes day-to-day survival the top priority. This often
precludes any consideration of longer range sustainability. The magnitude of these problems
is sometimes so overwhelming that change may be appear unlikely, but opportunities for
progress do exist. The only certainty is that if attempts to move toward sustainability  are
not made the situation will continue to worsen.
   'Herman Daly, 1990, "Sustainable Development: From Concept and Theory toward Operational Principles,"
forthcoming in Population and Development Review.

                                II - Concept Paper - 6

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      It is useful to break this issue down into three components.  One is just the total
number of people. Any emphasis on sustainable development must include increased efforts
to stabilize world population. This is an essential component of the equation for success.
The second component deals with the economic well-being of the people represented by
those numbers.  Economic systems must ensure, on a sustainable basis, that people have
reasonable access to and the ability to pay for basic needs of food, shelter, transportation,
etc.  The third component, linked to  the second, is the per capita impact on ecological
support systems. Growing numbers plus growing per capita impacts equals unsustainable
development.  All of the three components are linked. As we examine the implications of
moving toward sustainable  development, we need to keep the larger picture in mind  but
focus efforts on the components on which we can make a difference.

The Choice of Appropriate Scale: International vs. National vs. Local

      A common issue in sustainable development discussions is the effectiveness of actions
taken at a scale below the international level.  Clearly there  is a strong international
component to the concept  of sustainable development.  Many of the efforts to promote
sustainable development continue to focus on its meaning in the Third World context. The
causes  and effects of rapid population growth, rampant poverty,  and environmental
degradation are closely linked in many developing countries.  Rapid economic development
is called  for to  combat  these  problems  simultaneously, yet development must  be
environmentally sound if  it is to be  maintained over the long term.  Achievement of
sustainable development in the developing countries will require  major adjustments in
international policies and institutions that affect trade, foreign assistance, and the transfer
of economically and environmentally appropriate technologies.    It will also require
substantial strengthening  of the domestic environmental  management and protection
capabilities of these countries.

       Ultimately, many sustainable development priorities are shared by all  countries,
developing and developed, and are global in nature.  We have already identified several
threats to global life support systems that cannot be isolated nationally or even regionally;
these include stratospheric ozone depletion, global warming, pollution of the  oceans, and
reductions in biodiversity.   Effective mitigation of these problems requires internationally
coordinated responses and  cooperative research and technical work.

      Efforts in developed countries at several levels are also essential, however, to achieve
sustainability internally as  well as internationally. Many elements of U.S. society are  not
functioning in a manner consistent with sustainable development.  Examples  include our
high and often inefficient per capita use of energy and water, non-sustainable agricultural
practices,  economic priorities that favor short-term growth and profits over long-term
sustainability,  local  growth patterns  that continue  to  eliminate  vital  wetlands,  etc.
Addressing these and a myriad of other local,  regional, and  national issues relevant to
achieving sustainable development should be a high priority. Thinking globally and acting
locally is definitely applicable to the pursuit of sustainable development.
                               II - Concept Paper - 7

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Technological Fix vs. Eco-Doom

       The  two divergent views in the subtitle represent the polarity often found in
discussions of sustainability. Some claim that technology and innovation will solve all our
problems, be they related to food production, energy supply, transportation or whatever.
The rich history of innovation in the U.S. is strongly supportive of this view. Unfortunately,
the full  cost  to  society of some of our technological innovations and fixes (e.g. the
development of chlorofluorocarbons) is only now being recognized.  At the other extreme
are those who believe that any technological development results in the unacceptable
destruction of our  ecological  support systems, and  call for a return to a much smaller,
technologically more simple society. This thinking is  at the heart of the deep ecology
movement. It fails to recognize, however, the significant contributions  of technological
development to improving the basic quality of life and to resolving environmental problems
caused by earlier technologies.

       For purposes of a constructive  examination of sustainable  development, neither
position is particularly useful.  If significant progress toward sustainability is to be achieved,
technological growth and  innovation must be enhanced. New technologies must, however,
be environmentally more  benign, increase the  efficiency with which  we use resources, and
help reduce the  scale of human environmental impacts.  Increasing the importance of
ecological  considerations  and constraints in economic  planning and development is also
necessary to ensure maintenance of our resource and life support base.   Sustainable
development cannot be built on extreme views that either reject or place undue faith in
technological development; instead it will require greater cooperation in the development
of technologies that meet both economic and environmental needs.

Environmental Protection. Public Health, and Natural Resources

       Another area of debate regarding sustainable development concerns the  scope of
policy implications.  Much of the  national and international sustainable development
discussion  centers on the  relationship between economic development  and  resource
conservation and use. This might be construed to imply that these are the only areas of.
interest  and  that  sustainable  development  concepts are  not  relevant to  traditional
environmental protection and public health concerns.  This approach represents a very
narrow,  myopic interpretation of sustainable development concepts.  As with other aspects
of sustainable development discussed previously, the key is again the linkages between these
three elements. A comprehensive approach to sustainability requires a better understanding
of these interactions.  Development or  protection actions  in one area clearly can be
impacted by or influence  actions in another area. Achieving and sustaining an acceptable
level of public health is a fundamental  component of sustainable development Effective
policies  on natural resource usage  should be part  of  any effort to promote  sustainable
development, but they will also strengthen traditional environmental protection programs.
A sustainable development focus can provide a clear, constructive framework within which
the relationships between economic development, resource use, and ecosystem protection
can be addressed.
                                II - Concept Paper • 8

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m.   WHAT NEEDS TO BE SUSTAINED-AND RELATED THREATS

      At a general level,  it  is fairly easy to postulate what needs to be sustained:  the
integrity of ecological systems and  the capability for economic development.  A more
rigorous analysis is needed, however, to be useful in understanding specific implications of
sustainable development. The question must be approached from both the economic and
ecological perspectives to allow identification of areas of common and diverging interests.
Outlined below are examples of this type of analysis.  They follow a pattern-first setting
forth a broad fundamental  goal, and then identifying the support systems and components
of support systems that need  to be sustained to attain that goal.

      From the ecological  perspective, the starting point selected was the goal of sustaining
life.  Table 1 summarizes a framework based on this objective. The sustenance of human
life may require other support systems,  such as social or spiritual support systems, but since
the sustainable development debate is  focussed primarily on the ecological/economic
relationship, this  discussion  remains limited to  those components.   In examining this
framework, the basic question to be addressed is how  EPA programs,  or our potential
leadership role, can support  sustaining these components  for the  long-term. To identify
these opportunities requires further delineation of the sustainable development framework.
Figures  1 and 2 provide examples, for selected support system components, of how this
might be done. As one moves down these figures, the emphasis shifts from what needs to
be sustained to what needs to be done  to sustain it and reveals a number  of relevant areas
where EPA  is or could become active.

      Similar analyses of what needs to be sustained can be done from the economic
perspective,  starting with  the basic  goal of sustaining adequate economic development.
Table 2 presents a possible framework  developed from this perspective. Figures 3 provides
an example of how this framework can  be expanded. As in the previous example, the areas
of current or potential EPA action become apparent on the  diagram.  Environmental
protection and the sustaining  of key ecosystem functions are clearly integral to the sustaining
of economic productivity and development.

      The framework outlined provides a long-term perspective  on the support systems
needed to achieve and maintain a society based on sustainable development concepts.  In
some cases the ultimate goal (the level at which we want to sustain these components) is
fairly clear.  In others, it may be years before a national goal is clearly defined.  Despite
that, however, the direction  in which we must move is often clear. It is movement away
from actions and programs  that do not support sustainability (as best we can currently define
it) and towards those that do  support it. This implies an iterative transition process towards
sustainability.

      To better understand  the potential nature and scope of EPA's role in this process,
we also  need to identify the  most significant threats to each of these major components.
With these as a starting point we can begin to further refine an understanding  of what
EPA's role is, or could be, in addressing these concerns.  Presented in Tables 3-6, in outline
form, is an initial identification of these threats.  They are not ranked at this time. As both
the framework and list of threats are  refined over time the  results  of comparative risk
studies and other  analyses can be used to begin setting priorities.  Underlying all of the


                               H - Concept Paper - 9

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threats is the dominant impact of continued population growth and major demographic
shifts.

      It is true that analyses such as those shown above may tend to point out the obvious,
and that identification of many of the key components to be sustained simply represents the
exercise of common sense. It is equally true, however, that we rarely analyze what is needed
to ensure the continued functioning of fundamental ecological or economic support systems.
The pressures of legislative dictates often constrain and narrow our focus. Advancing our
analyses  and thinking, through a system as outlined above or some similar approach, can
broaden  our view of the Agency's mission.

IV.   EXPECTATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR EPA

      Consideration of sustainable development leads to a number of basic questions about
what it means for EPA. Several of these are addressed below.

What Is the Value Added by Emphasizing Sustainable Development?

      This  is an often asked, and very legitimate, question. In an absolute, quantifiable
sense it is difficult to answer since, up to this point, we have not really adopted and pushed
the concept. If sustainable development turns out to be nothing but platitudes that will not
really change anything, it is of little value.  As indicated in previous sections, however, there
are a number  of  ways in which a sustainable development focus might improve the
effectiveness of our programs. Some of these potential benefits are discussed briefly below.

      -  A broader perspective of our mission. At present our thinking and planning is
         driven by legislative goals and requirements.  If we consider sustainability (both
         ecological and economic) along with regulations, standards, etc, a different
         perception of priorities,  approaches and opportunities might be suggested.  We
         should be willing to challenge our thinking in this way.

      -  Longer-range goals and plans. Inherent in the concept of sustainability is a longer-
         range  perspective.  Too  often EPA, and other organizations, are driven by short
         term goals or mandates.  A clearer definition of where we want to be in the long-
         term, and identification of the kinds of programs and actions that are needed to
         get there, are vital if we are to effectively use limited resources.  A focus on
         sustainable development can provide a context in which to accomplish this.

      -  A better tie-in with natural resource issues.  Development of natural resources is
         a fundamental component of much economic activity. At the same time, it is also
         frequently the source  of significant and sometimes irreversible impacts on the
         environment Many of these impacts are not immediately obvious but show up
         later or result from secondary development actions. The primary responsibility
         for natural resource management rests with other agencies with missions more
         focussed on economic development  As a result, EPA and the natural resource
         agencies are frequently in adversarial positions regarding proposed programs and
         projects.  Consideration  of sustainable development  concepts can, over time,
         provide a constructive approach to resolving some of the existing controversies and


                               II - Concept Paper -10

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        preventing some of the future ones.

      - A framework for addressing growth issues.  EPA is often precluded by law from
        direct involvement in land use and growth issues.  Yet, as with those concerning
        natural resources, land use and development decisions made locally or regionally
        can have significant environmental impacts over longer time periods and larger
        areas  than originally anticipated.    Strengthening  the focus on  sustainable
        development can help create a context in which both environmental concerns and
        those related to land use planning  and growth management can be dealt with
        more constructively than in the past.

      - Stimulating creative thinking. Consideration of sustainability questions with respect
        to a proposed action or program frequently results in some very creative thinking.
        It provides a new frame of reference for examining the many issues EPA must
        face.   Given both the complexity of these  issues and the frequent difficulty in
        finding workable solutions, generation of some new ideas should be fostered.

      The above are a few examples of the ways in which  stronger consideration of
sustainable  development  might  provide  valuable  contributions to  EPA's  programs.
Consideration of sustainable development could potentially have enormous value-added in
terms of environmental results.  There are innumerable instances where a proactive focus
on sustainability could have avoided major environmental impacts. Adoption by our society
of sustainable development as a fundamental ethic and an operational target would increase
our emphasis on longer range analysis and problem identification and prevention.  We
would achieve, as it might be defined in the broadest sense,  a nationwide  pollution
prevention program.

What Is EPA's Role Vis a Vis Sustainable Development?

       The nature and extent of EPA's role in any efforts to advance the national emphasis
on sustainable development will be an important issue. A number of possibilities exist. The
Agency could attempt  to serve as the national  leader or  focal point for  sustainable
development activities.  In this context we would aggressively promote national actions such
as the establishment of  national goals for sustainable development, push development of
comprehensive  plans and policies supporting achievement of those goals,  initiate major
public education programs on the concept, etc. On the international level, we could push
for the U.S. to take a proactive leadership role on many of the environmental and economic
development issues linked with long-term sustainability. In many of these areas, EPA (and
the  U.S. government) is already active and viewed as a world leader.  In other areas, the
U.S. has not established a leadership role, sometimes because our national efforts are not
organized in a sustainable development framework. A leadership role would require more
explicit adoption and promotion of sustainable development as a national and Agency ethic.

      A different role for EPA would be that of a catalyst While this role would require
some  Agency activities  similar to those needed to fulfill a national  leadership role, in
general  the catalyst role would give the Agency a lower profile.  Instead of serving as the
national lead on sustainable  development activities, the Agency would undertake a range
of efforts to motivate other agencies  and  the private sector to increase their  focus on


                              II - Concept Paper - 11

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sustainability.  This approach would be based on the premise that most of the policies,
programs, and decisions that affect sustainability are the responsibility of organizations other
than EPA. Our role would be to get them to address the issue of sustainable development.
We are already doing this in many ways but, again, not as part of a broader sustainable
development framework. As indicated in the previous subsection, the broader perspective
that a focus on sustainable development brings would no doubt suggest many other areas
where we might play the catalyst role.

      A third possible approach for EPA would be an internal focus, directed to enhance
the way our own programs promote or support sustainability. This would imply evaluation
of everything from our planning and guidance  procedures to specific regulatory and
enforcement actions for consistency with sustainable development concepts and principles.
We would lead indirectly by example, and our efforts to promote sustainable development
could serve as a model for similar work by other agencies.

      One single, clearly delineated role in promoting sustainable development is not likely
to suffice for EPA.  The Agency role will probably vary on different issues,  in different
contexts (internal,  interagency,  international), and according to the status  of relevant
programs. Public and Congressional expectations will also have a significant influence on
our role.  In the  near future most of our activities in this area will likely be some mix of
internal projects and analyses and selected efforts as part of a catalyst role.

How Does Sustainable Development Relate to Pollution Prevention and Risk  Reduction?

      Risk reduction  and pollution prevention are  high priority  themes within EPA's
management structure.  A wide variety of training, planning, and specific programs and
actions has been built up around  these concepts. If we  increase our emphasis on sustainable
development will the priority for risk reduction or pollution prevention change? How do
the three themes relate to each other? The answers to these questions are needed before
we proceed with  a new initiative.

      In one context, the titles of these three themes represent general goals. At this level,
pollution prevention and risk reduction represent two of many goals which must be achieved
in order to attain the even broader goal of sustainable development The actions they entail
are very significant subsets of a comprehensive sustainable development emphasis and are
often complementary.

      At a more specific level, differences begin to emerge.  Both risk reduction and
sustainable development still tend to imply goals but two key elements distinguish the two
paradigms. First, risk reduction has a metric risk. Though Agency programs seek to reduce
various types of (not necessarily comparable) risk, priorities and progress can be monitored
using the risk metric. No such standard of measurement exists for sustainable development
What is "fifty percent sustainable?" Are we becoming "less sustainable?" At this point the
answers can be no more analytical than our common sense; sustainable development is too
broad a concept to reduce to a single measure.

      A  second  difference between risk reduction and sustainable development is the
dynamics of the goals on which each is based. Though risk assessments may be responsive


                               H - Concept Paper -12

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to dynamic variables, the risk reduction goal itself can be static (e.g., reduce lifetime cancer
risk due to exposure to particular chemical to 10*). Moreover, risk reduction responds to
risks as they are currently perceived: unanticipated risks cannot be assessed, and though
reduction of unanticipated risks may be possible (by reducing pollution loadings on natural
systems that are not fully understood, for example),  this type  of goal is generally not
identified. Sustainable development, however, is inherently a dynamic goal—a moving target.
"Achievement of sustainable development" has little intrinsic meaning since "development"
is itself dynamic;  instead we speak of  "progress" toward sustainable development as
measured against politically determined, long-term goals that serve as the interim metric for
(and interim operational definition of)  sustainability.   These goals would have to reflect
society's long-term ethical priorities as well as a collective social response to uncertainty and
the possibility of unanticipated risks. They will also necessarily be interim in nature due to
the  dynamic nature of sustainable  development,  since  development  that now appears
sustainable may be found to be otherwise—and vice versa-a generation from now (our target
may move).  Once  interim goals are established,  however, they serve to  fix the moving
sustainable development target temporarily, and at this point the risk paradigm may even
play a role in reducing the risk of failure to attain  those goals.

      Further differences among the three themes are also apparent at an operational level.
The Agency has established  evolving strategies for both pollution prevention  and risk
reduction. Objectives have been set, plans developed, accountability assigned, etc.  That has
clearly not happened yet with respect to sustainable development. When (or if) it does, the
emphasis will be on development of actions and programs which complement rather than
replace ongoing risk reduction and pollution  prevention efforts.

       In summary, at the level of program goals, pollution prevention and risk reduction
represent major components of a broader sustainable development effort. At an operational
level, management strategies and  plans developed under these  three  themes will  be
complementary  rather than  hierarchically related.  All three  are  integral parts  of a
comprehensive environmental protection program. What is needed is a better understanding
of the linkages between them.
V.    SOME OPERATING PRINCIPLES

      The identification of what we want to sustain, the evolving set of goals regarding the
levels at which we want  to  sustain it, and identification of the major threats to the
achievement of those goals are analogous to the preliminary architectural renderings of a
new building.  They are not complete but a general shape is visible.  Whether or not we
explicitly make sustainable development an agency priority, we can begin to evaluate and
design and refine our structure and systems to enhance progress toward it  The set of
operating principles presented below provide some direction for that effort. They emphasize
once again the breadth of vision with which we must approach this topic. They provide a
frame of reference for an ongoing evaluation of our programs and priorities. As indicated
previously, many programs and initiatives already underway are consistent with the intent
of the principles.  Careful analyses will show, however, that for many others, a strengthened
emphasis on  sustainability needs  to be supported through new initiatives or program


                              II - Concept Paper - 13

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redirection. Operating in conformance with these principles is something the Agency would
move toward over a multi-year transition period.

Principles

   (1) Programs will develop, adopt, and promote policies and long-term strategic plans
      that, to the extent possible,
         (a)  foster, encourage,  or require  efficient use  and conservation of natural
             resources and energy;
         (b)  encourage utilization of renewable natural resources at rates that do not
             exceed their regeneration rates;
         (c)  foster or encourage development of substitutes for  nonrenewable natural
             resources;
         (d)  limit emissions of wastes into the environment to rates that do not  have
             unacceptable effects on key ecosystem functions; and
         (e)  employ pollution prevention techniques, including source reduction and reuse
             or recycling or wastes, to help accomplish objectives (a) through (d).

   (2) Policies and strategic planning will be directed towards achievement of long-term,
      parallel economic and environmental goals that
         (a)  are developed concurrently in an integrated process;
         (b)  take into account
             (i)    scientific  and  economic assessments  of long-term needs, potential
                   threats to the satisfaction  of those needs, and uncertainty regarding
                   both needs and threats;
             (ii)   general concerns and priorities of the public, and
             (iii)  ethical responsibilities to future generations (e.g. as established in the
                   National Environmental Policy Act §101); and
         (c)  are pursued simultaneously.

   (3) Decisions concerning actions including, but not necessarily limited to, establishment
      of sustainable development goals; development of long-term  strategic plans; and
      adoption and implementation of policies, programs, and regulations with the potential
      for significant long-term impacts will consider
         (a)  the projected economic and environmental needs of at least two generations
             born subsequent to the establishment or commencement of the action, or
             when this is not  possible, economic and environmental needs as far into the
             future as they can reasonably be projected, and
         (b)  the potential direct and indirect impacts of the action on satisfaction of the
             needs identified  in paragraph (a).

   (4) Whenever possible, policies  and strategic planning will support innovation and
      development of environmentally  benign and resource-conserving  technologies;
      however, unforeseeable, infeasible, or speculative technological developments shall
      not  be  considered  solutions  to  long-term problems inhibiting  achievement  of
      sustainable development goals as identified under Principle (2).

   (5) The long-term implications of population growth, demographic shifts and related


                                H - Concept Paper • 14

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   factors (e.g. per capita consumption and waste generation  patterns,  incidence of
   poverty, etc.) affecting the environment or economic development will be explicitly
   taken into account and addressed in
     (a) any efforts to establish sustainable development goals, and
     (b) decision making affecting policies, strategic planning, programs, and proposed
         regulations.

(6) Wherever possible, policies, strategic planning, and programs will create market and
   other incentives designed to encourage public and private practices and decisions that
   are consistent with progress towards sustainable development and achievement of
   sustainable development goals as identified under Principle (2).

(7) Economic  analyses  (including analyses  of the costs and  benefits  of  proposed
   regulations) used in policy, programmatic, or  strategic decision making will
     (a) take into account the values of the  full range of services provided by impacted
         ecosystems;
     (b) consider all costs and benefits accruing over the full duration of time specified
         under Principle (3); and
     (c) explicitly identify any unequal distribution of these costs and benefits over the
         duration of time specified under Principle (3).

(8) To the extent possible, programs and policies will adopt a conservative approach to
   reduce the risk of unpredicted adverse impacts on ecological functions and services
   when the effects of human activities on these are uncertain.

(9) Policies, programs,  and strategic planning will actively support, and  periodically
   undergo review and adjustment to reflect the  results of,  continuing research and
   analyses investigating
      (a)  the operational meaning of sustainable development, and appropriate long-
          term goals representing the needs of the future;
      (b)  scientific understanding of ecological systems and the long-term impacts of
          disturbances on their integrity and ability to provide key services;
     (c)  the  nature of linkages  between  the economy, social institutions, and the
          environment; and
     (d) economic  development  and  environmental trends that may affect progress
         towards sustainable development and achievement of sustainable development
         goals as identified under Principle (2).

(10) Policies and programs will
     (a) promote understanding  of  the concepts and principles  associated with
         sustainable development,
     (b) encourage public involvement in the formulation of sustainable development
         goals and programs and activities  designed to achieve these goals,  and
     (c) provide for  routine  public reporting  on  progress  toward  sustainable
         development.
                            II - Concept Paper - 15

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VL SUMMARY

      This paper and the proposals it contains were developed from the premise that "a
partial solution delivered at the right time is better than a perfect solution delivered too
late." This is the right time to begin to determine EPA's role with respect to sustainable
development, and this paper attempts to outline the framework of a partial solution. The
concepts and principles outlined in the preceding sections represent a starting point for
engaging the topic in a coordinated and comprehensive way.  Sustainable development is
a complex and often controversial theme.   The  perspective  presented  in this  paper
represents an interpretation of the concept and its relationship to EPA at this point in time.
As our understanding of what is required to achieve sustainable development  evolves over
time, so will our understanding of EPA's role. We need, however to establish a baseline.
Individual programs must begin to discuss, refine, and extend these concepts and principles,
both internally and in terms of our role vis-a-vis other public and private organizations, until
they are meaningful at all levels of the organization.  The road to sustainability will be long,
difficult,  and require endless diligence. We are already on it but the directions are not
always clear. That is the challenge.
                                 - Concept Paper -16

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                                                Table I
                What Needs to be Sustained - the Ecological Perspective
    Terrestrial
                             Aquatic
                         Atmospheric
                          F Support 1
                            Systems J
O
Safe Food Supply

Terrestrial Species Diversity
Recreational/Aesthetic
Values

Habitat

Biogeochemical Cycles
Soil Fertility
Safe Drinking
Water Supply
Safe Food Supply
Aquatic Species
Diversity

Water Quality to Support
Aquatic Ecosystems
Habitat
Biogeochemical Cycles
Safe Air Quality

Atmospheric Shielding
Air Quality to Support
Non-Human Biological
Systems
Climatic Stability (or
Manageable Rate of Change)
Recreational/Aesthetic Values
Air Quality to Preserve
Physical Infrastructure
Biogeochemical Structures
 c  •
 to
Supply of Habitable Land

Adequate Supply of Food
Adequate Supply of Shelter
Habitat

 Adequate Supply of Energy
 Photosynthetlc Production
 Supply of Renewable
 Resources
Adequate Supply of
Drinking Water
Adequate Supply of Food
Habitat
Water Quantity to Support
Aquatic Ecosystems
Photosynthetic Production
Energy Supply
                                                                    Solar Energy Supply

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                                            Table 2
       What Needs to be Sustained - the Economic Development Perspective
  Labor*
Capital/Financial*
Natural Resources'
[Support 1
  Systems J
     Health
     Education
     Training
     Security
          Financial
       -   Civil
          Environmental
    Reasonable Return on
    Investment
    Acceptable Rate of
    Formation of Investment
    Capital
    Adequate Credit System
    Opportunity for
    Competitive Profits
    Well-structured and
    Reasonable Tax Policies
    Reasonable Energy Sources
    Renewable Water Supplies

    Adequate Food Supply
    Supply of Renewable
    Raw Materials
    Maximum Use Efficiency/Unit
    of Output
  Infrastructure/Governmental
                                                          F Support "I
                              Ecological/Environmental L systems J
      Competitive Market Economy

      Adequate Transportation
      -   System
          Rates

     Adequate Energy Supply
          Distribution System
      -   Costs
     Adequate and Affordable Health
     Care Institutions and Systems

     International/National Economic
     and Political Stability
      Effective Education and
      Training Programs
      Effective Trade Policies

      Reasonable Regulatory
      Framework

      Adequate Social Welfare System

      Ability to Own Assets

      R&D/Development of New
      Technologies
    Ecological Life Support Systems

    Safe Environment (see Table 1)
* In this context, both stocks and productivity need to be sustained.

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                                             Table 3
                        Threats to Terrestrial Support Systems*
Safe Food Supply
                                Adequate Supply of Food
Habitat
     Microbiological Contamination
     Toxic Residues
                                     Climate Modification
                                     Soil Erosion
                                     Urbanization
                                     Lack of Water
                                     Improper Irrigation/Salinization
                                     Air Quality Impacts
                                     Losses to Pests

Terrestrial Species Diversity   Adequate Supply of Food
    Desertification
    Deforestation
    Urbanization
    Agricultural Land Use
    Climate Modification
                                                                    Adequate Supply of Energy
    Loss of Habitat
    Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
    Climate Modification
    Toxic Chemical Impacts
    Acid Deposition
•

Recreational/Aesthetic Values
                                    Non-Sustainable Forest
                                    Harvests
                                    Climate Modification
                                Sustained Yield of Renewable
                                Resources
    Deforestation
    Depletion of Non-Renewable
    Energy Sources
Photosynthetic Production
    Urbanization
    Liner/Illegal Dumping
    Deforestation
Supply of Habitable Land
                                     Harvesting/Extraction Rates
                                     Too High
                                Supply of Non-Renewable
                                Resources
    Deforestation
    Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
    Climate Modification
    Desertification
    Climate Modification
    Toxic Chemical Contamination
                                    Excessive Depletion Rates
                                    Lack of Long-Range
                                    Management Policies
 * Underlying all of the threats listed here is the dominant impact of continued
 population growth and major demographic shifts.

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                                            Table 4
                         Threats to Aquatic Support Systems*
                               Water Quality to Support
Safe Drinking Water Supply   Aquatic Ecosystems
                                   Habitat
    Microbiological Contamination
    Chemical Contamination
Safe Food Supply
    Nutrient Enrichment
    Toxic Chemical Impacts
    Acid Deposition
    Soil Erosion
    Climate
    Modification
    Saltwater Intrusion

Adequate Supply of
Drinking Water
    Soil Erosion
    Deforestation
    Urbanization
    Modification of Flow Regimes
    Wetland Filling
    Climate Modification

Water Quantity to Support
Aquatic Ecosystems
    Microbiological Contamination
    Chemical Contamination
Aquatic Species Diversity
    Groundwater Depletion
    Urbanization
    Climate Modification

Adequate Supply of Food
    Climatic Modification
    Excessive Withdrawals
•

Energy Supply
    Loss of Habitat
    Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
    Climate Modification
    Acid Deposition
    Toxic Chemical Impacts

Recreational/Aesthetic Values
    Non-Sustainable Harvest Rates
    Water Quality (see above)
    Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
Photosynthetlc Production
    Climate Modification
    Soil Erosion
    Chemical Contamination
    Urbanization
    Oil Pollution
    Floatables/Garbage
    Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
    Chemical Contamination
    Soil Erosion
* Underlying all of the threats listed here is the dominant impact of continued
population growth and maior demoaraphic shifts.

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                                     Table 5
                  Threats to Atmospheric Support Systems*
Safe Air Quality
Climatic Stability (or
Manageable Rate of Change)
    Particulate Contamination
    Chemical Contamination
    Radioactive Contamination
   Climatic Modification
Atmospheric Shielding
Air Quality to Maintain
Physical Support Systems
    Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
   Acidic Contamination
Air Quality to Support Non-Human
Biological Systems	
Recreational/Aesthetic
Values
    Chemical Contamination
    Acidic Contamination
    Tropospheric Ozone Damage
    Urban Smog
    Visibility Impairment
                                             Energy Supply
                                                Climate Modification
* Underlying all of the threats listed here is the dominant impact of continued
population growth and major demographic shifts.

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                                             Table 6
         Threats to Sustained Economic Development Support Systems
Adequate Labor Force
Availability of Capital
Infrastructure/Governmental
    Lack of Education
    Lack^f Training
    Poverty
    Unhealthy Conditions
    War
    Debt Crisis
    Poor Tax Policies/Incentives
    Inflation
    Trade Wars
    Excessive Regulatory Costs
    Inadequate Price Structure
    Inadequate Investments
    Instability in Financial Markets
    Loss of Entrepreneurial Spirit
Natural Resource Supply
Adequate Supply of Food
    Inefficient Use
    Depletion Exceeding Renewal
    Rate
    Waste and Lack of Recycling
    Poverty
    Over-Population
    Environmental Damage
    Restricted Access Due to
    Environmental or Political
    Reasons
    Damages to Ecological Life Support
    Systems (see Tables 3-5)
    Inadequate Health and Social Welfare
    Policies
    Inadequate R&D Funding
    Excessive Regulatory Demand
    Political Instability/Wars
    Excessive Restrictions on
    Market Economy
    Inability of Energy, Transportation and
    Water Management Systems to Meet
    Demands
    Inadequate Trade Policies
    Excessive Tax Burdens
    Inadequate Support for Education
    Loss of Public Credibility

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                                              Figure I
                                         Human Life Support*
      Atmospheric
              Terrestrial
 I      I
      I      I
       Food Supply
            I
                  I
               Aquatic
                	.        [Support "I
                ~l      ,  I Systems  I
                Economic ••         4
I     I    I     I
I     I
                      I
                 (Quantity)
                                                  I
                                               (Quality)

1

1
1
Renewable Energy Labor
Resources

i
Soil
Base
I
Climatic
Stability

Water
Supply


Energy
Supply

1

Chemicals
Population

l
Seed
Stocks
Fertilizer
                                                      Chemically  Biologically Adequately
                                                       Non-toxic    Safe    Preserved
                                                                                           I
                                                                                Non-
                                           Renewable
                                            Sources   Renewable
                                                      Sources
        Rainfall
   I
Irrigation
Temperature
Efflc
Ui
SusU
Su
ilnable
ppiy
lent Sustainable
M /Acceptable
Withdrawal
Rates
1
Sustainable
Application
Rates
Soil Salinity
Content
i ill
Delivery Appropriate Surface GW
Systems Pricing Water
/
Chen
Conl
1
1
Adequate
Quality
I
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                               * This represents only a partial example of how a framework could be developed
                               to clearly Identify what needs to be sustained and what is needed to do so.

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                                                  Figure 2
                                          Non-Human Life Support*
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* This represents only a partial example of how a framework could be developed to clearly identify
what needs to be sustained and what is needed to do so.

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                                                  Figure 3
                                            Economic Development*
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* This represents only a partial example of how a framework could be
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              Labor Force with Skills
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                       Population

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
  Some Key Questions for EPA
        DRAFT: July 26, 1990
        Science Policy Branch
Science, Economics, and Statistics Division
 Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation

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                       SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

                         Some Key Questions for EPA



                             DRAFT:  July 26, 1990
                                   Prepared for

                               Science Policy Branch
                     Science, Economics, and Statistics Division
                  Office of Regulatory Management and Evaluation
                      Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation
                                   Prepared by

                                 Patrick McCabe
                               The Bruce Company
      The material presented in this report reflects the work and opinions of the author, and does not
necessarily represent the official position of the Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation or the
Environmental Protection Agency.

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      SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: SOME KEY QUESTIONS FOR EPA
                                                                          7/26/90 DRAFT


(1)   What is "sustainable development?"

            "Sustainable development" represents an ideal-a visionary concept of a society
      working to promote a better economic and environmental future. In some contexts, the
      term is used broadly to articulate this visionary ideal. In others, it refers to something
      more specific, often a general goal or set of goals associated with that ideal.  Still other
      uses suggest a process designed to achieve the ideal. Though these usages generally
      blend somewhat in practice, they are discussed separately here to highlight the variety of
      meanings commonly associated with sustainable development.

   D  Sustainable Development as a Visionary Ideal. As it is defined generally, sustainable
      development is an intuitive, self explanatory, and yet visionary concept that links
      practical and ethical concerns about the welfare of future generations with the economic
      and environmental priorities of today.  One such  "visionary" definition, that given by the
      United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, a.k.a.
      the Brundtland Commission), is probably the most frequently used of all sustainable
      development definitions:

            Sustainable development is development that meets  the needs of the present
            without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.1

      A similar definition is provided by Jim MacNeill, Secretary General of the WCED, who
      refers to sustainable development as

            growth based on forms and processes of development that do not undermine the
            integrity of the environment on which they depend.2

      These definitions convey two concepts that are fundamental in most of the visionary  uses
      of sustainable development. First, they emphasize the links between the environment
      and the economy by underlining the importance of environment as an integral
      contributor, rather than just a constraint, to economic development.  Second, they stress
      the need for longer time horizons to ensure that environmental and  development
      decision-making is consistent with our own long-term interests and our stewardship
      responsibilities to future generations.

           As a general ideal, sustainable development has broad appeal; criticism of the
        'World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future (New York: Oxford
     University Press, 1987), 43.

        2Jim MacNeill, "Strategies for Sustainable Economic Development,* Scientific American, 2613
     (September 1989): 155-165.

                              II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 1

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messages of these visionary definitions is rare.  Unfortunately, however, visionary ideals
are difficult to operationalize, and the incorporation of general sustainable development
concepts into policies and specific management decisions currently driven by more
conventional objectives and criteria is unlikely. If the sustainable development ideal is to
be pursued, a more particular understanding of its meaning will be necessary, even
though efforts to enhance the specificity of intuitively appealing definitions and concepts
tend paradoxically to reduce consensus on their meaning.  Yet more action-oriented
characterizations of "sustainable development"  are needed; we now turn to these.

Sustainable Development as a Goal.  Ultimately, progress towards sustainable
development can only be measured against distinct indicators of "sustainability."
Incremental and local improvements in environmental protection may be  easily
identified, but unequivocal verification that a particular sustainable development
program is leading in the "right" (i.e. "sustainable") direction is only possible if we have
long-term sustainable development targets to set  that direction.3 These targets will
necessarily reflect somewhat subjective interpretations of the sustainable development
vision, simply because there exists no definitive scientific or economic consensus on what
we must sustain to achieve  sustainable development.4  The fundamental sustainable
development concepts discussed above would call for goals that have a  long-term focus
and reflect the integration of environmental  and  resource use considerations with the
need for sound economic development. More  specific determinations of what those
goals  should be is as much  an  ethical issue as it is a scientific or economic question.

        If sustainable development goals are to  be both credible and  politically tenable,
they will probably have to reflect  a blend of scientific assessments, general social
priorities, and attitudes about uncertainty. Since social priorities, including ethical
concerns for future generations, play an important part in goal setting, an appropriate
arena for the establishment of these goals might  be the legislature, with guidance  and
input  from the environmental sciences and the public at large.
    3For example, a market incentive, such as an excise tax or user fee, may discourage behavior that is
 environmentally unsound.  It will thus provide some degree of improvement of environmental protection.
 Whether the improved situation is "sustainable" or not is a different question, and may depend on, for
 example, the extent to which the unsound activity is reduced. The extent of this reduction will in turn depend
 on the magnitude of the tax or fee.  If such a tax or fee is enacted as part of a sustainable development
 program, its magnitude would therefore presumably be selected to reduce the undesirable activity to a
 sustainable level.

        What is a "sustainable" level?  The answer will depend on ecological and economic processes that are
 difficult or impossible to predict and on ethical judgments we cannot arbitrarily determine. In short, we do
 not know what is  "sustainable." We can, however, set long-term targets representing our best scientific,
 economic,  and ethical assessments of where we want to be in the  future. These long-term targets could then
 be used to specify what constitutes "enough" improvement so that we might establish the appropriate
 incentives (or policies) to promote development that is, to the best of our knowledge, sustainable.

    4Must we sustain  economic growth?  A certain rate of capital  formation? Or a particular standard of
 living (if so, whose)?  Why not a specified amount of annual photosynthesis? Or a certain acreage of
 "functioning" ecosystems?  Or a given level of biological diversity?

                            II  - Some Key Questions for EPA - 2

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      A variety of sustainable development goals have been suggested by several
sources.  These range in nature from environmental goals (reduce emissions by X%,
recycle Y% of waste, etc.) and natural resource oriented goals (reduce fossil fuel use by
X%, shift to Y% renewable resource use, etc.) to general economic goals (sustain
current rate of productivity growth, maintain Y% economic growth after deduction of
depreciation of environmental capital and cleanup costs, etc.). While proposed goals of
these types have thus far been somewhat arbitrarily determined/ they may serve to foster
discussion of the characteristics  of more appropriate sustainable development goals.  To
date, however, the few goals that have been set forth are limited in scope to either
economic, natural resource use, or environmental parameters; no integrated and
comprehensive set of sustainable development goals for the U.S. has been advanced.

      An effort to establish such national goals was recently completed by the
government of the Netherlands.  The scientific basis for environmental goals was
established in a report entitled Concern for  Tomorrow: A National Environmental Survey,
1985-2010, published by the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental
Protection. Goals include a reduction of CO2 emissions by 20-30%, a reduction of SO2
and NOX emissions by 70-90%, and a reduction of discharges into the Rhine and North
Sea of 75-90% by 2010.  The  economic goal was straightforward: achievement of the
environmental goals in the most cost-effective manner.  The Dutch government assessed
its current policies and programs, and finding them inadequate to meet both
environmental and economic  goals, proposed a National Environmental Policy Plan
(NEPP) that included a range of new programs and reforms.  Not surprisingly, the NEPP
became the focus of intense political battles, including a national election that ultimately
confirmed public support for the goals and gave the government the mandate to
implement the Plan.

      The Dutch experience  is  probably the best example of the development and
application of a goal-oriented sustainable development  strategy at a national level. The
goal-setting process behind the NEPP clearly mixed subjective assessments with scientific
understanding of what is sustainable, so the Dutch goals themselves may not be
representative of other countries' priorities. Nonetheless, the particular mixture of
science and politics used to set the Dutch goals might serve as a model for other
countries.

      One important question that might be used to focus a sustainable development
goals-setting process is: "what needs to be sustained?"  General answers will vary,  but it
is important to recognize that consideration of either economic growth or ecological
stability in isolation adds little of value to the conventional debates between promoters
of economic growth and advocates of the environment.  Clearly, a broader, more
balanced interpretation of the sustainable development vision is  needed if it is to be
useful. The value of the general concepts behind sustainable development centers on the
   5Since no broad-based sustainable development goal-setting process has been undertaken, goals such as
these simply reflect one particular individual's or group's interpretation of the scientific, economic, and/or
ethical meaning of sustainable development.

                         II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 3

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  integrative and long-term perspectives they prescribe for policy makers, rather than on
  their use as a basis for unilateral calls for accelerations or restrictions of economic
  growth or resource use.

         Nonetheless, the role of economic growth in the sustainable development process
  continues to spark one of the more contentious debates in the sustainable development
  literature. The Brundtland Report calls for high growth rates, particularly in developing
  countries, to help "meet the needs of the present" by reducing the poverty that is also
  associated with pressures on natural resources.  This emphasis on growth contrasts
  somewhat with the premise of many sustainable development theorists that conventional
  economic growth is not indefinitely sustainable.  Herman Daly's first "operational
  principle of sustainability," for instance, states that "total resource flow appropriated by
  humans must be limited to a level within global carrying capacity."*  The differences are
  usually not irreconcilable. The Brundtland Commission calls for neither "conventional"
  nor "indefinite" growth; Daly stresses that constraints ultimately limit resource use, not
  societal development. Modified national income accounts that subtract depreciation of
  "environmental capital" and environmental  cleanup costs from national income would
  help redefine our  concept of economic growth to make it more compatible with
  sustainable development.

D  Sustainable Development as a Process. Neither a rigorous definition of the sustainable
  development ideal nor distinct sustainable development goals are necessarily
  prerequisites for efforts to implement programs and policies consistent with that ideal.
   Sustainable development can be defined  operationally in terms of a framework of actions
   (or guidelines governing actions) to redirect development to a course suggested by the
  visionary concepts  discussed above.  Defining sustainable development as a process also
   reflects the evolutionary nature of our understanding of what it entails.  In general, two
   themes emerge in discussions of the sustainable development "process."

 • Sustainable Development Transitions. This theme is focussed on the types of changes
   needed to make sustainable development possible.  These changes may be either broad
   social transitions or more narrowly targeted agendas for specific programs or policies.
   Gus Speth provides a fine summary of the  broader social changes often associated with
   sustainable development in what he calls a "series  of large-scale social and economic
      "Herman Daly, 1990, "Sustainable Development: From Concept and Theory towards Operational
   Principles," forthcoming in Population and Development Review, 33. Daly is quite clear about his view that
   perpetual economic growth is not compatible with sustainable development:

          I will admit that if the ecosystem can grow indefinitely then so can the aggregate economy.
          But until the surface of the earth begins to grow at a rate equal to the rate of interest one
          should not take this answer too seriously.

   Daly and others are generally careful to point out that limits to the expansion of resource use (i.e. "growth" in
   the "physical dimensions of the economy") should be distinguished from "qualitative improvement" or
   "development," which might continue indefinitely.

                             II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 4

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transitions" needed to ensure "environmental security":7

      (i)    a demographic transition toward stable populations;

      (ii)    a technological transition away from today's resource-intensive, pollution-
             prone technologies to a new generation of environmentally benign ones;

      (iii)   an economic transition to a world economy based on reliance on nature's
             "income" and not depletion of its "capital";

      (iv)   a social transition to a more equitable sharing of environmental and
             economic benefits;

      (v)    a transition in information and consciousness  to a far more profound
             understanding of global sustainability;

      (vi)   an institutional transition to new arrangements among governments and
             peoples that can achieve environmental security.

Speth's  list of transitions is inclusive and far-reaching.  Other sustainable development
agendas are more specific and often more prescriptive, and may enumerate specific
recommendations for policy or program reforms. These are commonly organized to
target one particular sector or problem (e.g.  energy production and consumption) or to
utilize one type of policy instrument (e.g. economic incentives) rather to address all
sustainable development needs at once.

Sustainable Development Principles.  This  theme focusses not on the changes needed to
promote sustainable development, but on the administrative principles that will guide
decision makers in fostering those changes.  Again, a variety of suggestions have been
made in this area. The following model principles are typical; they are designed to
incorporate the visionary sustainable development  concepts into all levels of decision
making, and reflect characterization of sustainable  development as a goals-oriented
process.

      (1)  Agencies and programs will develop, adopt, and promote policies and long-
           term strategic plans that, to the extent  possible,

             (a) foster, encourage, or require efficient use  and conservation of natural
                resources and  energy;
             (b) encourage utilization of renewable natural resources at rates that do
                not exceed their regeneration rates;
   7Gus Speth, "Environmental Security for the 1990s ... b Six Not-So-Easy Steps," WRI Issues and Ideas,
January 1990,1-4. Though Speth's transitions are aimed primarily to achieve "environmental security," he
writes that only by promoting these transitions will we "deliver a gift to the new century of a planet
sustained."

                          II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 5

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      (c) foster or encourage development of substitutes for nonrenewable
          natural resources;
      (d) limit emissions of wastes into the environment to rates that do not have
          unacceptable effects on key ecosystem functions; and
      (e) employ pollution prevention techniques, including source reduction and
          reuse or recycling of wastes, to promote the accomplishment of
          objectives (a) through (d).

(2)  Policies and strategic planning will be directed towards achievement of long-
     term, parallel economic and environmental goals that
      (a) are  developed concurrently in an integrated process;
      (b) take into account
             (i)     scientific and economic assessments of long-term needs,
                    potential threats to the satisfaction of those needs, and
                    uncertainty regarding both needs and threats;
             (ii)    general concerns and priorities of the public; and
             (iii)    ethical responsibilities to future generations (e.g. as
                    established in the National Environmental Policy Act §101);
                    and
      (c) are  pursued simultaneously.

(3)  Decisions concerning actions including, but not necessarily limited to,
     establishment of sustainable development goals; development of long-term
     strategic plans; and adoption and implementation of policies, programs, and
     regulations with the potential for significant long-term impacts will consider
      (a) the  projected economic and environmental needs of at least two
          generations  born subsequent to the establishment or commencement of
          the  action, or when this is not possible, economic and environmental
          needs as far into the future as they can reasonably be projected, and
      (b) the  potential direct and indirect impacts of the action on satisfaction of
          the  needs identified in paragraph (a).

(4)  Whenever possible, policies and strategic planning will support innovation
     and development of environmentally benign and resource-conserving
     technologies;  however, unforeseeable, infeasible, or speculative technological
     developments shall not be considered solutions to long-term problems
     inhibiting achievement of sustainable development goals as identified under
     Principle (2).

(5)  The long-term implications of population growth, demographic shifts and
     related factors (e.g. per  capita consumption and waste generation patterns,
     incidence of poverty, etc.) affecting the environment or economic
     development will  be explicitly taken into account and addressed in
      (a) any efforts to establish sustainable development goals, and
      (b) decision making affecting policies,  strategic planning, programs, and
          proposed regulations.
                     - Some Key Questions for EPA - 6

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            (6)  Wherever possible, policies, strategic planning, and programs will create
                market and other incentives designed to encourage public and private
                practices and decisions that are consistent with progress towards sustainable
                development and achievement of sustainable development goals as identified
                under Principle (2).

            (7)  Economic analyses (including analyses of the costs and benefits of proposed
                regulations) used in policy, programmatic, or strategic decision making will
                  (a) take into account the values of the full range of services provided by
                     impacted ecosystems;
                  (b) consider all costs and benefits  accruing over the full duration of time
                     specified under Principle (3); and
                  (c) explicitly identify any unequal distribution of these costs and benefits
                     over the duration of time specified under Principle (3).

            (8)  To the extent possible, programs and policies will adopt a conservative
                approach to reduce the risk of unpredicted adverse impacts on ecological
                functions and services when the effects of human activities on these are
                uncertain.

            (9)  Policies,  programs, and strategic planning will actively support, and
                periodically undergo review and adjustment to  reflect the results of,
                continuing research and analyses investigating
                  (a) the operational meaning of sustainable development, and appropriate
                     long-term goals representing the needs of the future;
                  (b) scientific understanding of ecological systems and the long-term impacts
                     of disturbances on their integrity and ability to provide key services;
                  (c) the  nature of linkages between the economy, social institutions, and the
                     environment; and
                  (d) economic development and environmental trends that  may affect
                     progress towards sustainable development and achievement of
                     sustainable development goals  as identified under Principle  (2).

            (10) Policies and programs will
                  (a) promote understanding of the concepts and principles  associated with
                     sustainable development,
                  (b) encourage public involvement in the formulation of sustainable
                     development goals and programs and activities designed to achieve
                     these goals, and
                  (c) provide for routine public reporting on progress toward sustainable
                     development.


2)   What are the origins of the concepts behind sustainable development?

           Though "sustainable development"  is itself a relatively new term, the visionary
     ideals it represents are the products of a convergence of ideas from ecology and the

                              II - Some Key Questions for EPA • 1

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environmental sciences, economics, religious and ethical value systems, and a collection
of sometimes remarkably visionary thinkers. Several of these ideas have been evolving
for centuries.  The far-reaching origins of sustainable development may account,
ironically, for both its general intuitive appeal and the futility of attempts to develop a
precise, universally accepted operational definition of the term. A few of the more
influential thinkers and concepts are discussed below.

Ecology and the Environmental Sciences.  The theories, analyses, and data provided by
these disciplines are some of the most important precursors to the sustainable
development ideal.

Carrying Capacity.  Defined as the number or biomass of organisms that a given habitat
can support, this ecological concept underlies many of toda/s discussions of sustainable
development.  Application of the carrying capacity concept to human populations raises
questions about the ultimate limitations on the demands we can place on our
environment.  Since per capita environmental demands will vary with living standards
and technologies, a precise calculation of the global carrying capacity for humans cannot
be made in terms of population. Nonetheless, several illuminating efforts have been
made to  quantify the limitations of the planet as they relate to current human resource
consumption.  For example, a 1986 study by Peter Vitousek, et ah, concluded that human
activities now either use directly, co-opt, or have eliminated 25% of global  annual
primary productivity and 39% of the total annual terrestrial primary production."  J.W.
Maurits la  Riviere writes that the total quantity of freshwater annually available to
humans is "in principle enough to sustain 20 billion people."9 While the implications of
these figures cannot be drawn too precisely,10 they do serve to illustrate the finiteness of
global systems and the relevance of carrying capacity to humans.  The latter ideas
underscore the need for a sustainable pattern of development that proceeds within these
natural limits.

Sustainable Yield. A second concept important in many discussions of sustainable
development is sustainable yield, that is, the yield a renewable resource produces when
harvested at rate equal to its regeneration or replacement rate. This concept was
originally applied to fisheries, but it can be equally relevant to resources ranging from
timber to groundwater.  The restriction of renewable resource extraction rates to  their
sustainable yield is sometimes posited as  a general precondition for sustainable
development.
    *Peter M. Vitousek, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anne H. Ehrlich, and Pamela A. Matson, 1986, "Human
 Appropriation of the Products of Photosynthesis,' BioScience (36) 368-373.

    'J.W. Maurits la Riviere, 1989, "Sustaining Water Use," Scientific American, 2613 (September 1989), 80.

    IOThe results of some very "precise" projections of the future using models based on static assumptions
 about human resource needs have produced some particularly alarming conclusions (e.g. those found by
 Meadows, Meadows, Randers, and Behrens in 1972 in their The Limits to Growth). While changing patterns
 of resource use and technological developments cannot be expected to resolve all our environmental
 difficulties, the assumption that current patterns can simply be extrapolated to an ecological-economic
 doomsday may be similarly unrealistic

                           II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 8

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Global Impacts, Ecological Interdependence, and the Gaia Hypothesis.  While the works of
Vitousek et al. and J.W. Maurits la Riviere and the concept of sustainable yield suggest
bounds to our planet's capacity to function as a source of sustenance, the environmental
sciences have also provided evidence of the limits of its capacity to serve as a sink for
our wastes. As we continue to collect information indicating that our activities may have
global and potentially irreversible impacts on the earth's atmosphere, oceans, and
biological diversity, our concerns have grown, but they are not new. In 1864, George
Perkins Marsh wrote, in his Man and Nature:

      The scale of change  initiated by man is no longer local, but global. The climatic
      and hydrological effects of deforestation provide an example.

      The growth of ecology as a discipline, and its emphasis on the interdependence of
the planet's organisms and their physical environment, has enhanced recognition of the
complex  impacts of large scale anthropogenic disturbances of natural systems.  The
formulation of the Gaia Hypothesis in 1972 represented a culmination of this theme.
James Lovelock and  Lynn Margulis suggested that the earth could best be understood as
a complex living organism (more precisely, a "superecosystem"), rather than as a  planet
that simply happened to support life. They argued that the geophysical environment is
interactive with, instead of  deterministic of, the earth's massive assemblage of flora and
fauna. The Gaia Hypothesis served to underscore the importance of a global network of
biogeochemical cycles, ecological life-support systems, and feedback loops between these
that maintain a planetary environment amenable to human life.  Our general lack of
knowledge of the workings  of these cycles and systems has been the basis of the
argument that sustainable development requires a conservative, risk-averse approach to
the environment to minimize the chance of interference with the functioning of global
life-support systems.

Economics.  Several  themes in economics have had important roles in shaping the
sustainable development ideal.  Among the most important of these are Thomas
Malthus' writings on the limits of the environment to sustain human populations, the
identification and study of externalities,  Sir John Hicks' definition of income, and the
practical need to design self-sustaining projects to  promote economic development in the
Third World.

Malthusian Economics.  In  1798, Thomas Malthus published "An Essay on the Principle
of Population." His assertion in that pamphlet is now famous:

      Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometric ratio.  Subsistence increases
      only in an arithmetic ratio. ...

      This implies a strong and constantly operating check on population from the
      difficulty of subsistence.  This difficulty must fall somewhere and must necessarily
      be severely felt by a  large portion of mankind.

In explaining the implications of his thesis, Malthus wrote of nature's "great restrictive

                         II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 9

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law," the limited availability of sustenance that constrains animal and plant populations.
In essence, Malthus was not only anticipating the concept of carrying capacity, but also
its application to human populations.  Tremendous advances in agricultural technology
and declining birth rates (in the industrialized countries) have led many to reject the
Malthusian pessimism.  Yet Malthus' general message may have some relevance to the
global situation today, with estimates of between 500 million and 1 billion people
currently undernourished" while U.N. projections now forecast world populations of as
high as 14 billion by the end of the 21st century." Even the projections of 8.4 billion
people by  2025 would imply a decrease in world average cropland per capita from
today's 0.28 hectares to 0.17 hectares in that year."  Concerns about our ability to feed
such enormous populations, as well as apprehension over the environmental effects of
the global economy needed to  meet their needs, are responsible for much of the current
interest in sustainable development.

Externalities.  The  development of this concept, which was introduced by Alfred Marshall
at the turn of the  century, is important because the  existence of externalities often
interferes with the market system's ability to provide for general social welfare, and hi
particular, for protection  of the environment. Consequently, externalities may be
partially responsible for patterns of economic growth that are not sustainable.

        When the actions of an economic agent (e.g. an individual or firm) affect others
in ways for which  no  economic mechanism provides compensation, the uncompensated
effect is called an  "externality"  by economists.  For example, pollution released into a
publicly owned resource,  such as the atmosphere or a river, may have detrimental effects
on other users of that resource, but these users are  generally not compensated for their
losses. Thus,  the effects of pollution in such cases are externalities.14 This term is used
because the costs  or benefits of the effects are "external" (i.e. "other people's business")
from the perspective  of the responsible economic agent.

        When other users  are not compensated for the detrimental effects of pollution,
the polluter is not bearing the  full  costs of his or her pollution to society.  Thus, the
polluter's incentive not to pollute is insufficient to protect the interests of society at
large.  Similarly, a consumer who purchases a product whose production, use, or disposal
is associated with  environmental damages usually does not pay for the effects of those
damages to society.  Again, without some form of compensation, the incentive to the
individual consumer is  inadequate  to protect the long-term interests of society.
    "World Resources Institute, World Resources 1990-1991 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990), 88.

    12Nafis Sadik, 1990, The State of World Population  1990 (New York: United Nations Population Fund), 2.

    "World Resources Institute, 87.

    "Externalities may also be positive, that is, beneficial to society. A family's efforts to recycle household
 wastes may help to reduce the landfill fees of its community, and if compensation for these efforts is not
 provided, the benefits to the community are externalities.

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       Economic development in a market economy is driven and directed by individuals'
incentives.  If these incentives do not lead to individual actions that protect society's
commonly owned environmental resources, its aggregate economic development will
come at the expense of degradation of those resources. In 1968, Garrett Hardin labelled
this dilemma the "tragedy of the commons" and helped bring it to public attention.

       The damages caused by externalities can be costly,  and thus harmful to both
environmental and economic development.  Efforts to clean up and restore degraded
environmental resources are often expensive  and sometimes impossible.  Prevention of
the injury in the first place is generally a cheaper and more effective alternative to
sweeping up after environmentally unsound growth. To obviate such unsound patterns of
growth and promote pollution prevention, economists suggest that externalities be
"internalized," so that agents causing harm to society's resources pay for that harm. This
might be accomplished through government instituted disincentives (e.g. taxes, user fees,
permit purchase requirements) for activities that injure the environment. The
disincentive should be high enough to reflect the costs  to those harmed by environmental
damage (these might include future generations).  Making pollution and other harmful
activities more costly, economists argue, would encourage  prevention of environmental
degradation and thus direct economic development along more sustainable paths.15

Hicksian Income. In 1948, Sir John Hicks gave the economic analogue to the ecological
concept of sustainable yield:

        ... we ought to define a man's income as the maximum value which he  can
        consume during a week, and still expect to be as well off at the end of the week
        as he was at the beginning.16

        The meaning of Hick's definition of income is most obvious in the case of an
institution funded through a large endowment.  While the interest on that endowment
can be considered its income, proceeds from the sales of the endowment are  not,
because liquidation of the endowment will reduce future interest payments.
    "Again, the question arises: what is a "sustainable" incentive policy?  Theoretically, elimination of an
externality would require incentives strong enough to equalize the private costs of an activity (those faced by
the responsible economic agent) with its social costs. If the latter can be accurately determined, this criterion
could be used to set an incentive promoting "sustainable" levels of the activity. Such an approach would be
difficult to implement, however, for several reasons. Scientific uncertainty associated with potentially
irreversible, non-linear effects of some activities, the limited capabilities of economic techniques for valuing
the full range of services provided by ecosystems, as well as the ethical ambiguities inherent in techniques to
aggregate costs to future generations (e.g. discounting) make determinations of "true" social costs a highly
subjective exercise. Administration of a comprehensive system of incentives would not only be costly and
difficult, but it would also reduce market efficiency substantially. While choosing a "desired future" by setting
long-term economic and environmental targets is not as economically elegant an approach as internalizing
externalities, such a strategy may be a more practicable means of directing activities, including the use of
selected incentives, toward sustainable development (see discussion of "Sustainable Development as a Goal"
under Question #1 above).

    16J.R. Hicks, 1948, Value and Capital, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon), 172.

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         Like a financial endowment, environmental resources can provide streams of
  income indefinitely into the future. National income that is generated through activities
  that damage or destroy this "environmental capital" would therefore not be considered
  Hicksian income. This understanding has led to attempts to net out the value of such
  damage from national  income accounts (e.g. Gross National Product); the result is
  "natural resource accounts" or "environmental accounts." The Brundtland definition of
  sustainable development ("... meets the needs of the present without compromising the
  ability of future generations to meet their own needs"), as well as the  definition given by
  Jim MacNeill,17 can be understood as the application of the Hicksian income concept
  across generations.

 • Sustainable Development Projects in the Third World.  The urgent need for development to
  meet the needs of the  world's poor has been a target of projects sponsored by
  multilateral development banks, other  international organizations, and national agencies
  responsible for aid to developing countries.  It was in this Third World aid context, in the
  late 1970s, that "sustainable development" first gained common usage.  It is still used in
  this way to describe a project, or development it promotes, that is self-sustaining over the
  long term. Determinants of sustainability include the project's ability  to pay for itself, its
  acceptance within the cultural value system of its host country, and its environmental
  soundness. Such use of "sustainable development" marked the beginning of an increased
  consideration of the environmental impacts of development projects.

         In general, "sustainable development" used in this fashion refers to a smaller-scale
  and more localized phenomenon than the global ideal now usually associated with the
  term.  Nonetheless, the project-specific usage can be entirely consistent with the broader
  vision of sustainable development."

D Religion and Ethics. Sustainable development cannot be defined or described solely in
  environmental or economic terms. It is also an ideal that encompasses ethical concerns
  for future generations, the poor of the  present day, and other species  and nature in
  general.

 • Stewardship Responsibilities to Future Generations. This ethical concept, which is clearly
  an element of the Brundtland definition of sustainable  development,19 was popularized,
  legitimized, and related to preservation of natural resources by the Progressive
  Conservation movement in the United States in the early 1900s.  Championed by
  Theodore Roosevelt and his outspoken advisor and chief of the Bureau of Forestry (later
  the Forest Service), Gifford Pinchot, this movement was avowedly pro-development,
  utilitarian, and democratic  in spirit.  Its unofficial motto reflected these values: The
  greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time." Roosevelt elaborated on his
  belief in the Nation's responsibilities to the future:
      17See Question #1 above.

      I8See "Strategic Decision Making with Economic and Environmental Benefits" under Question #4 below.

      "See Question #1 above.

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      The "greatest good for the greatest number" applies to the number within the
      womb of time, compared to which those now alive form but an insignificant
      fraction. Our duty to the whole, including the  unborn generations, bids us to
      restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of those
      unborn generations.20

      Environmental stewardship responsibilities are now recognized as United States
National policy in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970.

      ... it is the continuing  responsibility of the Federal government to use all
      practicable means, consistent with other essential considerations of national
      policy, to improve and coordinate Federal plans, functions, programs, and
      resources to the end that the Nation may-
          (1) fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee of the environment
          for succeeding generations; . .. [§101].

Religious Values, Preservation, and the Rights of Nature. The sacredness of the natural
world is a theme in many religions. Though such sanctity does not usually preclude
exploitation of natural resources, it generally engenders a degree of respect that extends
beyond utilitarian values. Aboriginal religions, such as those of some American Indians,
are particularly renowned for  their  conception of land and nature as sacred, though
popular notions of the spiritual relationships of these  peoples to their environment  are
often distorted.

       While those who emphasize responsibilities to  future generations generally
advocate conservation of natural resources to allow their use in the future, others focus
on the preservation of wilderness, not for future exploitation, but for religious reasons or
for "its  own sake."  Historically, the preservation ethic has largely been rooted in
religious conceptions of nature. Particularly influential in the history of American
environmentalism were the Transcendentalism, such as Henry David Thoreau and John
Muir, who believed that nature reflected its Creator's spiritual laws and saw the
wilderness as a source of faith.  It is noteworthy that neither of these men were
opponents of development; Thoreau sought not a reversion to a "natural state" but  a
balance between culture and wilderness. More recently,  the preservation ethic has  been
advanced to protect the "rights" of nature and other species.  Advocates of preservation
generally tend to emphasize the importance of sustainable development as a means of
protecting environmental resources, rather  than as an economic and environmental  goal.

The Convergence.  The convergence of the concepts listed above into a reasonably
coherent vision and the labelling of that vision "sustainable development" are relatively
recent phenomena. Three developments have been particular influential in accelerating
the process.
   '"Theodore Roosevelt, 1916, "Bird Reserves at the Mouth of the Mississippi," in A Book-Lover's Holidays
in the Open (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons).

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Application of Ecological and Physical Concepts to Economics. In 1966, Kenneth Boulding
contrasted the "cowboy economy" of today with the "spaceman economy" of the future.
The former is based on the notion of unlimited resources; the latter on a closed system,
like a spaceship, without unlimited reserves of anything.  In the spaceman economy,
Boulding writes,

       ... man must find his place in a cyclical ecological system which is capable of
       continuous reproduction of material form even though it cannot escape having
       inputs of energy.21

       Boulding's application of ecological concepts to economics included reference to
the role of the Second Law of Thermodynamics (the entropy law) in the economic
process.  The implications of the Second  Law for the economy and  the human species in
general  were more fully explored by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen in 1971.  He writes:

       .  . . there is the general practice of representing the material side of the economic
       process by a closed system, that is,  by a mathematical model in which the
       continuous inflow of low entropy from the environment is completely ignored. .. .
       no other conception could be farther from a correct interpretation of the facts. . .
       this  process is not  circular, but unidirectional21 *

       With a macroeconomic  system represented as circular and closed, concerns about
carrying capacity or the finiteness of the planet and its resources are exogenous to
economics.  Exchange value flows around and around: analytically, nothing essential is
used up. With a economic system represented as the unidirectional (and irreversible)
transformation of low entropy  to high, these concerns become paramount because
something is  used up.  Herman Daly expands on Georgescu-Roegen's arguments to
propose an "optimal scale," a concept similar to carrying capacity:

       When growth pushes scale beyond the optimum we begin to  experience
       generalized pervasive externalities, such as the greenhouse effect, ozone layer
    "Kenneth E. Boulding, 1968, Beyond Economics (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan), 281.

    Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, 1971, The Entropy Law and the Economic Process (Cambridge: Harvard
 University), 281.
        "dosed system" Georgescu-Roegen criticizes here is not the "closed system" of Boulding's
 "spaceman economy."  Georgescu-Roegen refers to the macroeconomic model often characterized as a
 "circular flow" of exchange value between production and consumption. This closed economic loop implies,
 according to Georgescu-Roegen and others, no analytical linkages between the economy and a finite
 environment. Boulding, on the other hand, refers not to a model of the economic system independent of the
 environment but to a model of the environment of which the economy is a part. He argues that the system
 constituted by the earth's biosphere and human economies-however the latter may be modelled-is dosed
 except for solar energy inputs (and presumably, some radiative energy outputs).

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      depletion, and acid rain . . .*

      Concepts like optimal scale do not enjoy widespread use among economists.
Nonetheless, their existence in the economics literature represents progress towards a
key precondition for sustainable development: popular recognition of the fundamental
linkages between the economy and the environment.

The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (held in Stockholm).
The Stockholm Conference represented a watershed in international efforts to protect
the global environment. By publicizing a broad perspective on "environment" that
included issues important to developing countries, it prompted the initial participation of
many of these countries in international environmental protection efforts.  The
Conference "Declaration on the Human Environment" stated, for example:  "In the
developing countries most of the environmental problems are caused by under-
development. . ." This identification of the linkages between economic depravation and
environmental degradation was an important conceptual contribution to later efforts of
U.N. and other international organizations to link environment and development issues.
In this way, the Stockholm Conference was a key precursor for the Brundtland
Commission's work to establish consensus between the industrialized and developing
countries on the necessity of achieving sustainable development.

      The Conference also established the United  Nations Environment Programme
and thus helped to institutionalize consideration of  environmental issues in the
international arena.

The Report of the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development:
Our Common Future (a.k.a. the Brundtland Report).  This report, released in 1987 after
three years of efforts that included public hearings on five continents, has probably done
more to publicize sustainable development than any other document.  With an expansive
scope that covers topics from population and global food needs to biodiversity and
international trade, the Report provides a vast array of recommended national and
international actions designed to meet the economic and environmental needs of both
the present and future generations.  The Commission's "Overview" of the Report states:

      Our report, Our Common Future,  is not a prediction of ever increasing
      environmental decay, poverty, and hardship in an ever more polluted world
      among ever decreasing resources. We see instead the possibility for a new era of
      economic growth, one  that must be based on policies that sustain and expand the
      environmental resource base.  And we believe such growth to be absolutely
      essential to relieve the poverty that is deepening in much of the developing world.

          But the Commission's hope for the future is conditional on decisive political
      action now to begin managing environmental resources to ensure both sustainable
      human progress and human survival.  We are not forecasting a future; we are
   ''Daly, 9-10.

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         serving a notice—an urgent notice based on the latest and best scientific evidence--
         that the time has come to make the decisions needed to secure the resources to
         sustain this and coming generations. We do not offer a detailed blueprint for
         action, but instead a pathway by which the peoples of the world may enlarge their
         spheres of co-operation.25

         The major themes of the Brundtland Report include many of those discussed
   above:  the linkages between economics and environment, the complex interrelationships
   within ecological systems, the international scale of modern environmental problems, and
   our ethical responsibilities to the future.  In addition, the Report places much emphasis
   on the imperative of meeting the needs of the today's poor, for both ethical and
   environmental reasons:

          . . . poverty itself pollutes the environment, creating environmental stress in a
          different way. Those who are poor and hungry will often destroy their immediate
          environment in order to survive:  they will cut down forests; their livestock will
          overgraze grasslands; they will overuse marginal land; and in growing numbers
          they will crowd into congested cities. The cumulative effect of these changes is so
          far-reaching as to make poverty itself a major global scourge.26

   The WCED  calls for very high economic growth rates27 to alleviate this "scourge" in
   developing countries.  Our Common Future also underlines the key roles that social,
   cultural, and political factors will play in any progress towards sustainable development.

          The Brundtland Report has prompted international conferences, official national
   responses, a  variety of non-government organization activities, publications, and even the
   creation of a "Centre for Our Common Future" in Geneva to monitor and publicize
   worldwide progress towards  sustainable development.

D  Conclusions. The rich and diverse collection of concepts, disciplines, and thinkers from
   which the sustainable development ideal has evolved serves, paradoxically, both to endow
   the term with far-reaching meaning and to confound efforts to define it precisely.
   "Sustainable development" is itself highly self-explanatory, yet different individuals will draw
   on their knowledge of different aspects of the conceptual origins of the term to arrive at
   different interpretations of its meaning.  Ecologists may see it as a simple extension of the
   carrying capacity concept to global human populations, economists may envision it as the
   fruits of an economy in which deleterious environmental externalities have been largely
      2SWorld Commission on Environment and Development, 1-2.

      36World Commission on Environment and Development, 28.

      ^Growth goals of 5% per annum for developing countries in Asia, 5.5% for Latin America, and 6% for
   Africa and West Asia are suggested (World Commission on Environment and Development, 50). The
   WCED's growth-oriented brand of sustainable development is in marked contrast with some other views,
   such as those of many who advocate a form of sustainable development that would put maximum emphasis
   on the preservation of nature for ethical reasons.

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     eliminated, while others may view sustainable development as a simple moral
     responsibility to the future. Its meaning is probably best described, however, as a
     synthesis of all these and the other concepts that have contributed to the evolution of the
     sustainable development ideal.


3)   How does sustainable development relate to current EPA priorities for
     pollution prevention and risk reduction?

  D Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Development. Pollution prevention, as it is
     currently viewed within EPA, is a management strategy that aims to reduce or eliminate
     the generation of pollution as an alternative to controlling transport and disposal of
     pollution once it has been created.  Since pollution is often the consequence of waste of
     natural resources, pollution prevention can increase economic efficiency (by reducing
     waste) as it simultaneously reduces disturbances on natural systems. Moreover, pollution
     prevention represents a long-term solution to environmental problems, since pollution
     that is not created will not be spilled or transported across media in the future.  Thus,
     once a particular goal is identified as an Agency priority, its achievement can be  pursued
     with a pollution prevention strategy that is both cost effective and protective of the
     environment  of future generations.

           Not surprisingly, much overlap exists between pollution prevention and sustainable
     development. Many of the programs that are called for under the sustainable
     development rubric are similar to projects ongoing  or under development as part of
     EPA's pollution prevention activities. These include:

         • research on the use of incentives policies,
         • study of the application of sustainable agricultural practices,
         • development of an environmental labelling program for consumer products,
         • establishment of a Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse to facilitate
           transfer of information about cost effective prevention technologies, and
         • implementation of guidelines on recycling and recycled materials procurement by
           the Federal government.

     Similar work  in countries such as Canada, Norway,  and the Netherlands is done as part
     of these countries' sustainable development programs.  Thus, EPA has already begun to
     incorporate sustainable development concepts in its programs; much of the progress so
     far has simply been labelled "Pollution Prevention."

           Sustainable development and pollution prevention are not synonymous, however.
     Sustainable development can be understood as a visionary, long-term social goal or a set
     of objectives that represent such a goal.  Pollution prevention, on the other hand, is less
     an independent goal or vision than  a cost-effective implementation strategy. Thus~in the
     terminology used under Question #l~pollution prevention is a process rather than a goal
     (sustainable development can be both).  Pollution prevention may be used to build on or
     reinforce conventional environmental protection efforts, or it may be used to attain


                             II - Some Key Questions for EPA • 17

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 ambitious new sustainable development objectives, but in either case, the ultimate
 objective is not pollution prevention itself. As it is applied by the Pollution Prevention
 Office, which is currently sponsoring and proposing several projects that will promote
 sustainable development, pollution prevention can be characterized as a strategy well-
 suited to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

 Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development.  Risk reduction is a versatile paradigm
 with a range of applications, and like sustainable development, it can be both a process
 and a goal.  Risk reduction may refer to a process in which risk is  used  as a metric to set
 standards in specific regulatory contexts.  Risk reduction may also be the goal (e.g.
 reduction of risks to human health) that serves as the basis for broad comparisons of
 alternative strategies and programs as they support that goal.  In general, the use of the
 risk reduction paradigm presupposes the existence of a goal.  For the purposes of most
 EPA decision-making, this goal is the reduction of the risk of toxic or carcinogenic
 effects on humans,  though other goals, such as reduction of risk to ecological systems,
 are receiving increasing emphasis within the Agency.

' Goals.  Sustainable development, like risk reduction, derives much of its meaning from
 the goals on which  it  is predicated. Risk reduction is inoperative as a process unless the
 questions "reduce risk of what, and to whom?" can be answered; verification that a
 particular form of development is sustainable ultimately depends on our ability to answer
 the questions "what is to be sustained, and at what level?"  An answer to the former
 questions came from  outside the Agency, in the form of legislation and  the mandate to
 protect human health and the environment; thus, the Agency works to reduce the risks of
 adverse impacts on human health and organisms in the environment.  The answer to the
 latter questions must  also be found in public  fora:  sustainable development goals
 (including the answers to "what is to be sustained, and at what level?") represent
 political, economic, and ethical issues, not just technical or definitional ones.

        While sustainable development and risk reduction both imply goals, two key
 elements distinguish the two paradigms.

• Existence of a Metric.  First, risk reduction has a metric:  risk. Though Agency programs
 seek to reduce various types of (not necessarily comparable) risk, priorities and progress
 within programs can be assessed and trends can be monitored using the risk metric.  No
 such standard of measurement exists for sustainable development.  What is "fifty percent
 sustainable?"  Are we becoming "less sustainable?" At this point the answers can be no
 more analytical than  our common sense; sustainable development  is too broad a concept
 to reduce to a single  measure.

» Goal Dynamics. A second difference between risk reduction and sustainable
 development is the dynamics of the goals on  which each is based.  Though risk
 assessments may be responsive to dynamic variables, the risk reduction  goal itself can be
 static (e.g. reduce lifetime cancer risk due to exposure to a particular chemical to 10"6).
 Moreover, risk reduction responds to risks as they are currently perceived: unanticipated
 risks cannot be assessed, and though reduction of unanticipated  risks may be possible (by
 reducing pollution loadings on natural systems that are not fully understood, for

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     example), this type of goal is generally not identified. Sustainable development,
     however, is inherently a dynamic goal-a moving target.  "Achievement of sustainable
     development" has little  intrinsic meaning since "development" is itself dynamic; instead
     we might speak of "progress" toward sustainable development as measured against
     politically determined, long-term goals that serve as the interim metric for (and interim
     operational definition of) sustainability.  These goals would have to reflect society's long-
     term ethical priorities as well as a collective social response to uncertainty and the
     possibility of unanticipated risks.28 They will also necessarily be interim in nature due to
     the dynamic nature of sustainable development, since development that now appears
     sustainable may be found to be otherwise-and vice versa-a generation from now (i.e.
     our target may move).  Once interim goals are established, however, they serve to fix the
     moving sustainable development target temporarily.  At that point, the risk paradigm
     could be applied to reduce the risk of failure to attain those goals through the
     implementation, for example, of pollution prevention tools.


4)   What is the value-added of sustainable development concepts and principles
     (e.g. those listed under Question #1 above)?  What would they add to
     environmental protection efforts currently in  place?

   D Linking Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management.  Conventional
     environmental protection efforts focus on regulating, limiting, or controlling use of the
     environment as a sink for society's wastes, whether they are emitted, dumped, leaked,
     spilled, or otherwise released into natural systems. Yet the environment's function as a
     sink is only half of its usefulness to us; it also serves  as the ultimate source of our
     sustenance by providing food, minerals, energy, and life-support systems.  Of course, the
     source and sink functions of the environment are interdependent: releases and emissions
     may have profound  effects on the environment's capacity to provide food and life-support
     functions, and patterns of natural resource and agricultural harvesting (e.g. mining
     techniques, pesticide use) have significant impacts on the use of the environment as a
     sink

            Maintaining both the source and sink functions of the environment will clearly be
     key to achieving sustainable development.  Hence, sustainable development concepts,
     principles, and goals  tend to underscore the importance of both the source and sink
     functions of the environment, as well as their interdependence.  These concepts,
     principles, and goals  can then serve as a useful framework for expanding our
     conventional environmental protection efforts to include more emphasis on uses of the
     environment as a source.  Work is already underway to develop more productive
     relationships between EPA and several agencies with resource management
     responsibilities (e.g.  Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, Department of
     Energy).  A focus on sustainable development could add to these efforts by prescribing
     more systematic integration of natural resource and environmental (source and sink)
        MFor some possible guidance on role of uncertainty in sustainable development policy design, see
     Principles (2), (4) and (8) under Question #1.

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   issues at all levels of government.  This would help to ensure that the relationships
   between these issues are not neglected merely because they fall between the traditional
   mandates  of resource management and environment protection agencies.  It will also
   reiterate the message that resource management agencies must operate to protect the
   environment and guarantee  the sustainability of the resources they manage.

D  Strategic Decision Making with Economic AND Environmental Benefits.  Application of
   the principles listed above (under Question #1) in strategic decision-making could, in the
   long run, benefit both the economy and the environment. Since most strategic
   government decisions are made primarily to achieve the goal of furthering economic
   growth, environmental considerations enter the decision-making process as constraints,
   rather than as explicitly identified goals. Environmental policy thus becomes negative or
   reactive, responding to pressures created by poorly directed growth.  The result is often
   either an  expensive environmental cleanup bill or a highly politicized battle between
   "economy" and "environment" that is  settled with a compromise that is costly and
   unsatisfactory to both sides.

          By setting long-term positive environmental goals to be achieved alongside
   economic goals, policy makers are better able to develop strategies that can achieve both
   objectives. Such a process can give practical value to the application of sustainable
   development concepts to decision making  at the program or project level.  Consider, for
   example, a regional Water Authority that identifies both  the need to meet the water
   demands of an expanding economy and the need to preserve regional riparian and
   lacustrine ecosystems. A long-term water  conservation strategy might be formulated to
   achieve both goals. In contrast, consideration of only the economic goal (meeting water
   demand) may ignore opportunities for  conservation, but when demand increases prompt
   the Water Authority to propose a new  dam or drainage of a lake, environmental
   agencies, NGOs, and the public are likely  to react. The consequences may be costly
   court battles, delays that impede development, and either the destruction of important
   environmental resources or the scrapping of expensive construction planning efforts.
   Neither outcome promotes sustainable  development.

          Multiple  objective planning for both environment and development can help
   prevent the divisive and costly battles that unnecessarily pit "environmental" and
   "development" interests against one another. Again, the key step in making such
   planning operational will be the establishment of parallel economic and environmental
   goals.  Once this is done, appropriate strategies may be developed, indicators of progress
   can be identified, and monitoring programs can be established to track progress and
   determine needed mid-course  corrections.

          By advocating strategic planning for economic and environmental goals, EPA can
   also demonstrate its own commitment to furthering the long-term economic prosperity of
   the country, even as it continues to safeguard national environmental resources.

D  Applications in Day-to-Day Decision Making. In addition to their usefulness in strategic
   decision-making, the concepts  and principles discussed under Question #1 above could
   also be applied to more day-to-day management issues within specific programs, at  both

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     EPA and other agencies.  At this level, the critical question is:  "does the proposed
     policy, regulation, or decision promote or hinder progress towards a set of socio-
     economic transitions necessary to achieve sustainable development (such as those
     outlined by Speth)?"  For example, does the proposed action promote

            -  a technological transition away from today's resource-intensive, pollution-prone
              technologies to a new generation of environmentally benign ones?

            -  an economic transition to a world economy based on reliance on nature's
              "income" and not depletion of its "capital" (i.e. reliance on renewable usages of
              environmental resources rather than on drawdown of environmental assets at
              nonsustainable rates)?

     Programs and actions can also be evaluated against more administrative, program-
     specific criteria based on the ten principles listed under Question #1. For example,

            -  is the proposed action directed toward the  achievement of long-term, parallel
              economic and environmental goals? [Principle 2]

            -  does the proposed action adequately take into account population growth and
              demographic shifts in estimating long-term benefits and costs?  [Principle 5]

  O A Fundamental Ethic and a New Perspective  on Environment and Economy.  The
     principles and concepts associated with sustainable  development have value not only in
     policy, planning, and  programmatic applications, but also as the underpinnings of more
     theoretical  and ethical understandings of the long-term interests of our society.  As an
     intuitively cogent ideal, sustainable development can  serve as the basis  of a new, more
     integrated understanding of the importance of the environment in the long-term well-
     being of the Nation and the international community. Sustainable development may thus
     become an organizing principle, not only for our environmental protection efforts, but
     for guidance on all types of decision-making with potentially long-term  effects. In short,
     sustainable development can serve as the focus of society's vision of what it ultimately
     must achieve, while "sustainability" might become the heart of a new ethic based on that
     vision.
5)   Is sustainable development primarily an international issue, and if so, might
     efforts to develop a nationally focussed sustainable development program be
     misplaced?

           Clearly there is a strong international component to the concept of sustainable
     development.  Many of the efforts to promote sustainable development continue to focus
     on its meaning in the Third World context. The causes and effects of rapid population
     growth, rampant poverty, and environmental degradation are closely linked in many
     developing countries.  Rapid economic development is called for to combat these
     problems simultaneously, yet that development must be environmentally sound if it is to


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be maintained over the long term.  Achievement of sustainable development in the
developing countries will require major adjustments in policies and institutions that affect
international trade, foreign assistance, and the transfer of economically and
environmentally appropriate technologies.  It will also require substantial strengthening
of the environmental management and protection capabilities of these countries.

      Ultimately, however, many sustainable development priorities are shared by all
countries, developing and developed, and are global in nature. We have already
identified several impacts of human activities on the environment that are threatening
global life-support systems and cannot be isolated nationally or even regionally; these
include stratospheric ozone depletion, global warming, pollution of the oceans, and
reductions in biodiversity.  Effective mitigation of these problems requires internationally
coordinated responses and cooperative research and technical work.

      While global problems require global solutions, national and local action will still
be required to combat their causes,  even when international agreements are in place.
The adoption of implementation plans at the national, state, and local levels of
government as well as within private industry will be necessary to ensure domestic
compliance with international agreements. Indeed, EPA and other Federal agencies
already manage a number of programs to implement US compliance with international
conventions and protocols.

       Yet efforts to comply with international agreements do not represent the only
opportunity for  improvement in US  impacts on global sustainability. Several current
patterns of economic development and resource use in the United States suggest the
need for domestic efforts to adopt a longer-term emphasis consistent with sustainable
development:

    • The United States, with 4.8% of world population, is responsible for
      approximately 24% of the global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels® and
      approximately 25% of global  atmospheric loadings of chlorofluorocarbons.30

    • U.S. energy efficiency (output per unit energy consumed) is less than half that of
      Japan, West Germany, and many other Western European countries, a situation
      that has detrimental effects on both the domestic and global environment and on
      U.S. competitiveness abroad.31

    • In the United States, pesticide use has increased approximately 33-fold since 1945.
      Yet the percentage of crops lost to pests has actually risen from 31% in the 1940s
   Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Energy and Industry Sub Group Report (31 May 1990), 2-31.

   '"World Resources Institute, 348-349.

   3lIbitL, 316-317.

                         II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 22

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           to 37% in 1986;32 meanwhile pesticide poisonings now result in about 3000
           hospitalizations annually,53 and, according to Unfinished Business: A Comparative
           Assessment of Environmental Problems, pesticide residues in food cause an
           estimated 6,000 cancer cases each year and are also ranked "high" as a non-cancer
           risk.34

         •  While each U.S. citizen produces approximately 2-3 times as much solid waste as
           his or her counterparts in other industrialized countries, the U.S. lags far behind
           such countries as Japan and West Germany in solid waste management: in Japan,
           73% of the solid waste is reused, recycled, or converted to useful energy; in West
           Germany, 45%; in the U.S., only 17%.*

           In view of these and other areas of opportunity for improvements in domestic
     U.S. impacts on both global and local environmental resources, a proactive stance at the
     national level could provide a significant contribution to national and international
     progress towards sustainable development. In fact, the national level may be the  most
     appropriate place to initiate a goal-setting process to support such a proactive stance.
     Such goals could be set through political mechanisms to establish a national
     understanding of what is needed to ensure progress towards sustainable development.
     Once  some consensus is achieved on this  issue,36 managers could begin to redirect
     domestic programs to meet both economic and environmental priorities, while diplomats
     could negotiate international agreements  consistent with these priorities.


6)   What are the roles that EPA could play in a National effort to promote
     sustainable development, given  the  fact that sustainable development  is
     largely a resource management and population issue that falls outside the
     Agency's purview?

           EPA could have several significant roles in any undertaking to promote
     sustainable development as a long-term national priority.

  D Administration of its Primary Legislative Mandates.  The  Agency could work to ensure
        "David Pimentel, Lori McLaughlin, Andrew Zepp, et al., "Environmental and Economic Impacts of
     Reducing U.S. Agricultural Pesticide Use," unpublished paper (October, 1989), 3-4 and Table #2.

        ^Global Tomorrow Coalition, 1990, Global Ecology Handbook, ed. Walter H. Corson (Boston: Beacon
     Press), 80.

        ''U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1987. Unfinished Business: A Comparative Assessment of
     Environmental Problems; Volume I: Overview.  (Washington, D.C.: EPA), 84.

        ^Global Tomorrow Coalition, p. 270.

        through, for example, regional communication and dialogue processes (see Project (b) under Question
     #8 below) or  legislative action.

                             II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 23

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   that its own primary legislative mandates are administered, to the extent legally possible,
   in a manner that is  consistent with and enhances progress towards sustainable
   development.  These efforts could also serve as a model for similar work by other
   Federal and state agencies.

D  Serving as a Catalyst  for Change.  A second Agency role could be that of a catalyst
   promoting activities consistent with sustainable development in both the public and
   private sectors. EPA  could work to encourage other government agencies at the local,
   state, Federal, and even international levels to adopt management practices, strategic
   planning targets, and program development procedures that further progress towards
   sustainable development.  In general, sustainable development goals are too broad-based
   to be handled exclusively by the  agencies traditionally responsible for land and resource
   management.  Other agencies must take part; some potential contributions that EPA
   could encourage include:

       •  Department  of Transportation-development of a national transportation strategy
          designed to meet both the long-term transport needs of the country and
          environmental  goals;

       •  Department  of Commerce-revision of national income accounts to incorporate
          the economic function of  environmental capital assets (e.g. resource stocks,
          ecosystems providing streams of services over time, etc.);

       •  Department  of Defense (or NSA)--analysis of the implications for U.S. national
          security of various global  environmental contingencies;

       •  Departments of the Treasury, Commerce, and Labor-analysis of the beneficial
          and adverse  consequences, for both the economy and the environment, of a shift
          in the tax base from labor and capital to  natural resource use hi order to provide
          incentives for employment, investment, and conservation.

   Similarly, the Agency could foster private activities consistent with sustainable
   development through  educational efforts and the introduction of incentives (see
   Principles (6)  and (10) under Question #1). Efforts in support of this catalytic role
   might include communication and elucidation of sustainable development concepts and
   principles, as well as collection and dissemination of information about progress toward
   sustainable development.

o Establishing Environmental Goals. EPA would have an important role to play in the
   establishment of (at least) the environmental component of national sustainable
   development goals. The Agency is endowed with a unique collection of environment-
   related resources, including data bases, human technical and legal expertise, and
   institutional structures.  These put it in a unique position to contribute to the
   development of appropriate long-term environmental goals that represent not only the
   long-term environmental priorities of the US, but also its economic needs.  Thus, an
   EPA role in a national sustainable development goal-setting process may be warranted
   even if the Agency is not charged with the responsibility for implementing sustainable

                            II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 24

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     development programs.

  a Oversight of Federal Sustainable Development Activities. A fourth role for EPA could
     be the task of overseeing Federal sustainable development activities to ensure, for
     example, that environmental goals are pursued concurrently with economic objectives.
     Such a responsibility would be consistent with EPA's current oversight authorities (e.g.
     under NEPA), with possible enhanced authority if the  Agency is elevated to Cabinet
     status, and with  its general mission as the environmental "conscience" of the  Federal
     government.  In fulfillment of this role, EPA might also be required to provide technical
     assistance to agencies administering programs that will significantly affect progress
     towards  sustainable development goals.


7)   Would EPA compromise its effectiveness as an advocate of the environment
     by adopting sustainable development policies that include economic
     development  as an objective?

           Historically, most environmental protection efforts have used command-and-
     control approaches to contain, treat, or clean up existing pollution; the focus has been on
     correcting past mistakes.  Progress has been substantial, particularly over the last twenty
     years, but it  has often come at high cost, leading some to identify an apparent conflict
     between economic growth and environmental quality.  Hence, some environmentalists
     may not be comfortable with efforts to adopt sustainable development goals  that
     integrate economic and environmental priorities, fearing that consideration of economic
     needs will compromise advocacy of environmental quality. Apprehensions of this sort
     are understandable, but largely unfounded, for several reasons.

           First, a sustainable development program would build on rather than  compromise
     the progress EPA has made as an advocate of environmental quality.  Environmental
     protection provided by the existing framework of regulatory and compliance  programs
     would become the baseline against which future gains  from any sustainable development
     activities will be measured.

           Second, in the long run, preservation of ecological resources is probably not best
     served by the reactive stance that environmental protection programs now take in
     managing problems once they become deleterious enough to warrant political attention.
     This is particularly true when impacts of environmental stresses may not be discernible
     for many years or decades, during which time stressors may be allowed to continue until
     cumulative impacts become irreversible.  In such cases, "correcting past mistakes" will not
     be enough. Positive, proactive positioning, which might include statements of carefully
     conceived goals, will be increasingly needed to achieve long-term protection  of life-
     support  systems in the presence  of growing anthropogenic stresses.  The establishment of
     environmental goals would not, however, be meaningful unless these goals are
     considered in the context of more general national objectives,  including desired patterns
     of development. One  of the key principles of sustainable development is the need  for
     parity and linkages between environmental and economic goals.  Identification of only


                             II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 25

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      environmental targets may achieve near-term Agency objectives, but it will not promote
      the understanding that environmental goals must be considered alongside  economic
      goals, rather than as a mere constraint on economic growth.

            Third, there is growing recognition that the causes of the future environmental
      problems of greatest concern will fall increasingly outside both the realm of command
      and control protection strategies and the traditional EPA mandate itself.  Examples
      include problems (both economic and environmental) associated with agricultural
      practices, transportation and energy infrastructures, and accelerating urban growth.
      Addressing the new breed of environmental priorities will require much additional
      cooperation from private interests (businesses and households) and from other
      government agencies.  These will clearly include players whose missions and objectives
      emphasize economic returns and growth.  An adversarial approach, by which the EPA
      might attempt to force these players to consider environmental issues without recognizing
      economic priorities, would be very difficult to advance and would probably not be
      conducive to the establishment of links between economic and environment decision-
      making.  A focus on sustainable development goals may establish the  context in which all
      parties can address these problems in a constructive, "win-win" manner.


(8)   What are some possible projects that would promote sustainable
      development or the concepts behind it?37

      (a)   Awareness Raising:  issue an EPA Order or policy directive on sustainable
            development.  The Order would set forth some general principles, objectives, and
            guidelines for increasing Agency emphasis on sustainable development, and
            propose a timetable for subsequent actions.

      (b)   Awareness Raising:  establish communication and dialogue processes focused on
            sustainable development and involving participation from a broad cross-section of
            interests including government, public interest groups, industry, and academia.
            These groups would explore the implications of sustainable development concepts
            and make recommendations to the Administrator on appropriate national goals
            and initiatives.38

      (c)   Awareness Raising:  sponsor an internal distribution of background materials on
            sustainable development, as well as training sessions and/or workshops on the
            topic, to broaden understanding of sustainable development principles and
            concepts  and to stimulate discussion and creative thinking on its implications for
            the Agency and the nation.
             a complete list, see "Sustainable Development and EPA: A Proposed Action Agenda."  The
      descriptions of possible projects given here are abridged from that document.

         3*This process could resemble the approach the Canadians have undertaken in establishing National and
      Provincial Round Tables.

                               II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 26

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(d)   Internal Goal Setting and Planning: incorporate, in guidance to EPA programs for
      the second round of strategic planning, requirements for selected analyses and
      targets that focus on sustainable development.

(e)   Interagency Goal Setting and Planning: promulgate an Executive Order on
      sustainable development, to be complementary to the proposed Pollution
      Prevention Executive Order.  The Executive Order on sustainable development
      would require Federal  agencies to evaluate the contributions of their programs to
      progress towards sustainable development.

(f)    Interagency Goal Setting and Planning: work with the Department of Energy to
      incorporate, in the final National Energy Strategy, a commitment to develop a set
      of sustainable development goals for the energy sector within 3-5 years.

(g)   Interagency Goal Setting and Planning: enhance cooperation with USDA in the
      promotion of sustainable agriculture.  A forum for senior USDA and EPA
      officials could be organized to reach agreement  on the development of integrated
      economic and environmental goals for the agricultural sector. Analyses of
      projections for that sector, and the environmental implications of projected trends,
      would be conducted in preparation for the forum and follow-up processes.

(h)   National Goal Setting and Planning: analyze the potential for a national
      sustainable development goals-setting process.  This would include reviews of past
      goal-setting efforts; discussions between the Administrator and government,
      industry, and public interest group leaders to explore the feasibility of a goals-
      setting effort; and development of options for a goals-setting process.

(i)   Forecasting and Reporting:  develop a series of projects to demonstrate  the
      applicability of forecasting to EPA program management and decision-making.
      One component of these projects could assess the relevance of forecasting
      information to integrated planning and goal setting for sustainable development.

(j)   Geographic Area Sustainable Development Analyses: Conduct an assessment of
      current and proposed programs for environmental management in one or more
      discrete geographic areas (e.g. the Chesapeake Bay or Puget Sound regions) for
      consistency with sustainable development concepts and principles. The
      assessment would use forecasts of economic development, population growth, and
      environmental quality to identify key regional sustainable development issues.
      Current and  planned management programs would be evaluated for their ability
      to address these issues.

(k)   Environment - Economy Linkages:  conduct a pilot study  to develop a set of
      environmental and natural resource accounts for the Chesapeake Bay basin. This
      pilot will identify procedural and data availability issues.  Results will serve as a
      guide for other potential regional assessments and provide input to the
      development of national environmental accounts [currently underway].

                        II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 27

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      (1)    Environment - Economy Linkages:  develop, in cooperation with the Bureau of
            Economic Analysis at the Department of Commerce, a model framework for the
            incorporation of satellite natural resource accounts in national income accounts.

      (m)   International Activities:  promote a stronger environmental and sustainable
            development emphasis  in the programs of the multilateral development banks.
            Work focuses on strengthening programs to reduce CFC releases, preserve
            wetlands, improve environmental impact assessment  capabilities, enhance input
            from NGOs, and establish a Green Fund [currently underway].

      (n)   International Activities:  strengthen environmental management and program
            development capabilities in developing countries through technical assistance and
            training [currently underway].

      (o)   International Activities:  promote U.S. policy positions that support sustainable
            development in multilateral fora, including the 1992  World Conference on
            Environment and Development in Brazil [currently underway].
(9)   What does a sustainable development focus imply for EPA programs?
      Does an increased emphasis on sustainable development mean reduced
      emphasis on regulatory and compliance programs?

             Though it has no coordinated sustainable development strategy or program in
      place, EPA is already administering a wide range  of programs and projects that directly
      address sustainable development concepts and principles, and others are now in planning
      stages.  Examples include projects planned or underway as part of the Agency's Pollution
      Prevention program, initiatives promoting sustainable agriculture in cooperation with
      USDA, ongoing examination of the usefulness of economic incentives in promoting cost
      effective environmental protection, and work to implement a "No Net Loss" policy for
      wetlands. Although such activities generally have not been initiated primarily to promote
      "sustainable development," they do serve as evidence of a growing EPA commitment to
      move in new directions often associated with that term.

             The development of a coordinated EPA program or strategy to promote
      sustainable development would nonetheless add much value to these efforts already
      underway.  A coherent strategy would reinforce the proactive approach  that is essential
      to addressing sustainable development issues.  A goals-oriented strategy would provide a
      means of evaluating current programs, including projects such as those listed  above, for
      their qualitative consistency with sustainable development concepts and principles and
      their quantitative adequacy for achievement of strategic objectives. The framework
      provided by such a strategy could be used to identify gaps in current programs and reveal
      opportunities for new projects. Coordination would also enhance compatibility amongst
      programs and eliminate unnecessary duplicate efforts.  Finally, a sustainable
      development strategy with clearly stated objectives would give policy makers and the
      public distinct indicators of progress to guide future adjustments  in programs or policies.

                              II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 28

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           Meanwhile, though an EPA sustainable development strategy or program could
     include a range of new projects and programs (see Question #8 above for a listing of
     some possible initial projects), the success of such a program will depend on the
     continued strength of current regulatory and compliance programs.  Any progress toward
     sustainable development will begin at the environmental protection baseline established
     by these programs. Regulatory and compliance programs  can also contribute important
     institutional expertise to an environmental goal-setting process that could be an integral
     part of a sustainable development focus. If economic and environmental goals are
     established and sustainable  development strategies emerge, these programs will be
     needed to ensure that intermediate objectives are met.  Over time,  as institutions gain
     experience in setting and working towards sustainable development goals, regulatory and
     compliance programs could be evaluated against strategic  sustainable development
     objectives (or against general principles such as those identified in Question #1 above)
     to identify opportunities for strengthening their focus, direction, and effectiveness.
10)  Summary: what are the most important lessons found in the sustainable
     development literature?

           Though many definitions of sustainable development have been proposed, the
     definitions generally  emphasize two key concepts:

     (a)   environmental and economic needs are ultimately linked, so that environment must
           be considered a fundamental component of, rather than a constraint to, economic
           activity, and

     (b)   activities and decisions affecting the economy and the environment should reflect the
           long-term and intergenerational needs of society.

           Beyond these  basic concepts, the definitions often differ.  Each will necessarily
     imply that something must be "sustained" and thus will call implicitly for achievement  of
     certain goals ("sustain X quantity of Y"). Determination of these goals-whether the
     focus should be on economic expansion, preservation of healthy ecological systems,
     maintenance of natural resource stocks, or combinations of these and other long-term
     needs-is not a task that can be left to writers of definitions of "sustainable development"
     at EPA or other Federal agencies. Such goals will reflect ethical concerns about the
     future, as well as judgments about appropriate means of handling uncertainty, and thus
     should probably be set through political channels with broad-based public input.

           The political process needed to establish  a national sustainable development
     agenda would  certainly be complex. Nonetheless, our ability to meet the long term
     challenges facing our country, and especially those associated with ecological processes
     characterized by long time lags, will be greatly enhanced by the adoption of proactive
     strategies directed by such goals.
                             II - Some Key Questions for EPA - 29

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      Ultimately, "sustainable development" may derive its meaning from the economic,
social, and environmental goals on which it is based. We may only know, for example,
that a particular pattern of development is "sustainable" if we know precisely what we
must  sustain-the latter determines a goal.  Yet even without clearly defined goals of this
nature, the general concepts behind sustainable development can serve to indicate some
important opportunities for improvements in both the  strategic and day-to-day decision
making at the EPA.
                           - Some Key Questions for EPA - 30

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                                  SECTION m
        SUMMARY OF FINDINGS FROM SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
                        INTERVIEWS AND DISCUSSIONS
      Sustainable development is, in a formal sense, a new concept and one that is not
yet explicitly integrated into EPA's programs and policies.  There are wide variations in
the level of awareness and understanding of the concept, both within EPA and in U.S.
society as a whole. A basic objective of this project was to develop, through discussions
with a broad cross-section of EPA managers and staff, a better sense of the thinking
within the Agency on this topic. Focus of the discussions ranged from definitions and
philosophy to the implications of the concept for EPA and specific suggestions for
projects, policies, and actions. The results of these discussions, which are summarized in
following sections, provided essential input to the development and refinement of the
concepts, principles, and options for action presented elsewhere in  this report.

       Before proceeding, it is worthwhile to mention briefly the limitations of this
interview and discussion process.  Attached is a comprehensive list of contacts.
Examination of this listing indicates a number of areas where hi the future, additional
input could be obtained to develop a truly comprehensive perspective.  Internally, input
from a broader range of contacts  within the program offices and from the regions is
needed.  Externally,  there are four key areas where extensive discussions on sustainable
development will ultimately be needed.  These are 1) other Federal agencies, 2) states,
3) environmental groups, and 4) business and industry. As an initial stage in developing
a perspective on sustainable development in EPA, the discussions and interviews held
provide a good cross-section of perspectives and ideas. As part of an ongoing effort to
formulate an approach to sustainable development, broader input as indicated above
should be obtained.

      The material in this section is organized into three parts. The first is an overview
of some of the major themes which emerged from the interviews. The second is a
compilation of suggestions for actions and projects drawn from these discussions.  The
last part is a list of contacts.
                                       m-i

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                         GENERAL THEMES AND IDEAS
      A number of common themes and ideas emerged during the discussions of
sustainable development. Following is a brief summary of the general findings and
conclusions drawn from these discussions:

    - Agency Perspective.  At present our thinking and planning is driven
      predominantly by legislative goals and requirements. These will not change but if
      we think about sustainability (both ecological and economic) a different
      perception of mission, priorities, approaches, and opportunities might be
      suggested. A broader perspective of the context in which we operate could be
      developed.  Many feel that the results of challenging our thinking in this way
      might be  the most important benefit of an emphasis on sustainable development.

    - Need for Long-Range Goals.  The need for some goals to focus efforts  to achieve
      progress toward sustainability was a common theme. While comprehensive
      national goals in this area are needed, it was recognized that establishing these
      goals in the near term would be very difficult  It may be more effective for EPA
      to initially set some  sustainable development goals (by sector or region  or sub-
      region) in key  program areas. All recognized that such goals would be interim
      and part of a long-range, iterative process.  Sustainable development concepts
      could provide a good organizing framework.

    - Sustainable Development as a Priority. If EPA is to address sustainable
      development  in a comprehensive way, senior management needs to agree  on
      directions and priorities. It is important to send clear signals on intent, both
      internally to managers and staff and externally to other agencies and public.
      There is a strong feeling that phasing it in as a priority should be gradual  and
      fully integrated into  on-going programs. This is not a quick-fix type of effort.

    - Geographic Focus.  Many interviewed felt that focussing on a specific geographic
      area would be best way to explore the implications of the concept  Analyzing
      economic and environmental trends in a discrete area and their implications for
      sustainability and EPA process would put sustainable development in a context
      that local officials and the public can understand.  Chesapeake Bay basin was
      suggested most frequently but other areas (Puget Sound, Great Lakes, etc.) were
      also mentioned.

                                       ra-2

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Sectoral Focus. Picking one economic sector as a focus for analyses and program
development was also frequently suggested. Energy and agriculture sectors were
the two most frequently mentioned.  As with the geographic focus, this would help
foster a cross-media, integrated approach.

Natural Resources.  Many feel that sustainable development can provide the focus
and framework for increasing EPA participation in natural resource issues.
Development of natural resources is a fundamental component of much economic
activity. At the same time, it is also frequently the source of significant and
sometimes irreversible impacts on the environment.  Many of these impacts are
not immediately obvious but show up later or result from secondary development
actions. The primary responsibility for natural resource development rests with
other agencies with missions more focussed on economic development. As a
result EPA and the natural resource agencies are frequently in adversarial
positions regarding proposed programs and projects.  Consideration of sustainable
development concepts can, over time, provide a constructive approach to resolving
some of the existing issues and preventing some of the future ones.

Approach to Growth Issues.  Growth management issues are at the heart of many
of the current sustainability issues. Land use and economic development
decisions most often made by the private sector or local, regional, or state
governments can have significant environmental impacts over longer time periods
and larger areas than originally anticipated. EPA is  often precluded by law from
direct involvement in these issues and decisions yet our policies and programs
frequently influence them in fundamental ways.  Strengthening the focus on
sustainable development can help create a context in which both environmental
concerns and those related to land use planning and growth  management can be
dealt with more constructively than in the past.

Integration of Sustainable Development into Programs. The need for  training,
workshops, and management discussions of sustainable development and its
implication was a common theme. The awareness of Agency staff and managers
needs to  be raised.  Distribution of background materials,  discussions with the
Canadians about their efforts to implement a sustainable development program,
development of case studies and curricula for EPA Institute courses are examples
of suggestions  in this area.  Several managers also indicated it  would be essential
to incorporate  sustainable  development into our strategic planning effort if we
really want to integrate it into our programs.

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Research and Data Analysis. The need to understand better what it takes to
make our ecosystems sustainable and the impacts of human actions was frequently
expressed.  Better use of our existing data bases (both within media and in an
integrated sense) is a key element.  Improved monitoring, forecasting and
research programs should specifically address sustainability issues and related data
needs.
                                 HI4

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           SUGGESTIONS FOR POLICIES. PROGRAMS. AND ACTIONS

      One product of the interviews was a large number of specific suggestion for things
EPA might do to foster an increased emphasis on sustainability. The following is an
expanded summary of those suggestions. It is indicative of the creative thinking
stimulated by consideration of sustainable development, even for a short-time period.
These ideas begin to highlight the diversity and scope of activities and the program
linkages which could evolve from a more systematic and on-going emphasis on
sustainable development.
     Need to find a model on a small or medium scale to study in terms of how
     agreement on long-term goals was achieved.  Examples might be Great Lakes
     Agreement or CFC protocol. Need to define key components to success.
                                           (Delores Gregory, BFI)
     Establish a national vision and some goals in this area.  Some organization in the
     Executive Branch (EPA or CEQ) needs to exercise leadership in focussing the
     national effort.                        (Don Lesh, GTC)

     Need to establish an on-going dialogue on the goals (evolutionary process vs one
     time).                                (Don Lesh, GTC)

     EPA could have a major impact if it would step out and take responsibility for
     monitoring the impact of American lifestyle on sustainability. Need to develop
     long-term indicators and programs which would track both environmental quality
     and environmental productivity.
                                           (Charles Benbrook, NAS)

     EPA should work with NAS in a joint project to define and develop good indicators
     of soil sustainabih'ty/productivity. Work could impact 1995 Farm Bill.
                                           (Charles Benbrook, NAS)

     Best way to get into topic would be to pick a sector  (agriculture, energy, or maybe
     both) and really dig into it to define what would be implied by a comprehensive
     sustainable development approach.
                                           (Susan Wayland, OPP, OPTS)
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Might be worthwhile to revisit concept of national planning or goal setting for
industrial/economic development.  Currently in disfavor but might be revived in
context of sustainable development. It could help set priorities for the kind of
technologies we should support, areas for long-term research, etc. It would provide
for the planning needed to promote environmentally benign economic
development.
                                       (Mike Shapiro, OAR)

We should pull together a cross-section of people who have creative ideas on the
subject (staff, senior managers, etc). Each office could be requested  to nominate
people. With appropriate preparation, hold a two-day meeting to discuss and
hammer-out a set of principles and objectives to guide Agency
programs.                              (Mike Shapiro, OAR)

In exploring implications of sustainable development we should follow closely the
reauthorization of the Coastal Zone Management Act  Current House and Senate
bills are trying to deal with the environment/economic development issue more
comprehensively than other EPA legislation. It can provide insights on how to
proceed in other areas.
                                       (Tudor Davies, OMEP, OW)

We need to look across other agencies, perhaps on a sector basis, and develop  a
comprehensive approach to deal with issues. It is not enough for EPA to just get
its own act together on sustainable development.
                                       (Tudor Davies, OMEP, OW)

A geographic approach to sustainable development would work best Need to  have
boundaries that are reasonably consistent with publics  area of interest  Hydrologic
units work best Estuarine areas like Chesapeake Bay have full cross-section of
issues and would be a good place to test implications.
                                       (Tudor Davies, OMEP, OW)

Conduct a set of workshops involving EPA people plus some from outside
(international, state, city, foundation) who are involved exploring this concept
Need some sophisticated thinking on the subject and a broader set of Agency
people need to be involved.              (John Skinner, ORD)

Best approach from a sector or geographic area perspective.  Analyses would define
what needs to be  sustained (both environmental and economic), key factors

                                  ffl-6

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governing sustainability, and which types of clean technologies need to be
promoted.                              (John Skinner, ORD)

EPA and USDA (and possibly USDI) need to team up on some common goals.
Water issues are best place to start.  Best way to start is to get Reilly and Yeutter
talking, possibly through a retreat process. Willing to help.
                                       (Ned Raun, Winrock International)

Would be useful to put together a sustainable development source  book that
provides background info on definitions, what it might imply,  examples of how it
might relate to programs, what others are doing, etc.  This would help create a
context for discussions about an EPA Directive or Order.
                                       (Bob Wayland, OW)

After people get further into topic schedule trip  for 6-8 key people to go to Canada
and discuss their experiences and problems in trying to put a  sustainable
development program in place.
                                       (Bob Wayland, OW)

EPA needs to be actively involved with energy, agriculture, and transportation
 agencies to insure environmental perspective incorporated in  their programs. Real
 need for long range goals with environmental concerns fully included.
                                       (Mike Shapiro, OAR)

As an Agency the focus of discussion and action needs to shift to environmental
quality in a broad context  This might lead us to conclusion that sustainable
development might be closer to the real environmental ethic  we should be adhering
to. To get into this schedule a half-day meeting involving the Administrator,
Deputy, and a cross-section of EPA managers.  The meeting would be a discussion
and brainstorming session regarding our fundamental guiding ethic and where
sustainable development fits in.
                                       (Tudor Davies, OMEP, OW)

Organize a training program for SES which gets at basics of what sustainable
development means for our agency culture, procedures, etc.
                                       (Tudor Davies, OMEP, OW)

The key is to get the programs involved in examining their own rules and actions
with respect to sustainable development.  OPPE can do some of this but programs

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are the key.
                                       (Hank Schilling, OPP, OPPE)

One way to increase attention on subject would be to organize a couple of
symposiums where key government, industry, and environmental leaders were
invited to debate the topic. The audience would be key opinion makers from
media.
                                       (Chris Rice, OCPA)

A 10 page ± primer on sustainable development would be a useful communication
tool.  It could briefly explain the concept and implications and then focus on
questions that staff, managers, and organizations at various levels (federal, state,
local, industry, etc) should ask about their operation and sustainable
development.                           (Chris Rice, OCPA)

Need to define sustainable development in terms more familiar to the Agency at
this point. Should show how it relates to, supports, etc. current goals like risk
reduction and resource conservation.      (Art Koines, OPP, OPPE)

Development of a case study would be a very good way to show managers and staff
how sustainable development themes and concepts impact the way we do business.
Examples of two "case study" types of efforts which were successful hi introducing
new concepts were comparative risk studies and the "di-nitro chickenwire" case
study for risk assessment
                                       (Art Koines, OPP, OPPE)

Somebody needs to take a comprehensive look at how tax policy impacts
sustainability. Best approach might be to find a way to get GAO to do it. OMB
and Congressional Budget Office also have the capability.
           (Nancy Mathews, Energy/Environmental Study Institute)

Should review efforts of White House Commission on National Goals from the
early 1970*5.  This might provide ideas on problems, process, etc. associated with
national goal-setting efforts. Best contact would be Walter Hahn, ex-Secretary of
Commerce.                            (Delores Gregory, BFT)

Need to find out what happened to the interagency Global Issues Group which was
chaired by CEQ.  It was active a few years ago and served as a forum for
discussion of approaches to topics like sustainable development

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                                       (Delores Gregory, BFI)

Need to establish some long-term goals even if they are initially only general
targets.  An example is the set of interim goals Japan has set for addressing global
warming.  If we picked a few key areas like the energy sector,  agriculture sector, or
pollution prevention we might be able to reach consensus on
goals.
                                       (Delores Gregory, BFI)

The Brazil 1992 Conference could be used as a framework or  hook around which a
public debate on sustainability development or an advisory group to EPA could be
orgaruzed. If we could identify 3-4 major issues that EPA and U.S. will have to
address as part of that meeting these could be basis for starting the process.
                                       (Delores Gregory, BFI)

It would be useful to find a way to score or rank EPA programs at this point in
terms of their focus and effectiveness in addressing the sustainable development
goal. This would suggest an agenda of actions to improve programs.
                                       (Tom Kelly, ORME, OPPE)

Some longer-term goals which focus on sustainability would be helpful to the water
program. Examples in the agriculture area might be goals for X% reduction in soil
erosion, pesticide use, and nutrient loss with no loss in productivity. Another might
be a water conservation goal (reduce use X% per year).
                                       (Betsy LaRoe, OWRS, OW)

EPA should consider doing a sustainability analyses of Chesapeake Bay with
emphasis on the ultimate carrying capacity of system. Basic questions are there re
what numbers of people and what nature and level of economic activity are
sustainable if functioning water ecosystem in Bay is also to be  sustained. The
recent 2020 Study is a good starting point.
                                       (Bill Painter, OPA,  OPPE)

Agriculture is having major effects on water quality around the country. Would it
be feasible to divide the country into geographic sectors and then for each do an
analyses that would integrate environmental standards and protection priorities with
needs for food and fiber production and maintenance of farm  income?
                                       (Bill Painter, OPA,  OPPE)
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Projects and research which strengthen our basic understanding of ecosystems and
our ability to detect changes are essential to a strong sustainable development
focus.  Use of the E-Map program, which is rapidly gaining support from other
agencies, will be a key activity for EPA.
                                       (Erich Bretthauer, ORD)

We should try to develop a geographic focus for conducting  some sustainability
analyses. Many key decisions affecting sustainable development are made at the
regional scale.  Two possibilities for conducting these types of analyses are the
Chesapeake Bay basin and the Puget Sound basin.  The latter might be best as a
first choice due to fact that only one state is involved.
                                       (Erich Bretthauer, ORD)

For a topic like sustainable development you need to find a  way to bring people
along. We should get some of the good thinkers on the subject from inside and
outside EPA and hold some workshops with Agency managers and staff. This is a
good vehicle for building consensus.
                                       (Erich Bretthauer, ORD)

A key element in moving on sustainable development will be establishment of a
broad constituency. EPA needs to actively work on this both inside and with key
groups like academia, members of Congress and key staff, etc.  To make this
happen there needs to be a champion at a senior level within the Agency to push
it.                                     (Erich Bretthauer, ORD)

EPA should play an active role in promoting incorporation of environmental
benefits and damages into the analytic basis used to manage resources like coal,
timber, water, etc. Fundamental changes are needed in U.S. forest management
policy, water management policy, etc. and EPA should be one of the catalysts for
change.                    (Dr. Robert Stavins, Kennedy School of Government)

EPA should examine, possibly through a study or a workshop with industry, the
problem of major differences in views on economy/environment issues between
CEO's and lobbyists, and  VPs in industry.  There is a major disconnect here which
is a barrier to progress in this area. Its a much bigger problem than between
CEO's and government     (Dr. Robert Stavins, Kennedy School of Government)

Issuance of reports by EPA like the proposed report of the  Incentives Task Force
will contribute significantly to movement toward a stronger  market-based approach

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to environmental management.  With respect to the Task Force Report, EPA
should move quickly to get this information out to state officials. He senses a
strong willingness to try new approaches at that level but a lack of expertise.
                           (Dr. Robert Stavins,  Kennedy School of Government)

One approach for increasing the emphasis on sustainable development would be to
provide some incentive funds for projects and let  programs compete for them.
Keep the process simpler than that used for pollution prevention incentive funds
and use a smaller set-aside.  The major benefit of something like this would be
sowing the seeds of sustainable development thinking in broader group within the
Agency.                                (Dave  Davis, OWP, OW)

Increased training on sustainable development will be necessary. It could be done
by incorporating into existing training program curricula, obtaining related videos
that management can use with staff, holding a series of forums on the topic, etc.
                                       (Dave  Davis OWP, OW)

An Executive Order on sustainable development would be useful if you can get it.
Likely to be very difficult.
                                       (Dave  Davis, OWP, OW)

 Establishment of goals for EPA in the sustainable development area could help
 make staff more aware of concepts and willing to discuss a broader approach with
 other agencies.  It might be best to establish these goals at a regional or sub-
 regional level due to difficulty of doing it nationally.
                                       (Dave  Davis, OWP, OW)

It would be useful to pick one or more geographic areas and evaluate current
programs, is a vis sustainable development concepts.  Chesapeake Bay may be too
complex due to three states being involved. Any  such effort should have a high
level endorsement from both EPA and other jurisdictions  involved.  Its very
important that any analyses be done in context of on-going programs and not as a
separate, isolated project.
                                       (Dave  Davis, OWP, OW)

It might be appropriate to set up within OPPE a  small group to handle
coordinating functions re sustainable development, facilitate the flow of
information, track outside activities, etc. It would be a mistake to have a separate
sustainable development program office which ran projects and initiatives totally

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independent of line programs.
                                       (Dave Davis, OWP, OW)

At the present time we have not taken a comprehensive look at all the components
involved in the long-term sustainability of our food and fiber system.  However,
within the USDA the issue has surfaced and discussions and activities are taking
place that begin to address this critical issue.  As we examine sustainability one
quickly recognizes that we are dealing with not only an agricultural issue but also
the long-term sustainability of all ecosystems. The EPA can play a vital role in this
examination and discovery process by assisting the USDA in breaking down the
barriers and bringing to the discussions their experience in dealing with highly
complex issues.  This is an excellent opportunity for the USDA and the EPA to
begin to "crossbreed" their respective areas of expertise in an effort that will
ultimately result in the development of sound long-term goals on sustainability.  As
a starting point, a joint meeting or retreat of key senior officials from both
agencies, as suggested by Winrock International, would be useful.
                (Jim Mosely, Agriculture Advisor to the Administrator)
 One thing that EPA could do within our legislative authorities is include energy
 conservation as part of the basic definition of BACT for purposes of PSD
 permitting. This would establish as a basic requirement that anyone wanting a
 permit for an energy generation facility must demonstrate use of conservation up to
 the point where conservation costs exceed avoided costs.
                                       (Alex Cristofaro, OPA, OPPE)

 A goal setting process with USDA as part of an overall increase in emphasis on
 sustainable development could prove useful. It would need to wait for some
 appropriate time following passage of the 1990 Farm Bill

                                       (Rob Wolcott, OPA, OPPE)

 It would be useful to take a comprehensive look at what we mean by sustainable
 agriculture. A background paper could  be prepared which summarizes what EPA
 and others think sustainable development means in the agriculture sector.  This
 paper could then serve as a basis for senior level discussions between EPA and
 USDA.  Hopefully these meetings would result in consensus on what sustainable
 agriculture means and a longer-range agenda for cooperative action.
                                       (Rob Wolcott, OPA, OPPE)

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It might be useful to synthesize information, by agricultural subsector, and identify
characteristics of prototype Sustainable agriculture operations.  This effort could
start with the highest environmental impact sector.
                                       (Rob Wolcott, OPA, OPPE)

There is a need to integrate nonpoint source control programs, BMPs, alternative
agriculture, and sustainability. We need to develop a comprehensive conceptual
framework which identifies linkages, barriers, and synergistic effects.
                                       (Rob Wolcott, OPA, OPPE)

A key component of making progress  on sustainable development is knowing what
we are trying to sustain and to develop. EPA should make a strong effort to
integrate our data and related analysis systems (E-MAP, GIS, OW systems, etc.) so
that we can really understand what is  happening to our resource base.
                                       (Chris Holmes, OSWER)

A geographic analyses relative to sustainability would be useful. Washington State
(or a part of it) would be good place to start due to the cross-section of issues, data
availability, etc.
                                       (Chris Holmes, OSWER)

Training will be the key to making progress on promoting sustainable development
thinking within the Agency. We need to have workshops and training sessions for
both managers and staff on the concepts and issues.  Part of this training should
involve people with actual experience in trying to put sustainable development
programs in place.  These could include people from World Bank, WRI, etc. We
could also think abut developing a series of courses on the topic through the EPA
Institute.
                                       (Chris Holmes, OSWER)

The best way to capture attention of AAs  and others would be some specific
examples based on analyses of our data.  Need to identify some specific examples
or case studies of key resources where long-term sustainability is threatened.
                                       (Chris Holmes, OSWER)

The upcoming activity by EPA on the regulation of mining waste would  be an
excellent place to look at sustainability issues.
                                       (Chris Holmes, OSWER)

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A good vehicle for emphasizing sustainable development would be through
programmatic EISs.  We could focus increased attention on development and
review of EISs for programs and policies (as contrasted with project EISs) and
make sustainable development a priority element of the review.  Currently do some
of these but no comprehensive, systematic emphasis.  If this was done, it could
involve us in review of things like tax policies, SEC action, trade policies, etc. that
can have major impacts on environment protection programs.
                                       (Bill Dickerson, OFA, OE)

Issues of long term sustainability of water supplies and water conservation
represent an area where NEPA/EIS program becoming more actively involved.
The issues  deal not only with sustaining water supplies but also sustaining
ecosystems that might be destroyed by water supply projects. The policy group
chaired by  OW seems to be an effective way to work these issues.
                                       (Bill Dickerson, OFA, OE)

The best way to make progress on sustainable development would be  for the
Administrator to designate some key areas (6-12) where we want to promote and
push sustainable development thinking and concepts.  This would provide support
for some creative work in these areas.  Examples might be nonpoint source
pollution, water conservation, energy conservation, etc.
                                       (Cindy Dybella, OPA, OPPE)

EPA currently tends to view resolution of many NPS problems as a local issue and
stay out of it due to land use implications.  There is a policy gap. Sustainable
development could provide focus for a stronger EPA effort if NPS were identified
as one of the key sustainability priorities on the overall Agency list (see item
above). EPA could then increase emphasis in this area through a combination of
regulatory approaches, incentive programs, and support/tech assistance to states.
                                       (Cindy Dybella, OPA, OPPE)

Efficient water use and conservation are essential elements of any emphasis on
sustainability. This applies to both municipal water supply and agricultural water
use. Lots of activity in this area now.  Efforts could be strengthened by (1)
identification of water conservation as one of the priority areas in a comprehensive
Agency approach to sustainable development,  and (2) issuance of a policy
statement which would support making water conservation one of the priority
criteria for OFA reviews under NEPA Emphasizing water conservation can be a

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winner for the Agency. It promotes solutions to both environmental and
development problems alone.
                                       (Cindy Dybella, OPA, OPPE)

Other things which might be utilized to enhance water conservation could include
requiring a water conservation plan as apart of the conditions which must be met to
get an NPDES permit. Same could apply for receiving variances or exceptions
under SDWA. These options have not been explored in detail to date.
                                       (Cindy Dybella, OPA, OPPE)

The best way to push sustainable development as a priority would be to ask each
program to identify major development projects or trends they see as most
threatening to long-term sustainability. From these we could select some pilot
cases and bring together development and environmental interests to see if an
approach to sustainable development can be achieved.
                                       (Bill Dickerson, OFA, OE)

NEPA is basically adequate and can be used as a basis for promoting sustainable
development. CEQ should promote an increased emphasis or programmatic EISs
which could incorporate sustainable development analyses. They are going to be
 increasing staff to 40 next year and be looking for some big issues or emphasis
 areas. Energy efficiency and sustainable development might be of interest.
                                       (Bill Dickerson, OFA, OPPE)

 The sustainable development concept has great potential in the EIS area. Issues of
 how much mitigation needed and thresholds for no action (how much impact is too
much) are difficult yet fundamental to the process. Establishing sustainable
development as the basic operating premise would provide a systematic way to
address these issues.  To implement this, support of the political leadership within
the Agency and a formalized policy would be needed. A task Force within the
Agency would be needed to  develop criteria.
                                       (Bill Dickerson, OFA, OPPE)
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                            LIST OF EPA CONTACTS

      The following is a comprehensive list of those contacted during the course of this
project.  Some were participants and contributors in the many meetings and discussions
held during the project period. A large number of those listed were specifically
interviewed to obtain their views on sustainable development
OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR

   Jim Mosely, Agriculture Advisor
   Dan Esty, Special Assistant
   Chris Rice, Office of Communication and Public Affairs
OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL ACnvmES

   Victor Gray, Director, International Cooperation Division
   Susan Drake, International Cooperation Division
   Pat Koshell, International Cooperation Division
   Ed Johnson, Director, International Issues Division
   Chris Herman, Director, International Cooperation Division

OFFICE OF AIR AND RADIATION

   Michael Shapiro, Deputy Assistant Administrator
   Eileen Claussen, Director, Office of Atmospheric and Indoor Air Programs
OFFICE OF SOLID WASTE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

   Christian Holmes, Deputy Assistant Administrator

OFFICE OF POLICY. PLANNING ANP EVALUATION

   Terry Davies, Assistant Administrator
   Dan Beardsley, Deputy Assistant Administrator

                                     m-16

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OFFICE OF POLICY. PLANNING AND EVALUATION (continued')

     OFFICE OF POLICY ANALYSIS

      Dick Morgenstern, Director
      Alex Cristofaro, Director, Air and Energy Policy Division
      Joel Sheraga, Energy Policy Branch
      Rob Wolcott, Director, Water and Agriculture Policy Division
      Peter Caulkins, Chief, Agriculture Policy Branch
      Jim Jones, Agriculture Policy Branch
      Bill Painter, Chief, Water Policy Branch
      Cindy Dybella, Water Policy Branch
      Barry Korb, Chief, Regulatory Innovations

     OFFICE OF REGULATORY MANAGEMENT AND EVALUATION

      Thomas Kelly, Director
      Timothy Titus, Director, Science, Economics and Statistics Division
      Deny Allen, Deputy Director, Science, Economics and Statistics Division
      Timothy Barry, Chief, Science Policy Branch
      Dexter Hinckley, Science Policy Branch
      Ruth Miller, Science Policy Branch
      Bill O'Neil, Chief, Economic Analyses and Research Branch
      Greg Michaels, Economic Analyses and Research Branch
      Phil Ross, Chief, Statistical Policy Branch

     OFFICE OF POLLUTION PREVENTION

      Hank Schilling, Director
      Art Koines, Deputy Director
      Bob Currie, Director, Strategic Planning and Management Division
      Kim Devonald, Chief, Environmental Measures and Forecasting Branch
      Eric Wright, Environmental Measures and Forecasting Branch
      John Cross, Deputy Director, Pollution Prevention Division
      John Atcheson, Chief, Prevention Integration Branch
                                     IH-17

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OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

      Erich Bretthauer, Assistant Administrator
      John Skinner, Deputy Assistant Administrator

OFFICE OF PESTICIDES AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES

   Vic Kimm, Deputy Assistant Administrator
   Susan Wayland, Deputy Director, Office of Pesticide Programs

        OF WATER
   Bob Wayland, Deputy Assistant Administrator
   Tudor Davis, Director, Office of Marine and Estuarine Programs
   Dave Davies, Director, Office of Wetlands Protection
   Elisabeth LaRoe, Chief, Policy Analysis Branch, OWRS

 OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE MONITORING

   Bill Dickerson, Deputy Director, Office of Federal Activities
   Joe Montgomery, Special Programs and Analysis Division
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                         LIST OF NON-EPA CONTACTS

Alan Kneese, Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future
Michael Toman, Fellow, Resources for the Future
Bruce Smart, Senior Counselor, World Resources Institute
Ned Raun, Regional Director, Winnrock International
Delores Gregory, Special Assistant, Browning Ferris Industries
Gordon Strickland, Assistant V.P., Technical Department, CMA
Robert Stavins, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University
Charles Benbrook, Executive Director, Board on Agriculture, NRC-NAS
Don Lesh, Director, Global Tomorrow Coalition
Nancy Mathews, Consultant on Sustainability Project,  Environment & Energy Study
     Institute
John Carson, Assistant to the Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality
                                     m-19

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                                  SECTION IV
                             OPTIONS FOR ACTION

         Consideration of sustainable development and its implications for EPA leads
to two questions:

      1. Should EPA do anything beyond current and planned work to increase the
         emphasis on sustainable development?

      2. If the answer to the first question is yes, then what is an appropriate set of
         new actions?

With respect to question 1, there is clearly uncertainty on the part of some as to whether
an increased emphasis on sustainable development will significantly change current
approaches and priorities. Intuitively, most staff and managers with whom this was
discussed feel that it might imply significant and constructive changes.  Most are not able
at this point, however, to identify specific operational changes in any detail.  Discussion
in this area generates many ideas  and approaches which would need to be evaluated and
further  refined.

      For purposes of this project, it is assumed that the answer to question 1 is yes.
The options for action that follow are proposed as a way to:

       1. Establish some operating principles to serve as general guides for increasing
          the focus on sustainable development within EPA programs.

      2. Promote thinking and analysis regarding the implications of sustainable
          development from  a variety of perspectives to increase understanding of the
         concept by EPA managers and staff.

      3. Strengthen the focus on sustainability in Agency work on problems in some
         key economic sectors.

      4. Carry out a core set of programs and activities which demonstrate both
         attention to the topic and a balanced approach toward it.

      5. Provide a basis for  decisions on the long-term implications of the concepts for
         EPA programs.

      The options build on and complement a variety of current work already underway
or planned.  They present a range of possibilities for both the scope and extent of
increased agency activity in this area. A detailed schedule is not included  but most of
the specific actions, projects or analyses could be completed within a two year period.

      The next page provides a one page overview of the options. This is followed by
an expanded discussion of each proposed action. Recommendations are included in the
following section.

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                        SUMMARY LISTING OF OPTIONS
 OPTION 1;  Develop and propose three specific sustainable development policies.

       -   Increased emphasis on sustainability in NEPA/EIS program.
          Modification of cost-benefit analysis procedures to increase  emphasis on long-
          term sustainable development.
       -   Energy conservation requirements in permits.

 OPTION 2;  Initiate a set of six projects and actions to strengthen emphasis on
             sustainable development.

       -   EPA Order or policy directive on sustainable development.
       -   Include progress toward sustainable development as  a priority in overall EPA
          strategic plan.
       -   Establish public dialogues in each Region on sustainable development.
       -   Support development of long-range  sustainable development goals in the
          agricultural sector.
       -   Prepare report on sustainable development work and initiatives underway in
          other federal and state agencies.
       -   Conduct an assessment of current programs in a priority geographic area or
          areas for consistency with sustainable development.

 OPTION 3;  Initiate an additional six projects and actions to build on those in
             Option 2.

       -   Develop a comprehensive training program on sustainable development.
       -   Develop integrated agency-wide plan for reporting both environmental quality
          and progress toward sustainability.
       -   Stronger emphasis on sustainable development in  the energy sector.
       -   Propose an Executive Order on sustainable development.
       -   Conduct a feasibility analysis of the  potential for a national  sustainable
          development goal-setting process.
       -   Develop model national satellite accounts for natural resource and ecological
          values.

OPTION 4t  Combination of Option 1 & 2.

OPTION 5;  Combination of Option 2 & 3.

OPTION 6:  Other combinations.
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OPTION l!     Develop and propose for adoption sustainable development policies in
                three specific areas.

DISCUSSION;  Selection of this option would emphasize a very specific set of actions
focussed directly on policy development.  The mix of policies proposed for development
would push the thinking and increase the awareness of sustainable development
implications from both economic and environmental perspectives.  Both internal
procedures and those primarily focussed on interagency action would be represented.
The proposed policies are action oriented rather than emphasizing study, analysis,
training, etc.  All major program components would be involved to some degree.  The
proposed policies would:

      1. Establish consistency with sustainable development concepts and principles as
         a basic criterion to be  emphasized in implementation of the NEPA/EIS
         program.

         In implementing the requirements of the NEPA program, EPA and other
         federal agencies are  continually faced with both basic threshold issues
         regarding project feasibility and questions of the adequacy of proposed
         mitigation.  Many of these issues involve complex growth management
         problems and questions of short-term versus cumulative effects. While  NEPA
         provides fundamental guidelines for EPA activity in this area, a clearer
         statement of agency  policy and support for addressing cumulative effects and
         sustainability is needed.

         The concept of sustainable development has great potential to provide a
         systematic and logical way to address these issues.  Adoption of sustainable
         development as a basic operating criterion would dictate that proposed
         mitigation steps must pass the test of sustaining ecosystem function (or
         improving it in an already degraded situation). It would also require that
         consideration of energy, water, and other resource conservation be given
         significantly increased attention in EIS development and review.  Given that
         many government policies and programs, in addition to specific projects, can
         foster or inhibit sustainability this approach would require programmatic EISs
         (development and review) to be given higher priority.  All of the above fall
         within the authorities and basic principles of NEPA.

      2. Modify, after appropriate evaluation, current procedures used to conduct cost-
         benefit analyses to strengthen emphasis  on long-term sustainability and
         intergenerational equity.

         Discount rates are used to express future costs and benefits in  terms of today's
         dollars.  Because they devalue future effects, high discount rates can be a
         significant source of bias favoring short-term over long-term uses, and their
         use  may therefore impede progress towards sustainable development. Even if
         a lower discount rate were applied, summation of the present value of all
         impacts that may accrue to different generations obscures effects on


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    intergenerational equity.  Several fundamental questions need to be carefully
    addressed.  Is discounting appropriate for analysis of environmental projects
    with significant long-term impacts? Is discounting appropriate when costs and
    benefits may be unevenly distributed over different generations? If so, what
    should that rate be?  If not, how should present and future benefits be
    compared? Current guidelines provide some flexibility to use lower discount
    rates to give greater consideration to long-term impacts and benefits.
    Discounting still remains, however, a somewhat crude tool that blurs
    intergenerational equity issues.

    A reexamination of the use of discounting, with consideration of its
    implications for progress towards sustainable development,  may be a useful
    means of exploring alternative methods to advance the time horizons of
    decision makers, and ensure more  explicit consideration of  intergenerational
    distribution effects.  It will also have important consequences for other
    sustainable development projects.  For example, efforts to introduce prices
    that reflect the environmental costs and benefits of goods and services must
    consider those costs and benefits as they accrue over time and will therefore
    be sensitive to the use of discounting. Environmental accounting must take
    into account the values of future ecosystem services in order to value
    ecological assets, and will also be affected by discounting procedures.  The use
    of an appropriate method to compare present and future values is essential for
    most other sustainable development activities, including the establishment of
    long-term goals, appropriate incentives, and  both strategic and day-to-day
    decision making procedures.

    EPA efforts to modify its basic cost-benefit procedures can  serve as a valuable
    model for similar endeavors by other federal agencies, state and local
    governments, and even governments abroad.  This work represents an
    opportunity for EPA to show some leadership on an issue with major
    implications for progress towards sustainable development.
3.  Establish wherever possible the requirement that applicants for EPA permits
   (PSD, NPDES, RCRA, etc.) must establish aggressive and comprehensive
   energy conservation programs.

   Achievement of long-term sustainability requires fundamental changes in the
   energy supply system. Ultimately, it means a shift to renewable sources of
   energy.  In the short-to-mid-term, it requires significantly increasing energy
   efficiency.  This will not only reduce environmental impacts of energy
   production but extend life of non-renewable energy sources and enhance
   economic competitiveness.  To promote these changes EPA should require
   energy conservation programs wherever possible as a condition of receiving a
   permit.  For example, definitions of BACT or BAT applicable to any energy
   generation  unit or project could explicitly include a requirement for an
   aggressive energy conservation plan.  To the extent not already being done, the
   life-cycle energy requirements of any technology-based treatment requirement


                                 IV-4

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should be explicitly addressed.  In the actual permitting process, demonstration
of an energy conservation program, or a plan to develop one and a
commitment to implement it, would be  a threshold condition for considering a
permit application complete. For permits involving operations with no energy
generation but major energy demand, our legal authorities and regulations
could be reviewed to determine specifically if energy requirements and related
emissions can be considered.
                              IV-5

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OPTION 2;     Initiate a priority set of six new projects and actions in the planning,
                policy analyses, and information gathering areas to strengthen the
                emphasis on sustainable development.

DISCUSSION;  Under this option, six specific actions and projects would be selected
and carried out. These actions would provide clear interim direction for an increased
emphasis on sustainable development. They would also result in an examination, from a
number of different perspectives, of the implications of sustainable development for
EPA. The  directions set and information obtained by these actions will provide a solid
base to build on for a continuing emphases on sustainable development.  The six
actions/projects represent a priority subset of a broader action agenda outlined in
Option 3.  The propose projects/actions are:

      1. Issue an EPA Order or policy directive on sustainable development.

         This order or directive would clearly establish that progress toward
         sustainability is an agency priority.  It would establish a set of interim
         operating principles to provide general guidelines for an increased emphasis in
         this area. The principles presented on pages _ in Section II of this report are
         proposed for inclusion. The order or directive would require all  organizations
         to evaluate their programs, policies and procedures to find ways to enhance
         the emphasis on progress toward sustainable development.

      2. Include in development of an overall Agency strategic plan specific language
         emphasizing progress toward sustainable development as one of the priorities.

         This action will send strong signals within the Agency regarding our intentions
         on sustainable development. It will also lay the groundwork for an increased
         emphasis on sustainable development in program specific strategic plans and
         guidance.

      3. Establish within each region a public dialogue on sustainable development.

         Each Regional Administrator would be requested to establish, within general
         guidelines from the Administrator, an on-going communication and dialogue
         process focused on sustainability.  This will involve participation from a broad
         cross-section of interests including government, public interest groups, industry,
         and academia. These groups will explore implications of sustainable
         development in a regional or sub-regional context,  develop and implement
         ways to extend outreach and communication programs on sustainable
         development, and make recommendations to the Administrator on appropriate
         national goals and initiatives in  this area.

      4.  Support development of long-range sustainable development goals in the
         agricultural sector.
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   Numerous people within EPA and outside have suggested focussing on a
   specific economic sector to push sustainable development.  Currently working
   relationships with USDA are improving in most program areas.  This may
   provide an opportunity for some longer range integrated planning and goal
   setting regarding sustainable development in the agricultural area. This effort
   would involve OPPE, OW, OPTS, and ORD.

   To pursue this opportunity and strengthen the focus on sustainability the
   following specific actions are proposed:

   a.  In preparation for senior level discussions with USDA and others on
      sustainability in the agriculture sector, develop a comprehensive
      background paper which would

      -  Summarize what we at EPA and others think sustainable agriculture
         really means.

      -  Highlight the potential implications environmental, economic, and
         social shift toward sustainable agriculture.

   b.  Arrange a meeting involving senior USDA and EPA (OPPE, OW, OPTS)
      officials to  discuss key components of sustainability from both economic
      and environmental perspectives. The goal of the meeting would be  to:

      -  Review and discuss the background paper and attempt to reach
         consensus on the definitions and discussions of implications that  it
         contains.

      -  Identify a few sustainability issues for which a joint goal setting and
         assessment process would be valuable.

   c.  Arrange a meeting involving the Administrator and the  Secretary to review
      results of (a) and (b) above and

      -  Reach agreement on some key issues or areas for which  integrated
         environmental and economic development goals will be established.

      -  Reach agreement on a general process and  timetable for pursuing
         development of those goals. This might include establishment of groups
         or forums with  a broader government and public representation.

5.  Prepare a report on sustainable development work and initiatives in other
   governmental agencies.

   This analysis will provide information on the scope and level of activity and
   highlight opportunities for stronger linkage and coordination between EPA
   and the relevant agencies. It will also serve as a valuable baseline for
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   measuring future shifts toward sustainable development. This work would be
   done in two phases:

   a. A report on sustainable development work in other Federal agencies. This
      report would include not just the traditional resource agencies EPA usually
      deals with but also development, trade and financial agencies.

   b. A report on sustainable development work at the state/local level.

6.  Conduct an assessment of current and proposed programs for environmental
   management in one or more discrete geographic areas for consistency with
   sustainable development concepts and principles.

   The geographic area approach has been suggested by many as the best way to
   further define the implications of sustainable development for specific
   programs and policies.  The Chesapeake Bay basin, the Puget Sound basin, the
   Great Lakes, and southern Florida were suggested as possibilities. All have
   significant amounts of work underway and relatively large amounts of data
   available. It is proposed that one or more comprehensive assessments be
   initiated with the general framework as outlined below. The focus could be
   comprehensive or be limited to a media specific environmental problem. The
   general objectives for these assessments would be to:

   a.  Summarize goals and forecasts related to economic development to the
      basin or area for a period at least 20 years  into the future.

   b.  Summarize population forecasts  (including demographics for sub-regions)
      for the basin or area for the same period.

   c.  Summarize available projections, analyses, and assumptions regarding
      environmental/ecosystem quality and related protection/prevention
      programs for the same period.

   d.  Based on the information gathered under a-c above,
      -   identify key issues affecting long-term sustainable development in the
         basin or area.

      -   determine if current and planned management programs are addressing
         key sustainability issues and,  if not, what changes would be needed to
         do so.

      -   Determine the implications, if any, for EPA's general policies and
        programs.
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OPTION 3i     Initiate a more comprehensive set of actions/projects (Option 2 & six
                additional actions) to further increase the emphasis on sustainable
                development.

DISCUSSION:  Building on the actions in Option 2, the additional six actions proposed
here will further strengthen the  development of a comprehensive sustainable
development emphasis within EPA.  Several would increase efforts to develop a broader
federal government focus on sustainability. The proposed additional projects/actions
are:

      1. Develop and implement a plan to provide comprehensive training on
         sustainable development concepts, principles, and implications for EPA staff
         and  managers.

         To permanently increase the focus on sustainability issues within EPA, a
         comprehensive training program is needed.  This program needs to range from
         introductions to the concepts  to more in-depth courses on topics such as
         sustainability analyses, current economic thinking and trends, international
         environmental and economic  problems  and linkages, case study analyses, etc.
         This project would develop a  core  curriculum and supporting materials to
         allow initiation of the needed training.  The results would meet EPA needs
         and  serve as a model  for other agencies.
      2.
   Develop an integrated agency-wide plan for reporting both environmental
   quality and progress toward sustainability.

   Currently there is not in place a comprehensive program within EPA for
   reporting an environmental quality.  An increased focus on sustainability will
   require that more systematic and integrated analyses and reporting be carried
   out. Based on the forecasting work already underway or planned, plans for
   the Bureau of Environmental Statistics, results of environmental indicators
   work, current environmental quality reporting, etc., EPA should develop an
   integrated agency-wide plan for reporting both environmental quality and
   trends and progress toward sustainability. To be useful in enhancing public
   awareness and supporting program development, implementation of this plan
   must be sustainable over the long-term.

3.  Push for a stronger emphasis on sustainable development in the energy sector.

   The effects of decisions regarding sources and levels of energy supply have
   profound implications both economically and environmentally. For long-term
   sustainability, an integrated set of goals which optimize both  components
   needs to be established.  The intensive analyses underway as  part of the global
   climate change program and other efforts will provide  a strong base of
   information on possible energy supply and demand scenarios. In parallel with
   the analytical work, a framework and process needs to be developed which
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    leads to establishment of sustainability goals. To do this, the following actions
    are proposed:

    a.  Work with Department of Energy to insure that sustainable development in
       the energy sector is explicitly addressed in the final National Energy
       Strategy.  As a minimum, EPA should attempt to get incorporated into the
       strategy a commitment to develop, within 3-5 years, a set of sustainable
       energy goals.  These goals would establish milestones  and the ultimate
       target for transition to an environmentally and economically sustainable
       energy supply system.
   b.
      To the extent feasible, modify implementation of existing EPA programs to
      promote and require increased energy conservation (see Option 1).

4.  Develop and propose issuance of an Executive Order on sustainable
   development.

   Like EPA, other agencies need to begin evaluating their programs with respect
   to how they support or hinder achievement of sustainable development.  Some
   of this is underway but not in any consistent or comprehensive way.  An
   Executive Order will provide the basic framework and guidance for doing so.
   The proposed Order would build on the principles incorporated in the EPA
   Order or policy directive on sustainable development (see Option 2). It would
   be consistent with and complementary to requirements for pollution
   prevention programs established either through Executive Order or new
   legislation.
5.  Conduct a feasibility analysis of the potential for a national sustainable
   development goals setting process.

   The need for some longer range national sustainable development goals is a
   common theme. We need a vision of where we are  headed. Other work
   described in this proposal will provide insights to the feasibility of setting some
   of these goals.  To further define these possibilities,  the following work should
   be completed:
   a.  An analysis should be conducted of past efforts at national goal setting
      (economic, scientinc, development, educational, environmental, etc.) to
      evaluate process, what worked and what did not, whether or not there are
      successful models, etc.

   b.  The Administrator and/or senior managers should carry out an extensive
      set of discussions with a broad cross-section of government, industry, and
      public sector leaders to explore in general terms the desirability and
      feasibility of starting a national goal-setting effort.
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         c. Based on the work described in a and b above, plus work on specific sector
            analyses, develop options for a process leading to national sustainable
            development goals, and supporting information on the benefits.

      6. Develop model national satellite accounts for natural resource and ecological
         values.

         The need for including environmental values (benefits, costs of degradation) in
         national accounts such as the GNP is a common theme in sustainable
         development proposals. There is currently interest within the Bureau of
         Economic Analysis (BEA) of the Department of Commerce in some work in
         this area.  EPA should capitalize on this and negotiate with BEA and other
         appropriate agencies to develop a model framework with initial focus on
         natural  resource accounts.
OPTION 4;     A combination of Options 1 and 2.

DISCUSSION:  See previous discussion.  This section would provide a mix of specific
policy actions and those aimed at more general analyses and program development.
OPTION 5:     A combination of Options 1 and 3.

DISCUSSION;  Same general approach as Option 4 except more comprehensive.
OPTION 6:     Other combinations/subsets.
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                                  SECTION V
                              RECOMMENDATIONS
      Two sets of recommendations are presented in this Section.  The first covers those
actions/projects outlined in Section IV recommended for adoption. The second presents
several management and communication actions which should be implemented to
maintain and help guide a continuing emphasis on sustainable development in the near
term.

Recommended Action and Projects

      Option 4 from Section IV is recommended for adoption.  This recommendation
contains a mix of both specific policy development actions (Option  1) and a variety of
evaluation and program development activities (Option 2).

      -  Policy Development - It is recommended that two of the  policies identified
         (sustainable development as a NEPA/EIS criterion and modification of our
         cost-benefit analyses procedures) be put on priority tracks for development,
         proposal, and adoption.  Both build on existing policies and can be acted on
         fairly quickly.  The third policy (establishing energy conservation as a
         requirement in permitting programs) represents potentially  a more difficult
         policy to formulate and  adopt.  A priority effort to evaluate potential scope
         and feasibility is recommended.

      -  Program Development - To review, the specific actions/projects recommended
         in addition to the specific policies outlined above are:

         1.  EPA Order or policy directive on sustainable development.

         2.  Include progress toward sustainable development as a priority in overall
             EPA strategic plan.

         3.  Establish public dialogues in each region on sustainable development.

         4.  Support development of long-range sustainable  development goals in the
             agricultural sector.

         5.  Prepare report on  sustainable development work and initiatives underway
             in other federal and  state agencies.

         6.  Conduct  an assessment of current programs in a priority geographic  area or
             areas for consistency with sustainable development.


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Recommended Program Management Actions

      1. Formally charter the sustainable development interest group.

         Currently an ad hoc group of staff and managers meets periodically to discuss
         sustainable development topics. Attendance from programs has been varied
         and the meeting frequency is irregular.  To strengthen the effectiveness of this
         group, meetings should be held on a more systematic basis and each relevant
         program and office should be asked to designate one or two key members.
         These designees from each program will constitute the core group
         membership.

         The purpose of the interest group will be to facilitate communication and
         sharing of information on sustainable development topics, serve as a forum for
         discussing specific sustainable development issues, and to identify opportunities
         and possible initiatives to increase awareness of and emphasis on sustainable
         development within the Agency.  If the Sustainable Development Coordinating
         Committee (See recommendation for EPA Order) is established the interest
         group could continue to function  as one of the key sub groups.

      2.  Designate responsibilities at management level for overseeing and guiding on-
         going efforts to increase emphasis on  sustainable development.

         Until such time as a more formal management structure (such as SDCC) is
         established it is recommended that the Director of the Science, Economics,
         and Statistics Division within ORME/OPPE and the Director of the Strategic
         Planning and Management Division within OPP/OPPE serve as co-chairs of
         the interest group and provide  direction for other interim management
         activities as needed and appropriate.  The responsibilities within these two
         Divisions represent a strong core  of activities related to any sustainable
         development emphasis.

      3.  Establish process for routine communication on sustainable development.

         To give the theme continuing visibility and  facilitate routine sharing of
         information the following actions  are recommended:

            -   Produce and distribute a quarterly status report or newsletter on
               selected current and planned sustainable development activities, both
               within EPA and outside. All programs could provide input.

            -   Periodically (at least every six months) compile and distribute selections
               of a few current articles  and papers on sustainable development.

            -   The distribution list for the above should be members of the interest
               group plus Deputy Assistant Administrators, Deputy Regional
               Administrators, and Division Directors.
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4.  Establish contacts on sustainable development with three key
   groups/organizations.  These are CEQ, selected Congressional staff, and
   Environment Canada.

   CEQ is currently rebuilding its staff and expanding its scope of interests and
   activities.  Given the fundamental thrust of NEPA, it is likely that they will
   become increasingly involved in sustainable development issues.  EPA should,
   at the earliest opportunity, begin to share with them our activities and ideas on
   the topic and find out more about theirs.

   A growing number of  the members of Congress and their staff are becoming
   interested in and proposing legislation related to issues of sustainable
   development. A focussed effort should be initiated to find out who the players
   are and their interests and to develop  an ongoing communication strategy to
   keep  them informed of EPA ideas and actions in this area.

   The Canadian Government has had underway for sometime a concentrated
   effort to increase the national focus on sustainable development.  Given the
   similarity of many of our problems (environmental, program implementation,
   etc.),  the major economic linkages between the countries, and the growing
   emphasis on joint environmental protection programs, we should initiate
   periodic communications meetings and other exchanges with Environment
   Canada on sustainable development.  The result will be beneficial to both.

5.  Establish sustainable development as a visible element in the budget
   development process for FY93.

   Between now and the start of the next Agency budget development cycle,
   efforts should be made to work with the Comptrollers Office and other
   relevant organizational components to identify ways to insert an increased
   emphasis on sustainable development into guidance, calls for investment
   papers, etc.

6.  Organize a forum with the Deputy Administrator to discuss sustainable
   development.

   As indicated by the results of the interviews, the topic of sustainable
   development elicits a wide spectrum of ideas. It would be very useful to
   continue this dialogue in more detail to explore areas of common
   understanding, thoughts on  next steps, etc.  A meeting of 10-15 people drawn
   from  those interviewed with the Deputy Administrator and  other senior
   managers as appropriate would be a good way to do this.

7.  Review current strategic plans to identify where sustainable development is
   being addressed and where there are opportunities for increased emphasis on
   it.

   The evolving strategic planning framework will guide Agency actions for


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          several years to come.  As a basis for further emphasis on sustainable
          development, an understanding of how current plans relate or don't relate to
          the theme is needed.  The interest group could be actively involved in this
          review process.

       8.  Establish staff position to facilitate and assist in carrying out the actions
          identified above.

          It is recommended that it least one full-time staff person be assigned to work
          on sustainable development as a facilitator/coordinator.  This position would
          be responsible for supporting the interest group and co-chairs, pulling together
          the quarterly status report and key articles, facilitating the exchange of
          information, etc.  The position would not be responsible for initiating or
          managing specific sustainable development programs or projects.  That would
          be the responsibility of appropriate program offices. Because of the current
          history of work on this  topic and the relevant mix of interests and disciplines it
          represents, it is recommended that this position be located in the Science,
          Economics and Statistics Division within OPPE.
       The proposed set of policy development priorities, projects, and management
actions outlined above, plus the large body of work already underway which is closely
related, provides a substantial and comprehensive commitment by EPA to operationalize
sustainable development concepts. The proposed program will

       -   Push the thinking and refine the meaning of sustainable development for EPA

       -   Help start a similar process within  other agencies

       -   Demonstrate a balanced and constructive approach to economic development
          interests

       -   Provide both an interim structure and momentum for an on-going emphasis on
          sustainable development

       -   Demonstrate progressive thinking and leadership on the part of EPA  It fits
          nicely as part of an action  agenda for EPA as a Department.

       EPA needs to proceed with evaluating the implications of moving toward long-
term sustainability in our current policies and programs. The proposals presented above
represent one way to do so.  Its time to decide on next steps.
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                                 APPENDIX A
                               DRAFT EPA ORDER

       ESTABLISHING ACHIEVEMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

                               AS AN EPA GOAL
1. PURPOSE;  This order prescribes a policy, principles, and objectives for establishing
   the achievement of environmental protection in the context of sustainable
   development (SD) as one of EPA's major operational goals.

2. SCOPE: The provisions of this order apply to all EPA organizations.

3. DEFINITIONS;  For purposes of this Order,  sustainable development will be defined
   at a general  level using the terminology proposed by the World Commission on
   Environment and Development.  Sustainable  development is "meeting the needs of
   the present without compromising the ability  of future generations to meet their own
   needs."  At an operational level, the term is defined for individual organizations by
   the nature of the actions taken to move toward sustainability.

4. BACKGROUND;  There is growing evidence  that many current systems and
   approaches for achieving both environmental  protection and economic development
   do not provide for long-term sustainability. The scope and magnitude of this problem
   were highlighted in a 1987 report  entitled "Our Common Future," which was issued
   by the World Commission on Environment and Development. The Commission was
   established by the United Nations for the specific purpose of formulating a "global
   agenda for change in the way we approach environmental and economic development
   issues."  Following three years of world-wide data gathering and hearings, the
   Commission  recommended a comprehensive agenda of actions to address the urgent
   concerns which had been identified.  In the fall of 1987 the United Nations General
   Assembly adopted a resolution which called upon UN organizations to review their
   work to  see how it contributed to  the goal of  sustainable development.  It also called
   on all governments to address the recommendations in the Commission report.

   In response to this challenge, governments and organizations world-wide have begun
   the difficult process of examining policies and programs with respect to the changes
   needed to achieve sustainable development.  For a given country or organization
   consensus on changes needed  must be established taking into account such things as
   status of environmental and economic programs, cultural differences, etc. This
   process is just beginning within the United States.
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5. RESPONSIBILITIES; Systematic progress toward a condition of sustainable
   development, both within the U.S. and internationally, is a fundamental element in
   U.S. efforts to insure long-term economic development, ecosystem protection, and
   national security. The Environmental Protection Agency, due to the nature and
   scope of its legislative mandates and the expectations of the public, will have a  key
   role in the formulation and implementation of the United States response to the
   sustainable development  challenge.  As the primary environmental protection agency
   at the Federal level, EPA will have  responsibilities for leadership in this effort in
   areas of direct legislative responsibility and for supporting efforts of other agencies
   and the public. EPA will also have  responsibilities for conducting or assisting in
   efforts to educate the  public on this theme and to report progress toward
   achievement of sustainable development.  Within EPA, each major program or  office
   will have responsibilities for evaluating current and proposed programs and modifying
   them over time as feasible and appropriate to insure EPA meets its obligations in
   this area.

6.  POLICY. PRINCIPLES. AND OBJECTIVES;

   (A) Policy. All EPA organizations  shall evaluate their current and developing
   programs, policies, and procedures to insure that sustainable development principles
   and objectives as outlined below are addressed and incorporated as appropriate.

   (B)  Principles.  The following principles shall guide Agency efforts to increase  the
   emphasis on sustainable development:

       (1)  Agencies and  programs will develop, adopt, and promote policies  and long-
           term strategic plans  that, to the extent possible,
            (a) foster, encourage,  or require  efficient use  and conservation of natural
               resources and energy;
            (b) encourage utilization of renewable natural resources at rates that  do
               not exceed their regeneration rates;
            (c) foster or encourage development of substitutes for nonrenewable
               natural resources;
            (d) limit emissions of wastes into the environment to rates that do not have
               unacceptable effects on key ecosystem functions; and
            (e) employ pollution prevention techniques, including source reduction and
               reuse or recycling  of wastes, to promote the accomplishment of
               objectives (a) through  (d).

      (2)   Policies and strategic planning will be directed towards achievement of  long-
           term, parallel  economic and environmental goals that
            (a) are developed concurrently in an integrated process;
            (b) take into account
                   (i)    scientific and economic assessments of long-term needs,
                         potential threats to the satisfaction of those needs, and
                         uncertainty regarding both needs and threats;
                   (ii)   general  concerns and priorities of the public; and

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             (iii)   ethical responsibilities to future generations (e.g. as
                   established in the National Environmental Policy Act §101);
                   and
      (c) are pursued simultaneously.

(3)  Decisions concerning actions including, but not necessarily  limited to,
     establishment of sustainable development goals; development of long-term
     strategic plans; and adoption and implementation of policies, programs, and
     regulations with the potential for significant long-term impacts will consider
      (a) the projected economic and environmental needs of at least two
          generations born subsequent to the establishment or commencement of
          the action, or when this is not possible, economic and environmental
          needs as far into the future as they can reasonably be projected, and
      (b) the potential direct and  indirect impacts of the action on satisfaction of
          the needs identified in paragraph (a).

(4)  Whenever possible, policies and strategic planning will support innovation
     and development of environmentally benign and resource-conserving
     technologies; however, unforeseeable, infeasible, or speculative technological
     developments shall not be considered solutions to long-term problems
     inhibiting achievement of sustainable development goals as identified under
     Principle (2).

(5)  The long-term implications of population growth, demographic shifts and
     related factors (e.g. per capita consumption and waste generation patterns,
     incidence of poverty,  etc.) affecting the environment or economic
     development will be explicitly taken into account and addressed in
      (a) any efforts to establish sustainable development goals, and
      (b) decision making affecting policies, strategic planning, programs, and
          proposed regulations.

(6)  Wherever possible, policies, strategic planning, and programs will create
     market and other incentives designed to encourage public and private
     practices and decisions that are consistent with progress towards sustainable
     development and achievement of sustainable development goals as identified
     under Principle  (2).

(7)  Economic analyses (including analyses of the costs and benefits of proposed
     regulations) used in policy, programmatic, or strategic decision making will
      (a) take into account the values of the full range of services provided by
          impacted ecosystems;
      (b) consider all costs ano! benefits accruing over the full duration of time
          specified under Principle (3); and
      (c) explicitly identify any unequal distribution of these costs and benefits
          over the duration of time specified under Principle (3).

(8)  To the extent possible, programs and policies will adopt a  conservative

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           approach to reduce the risk of unpredicted adverse impacts on ecological
           functions and services when the effects of human activities on these are
           uncertain.

       (9)  Policies, programs, and strategic planning will actively support, and
           periodically undergo review and adjustment to reflect the results of,
           continuing  research and analyses investigating
             (a) the operational meaning of sustainable development, and appropriate
                long-term goals representing the needs of the future;
             (b) scientific understanding of ecological systems and the long-term impacts
                of disturbances on their integrity and ability to provide key services;
             (c) the nature of linkages between the economy, social institutions, and the
                environment; and
             (d) economic development and environmental trends that may affect
                progress towards sustainable development and achievement of
                sustainable development goals as identified under Principle (2).

       (10) Policies and programs will
             (a) promote understanding of the concepts and principles associated with
                sustainable development,
             (b) encourage public involvement in the formulation of sustainable
                development goals and programs and activities designed to achieve
                these  goals, and
             (c) provide for routine public reporting on progress toward sustainable
                development.

   (C)  Objectives. The objectives of this  policy  are to insure that

      (1)  EPA programs and mandates are designed and implemented to enhance
           progress toward sustainable development to the maximum extent possible;
           and

      (2)  EPA's responsibilities as leader and catalyst in promoting emphasis on
           sustainable  development by other public and private organizations  are well
           defined and actively pursued.

6.  IMPLEMENTATION

   (A)  Implementation Milestones.  The following  key milestones are established to
   insure continuing progress toward achievement of the stated objectives.

      (1) Within 180 days of the date of this Order, each Assistant Administrator and
         Regional Administrator will submit to the Assistant  Administrator for Policy,
         Planning, and Evaluation a preliminary evaluation of program goals,
         procedures, guidelines, etc. relative to the requirements of this Order.  This
         analysis will
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             identify areas where changes would be needed to bring operations and
             related policies and procedures into conformance with the Order, and
          -   identify program and office priorities for making needed changes and
             the barriers that would inhibit or prohibit them.

   (2) Within 270 days of the date of this Order, each Assistant Administrator and
      Regional Administrator will submit to the Administrator a proposed schedule
      for making needed changes. This schedule may extend over three FY's.
   (3) Within 2 years of the date of this Order, the strategic plans and related
      . program guidance developed by program and regional offices will reflect
      incorporation of sustainable development principles, goals and appropriate
      program changes as identified under (1) and (2) above.

(B) Coordination.  To facilitate the necessary coordination, implementation,
oversight, and exchange of information, the following steps will be implemented:

   (1) A standing Sustainable Development Coordinating Committee (SDCC) will be
      established.  Members of the committee will be at the Deputy Assistant
      Administrator or equivalent level and all programs and offices will be
      represented.  The Regions will be represented by  two Deputy Regional
      Administrators.  The Committee will be chaired by the Deputy Administrator
      and will meet at least every six months.  Staff level work groups special task
      forces may be established as needed.

   (2) To provide staff support to the SDCC, and to facilitate the flow of information
      and day to day coordination on sustainable development actions and issues, a
      small support function will be organized within OPPE.  This group will not
      have responsibilities  for initiating or implementing substantive changes in
      programs or policies.  That responsibility rests with the appropriate program
      office.
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                                  APPENDIX B
                                 BIBLIOGRAPHY
      The sources listed below are representative of the growing body of literature on
sustainable development. They have been selected to provide a cross-section of the
major themes relating to this issue. This bibliography is by no means intended to be  a
comprehensive listing of sustainable development literature.

      This sustainable development bibliography will be periodically updated and
distributed.
Bond, Wayne. 1990. Sustainable Development Initiatives in Canada: A Federal Perspective.
      Ottawa, Canada: Sustainable Development/State of Environment Reporting
      Branch, Environment Canada.

      This report is simply a brief overview of Canadian Federal efforts to promote
      sustainable development.  These include, among others, initiatives designed to:
      build consensus on the meaning of sustainable development for Canada (the
      National and Provincial Round Tables on Environment and Economy), establish
      an environmental labelling program for consumer products, provide an
      information clearinghouse for business-related ideas that promote sustainable
      development, and incorporate sustainable development as an objective for
      Canadian International Development Agency projects.
Brown, Lester, et al. 1990. State of the World 1990: A Woridwatch Institute Report on
      Progress Toward a Sustainable Society. New York: W.W. Norton.

      This book is one in a series of reports published annually by the Woridwatch
      Institute since 1984.  Like its predecessors, the 1990 edition provides an excellent
      overview of some of the threats to global sustainable development, as well as
      suggested remedies.  Topics covered include the potential effects of global climate
      change, threats to global food production, the health and ecological impacts of air
      pollution, and the growing disparity between the world's rich and poor.  One
      chapter is entitled "Picturing a Sustainable  Society" and describes how such a
      society would meet its energy needs, use and reuse its resources efficiently,
      preserve its ecological support systems, and inculcate in its citizens a new set of
      values consistent with sustainable development.
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 Centre for Our Common Future. 1988-1989. Brundtland Bulletin. Nos. 1-6. Geneva:
       Centre for Our Common Future.

       The Centre was established in Geneva in 1988, with funding from several national
       governments, to serve as an information exchange and catalyzing agent promoting
       the sustainable development envisioned in Our Common Future.  Its Brundtland
       Bulletin reports on the sustainable development activities of international
       organizations, national and local governments, non-governmental organizations,
       the media, research centers, and industries. The Bulletin also provides extensive
       lists of international contacts.
 Colby, Michael E. 1990. "Environmental Management in Development: The Evolution of
       Paradigms."  World Bank Discussion Paper No. 80.  Washington,  D.C.: World
       Bank.

       Colby explores the evolution of paradigms of the relationship between society and
       nature.  These range from "Frontier [i.e. Neoclassical] Economics," in which
       analysis of the role of the environment in development is minimal, to "Deep
       Ecology," in which "biospecies equality" and the reduction of the size of human
       economies are advocated.  Colby shows that new paradigms, including
       "Environmental Protection," "Resource Management," and "Eco-development" are
       emerging between these two extremes.  This paper gives a creative and concise
       summary of the perspectives on environment that have contributed to the
       evolution of the sustainable development ideal.


Daly, Herman E., and John B. Cobb, Jr. 1989. For the Common Good:  Redirecting the
       Economy toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future. Boston:
       Beacon.

       Written by an 'economist (Daly) and a theologian (Cobb), this book explores  some
       of the fundamental assumptions behind our economic theories and the indicators
       we use to measure "success" (e.g.  gross national product). Finding these
       inadequate to guide humanity towards its own long-term best interests, the
       authors suggest a  new paradigm based on community and moral values as well as
       a revised understanding of the role of the economy.

Daly, Herman E. 1989. "Sustainable Development: From Concept and Theory Towards
       Operational Principles." Population and Development Review (in  press).

      This very lucid paper discusses the lack of analytical linkages between the
      economy and the  environment in  macroeconomic models.  Daly suggests some
      possible opportunities for portraying these linkages. He introduces, in language
      accessible to the non-economist, concepts such as "throughput" and "optimal scale"
      (a somewhat modified version of  the ecological concept of carrying capacity
      applied to the economy).  An interesting set of "operational principles of
      sustainability" are also included.


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FRN (Swedish Council for Planning and Coordination of Research). 1990. Towards an
      Ecologically Sustainable Economy. Britt Aniansson and Uno Svedin, eds. Report
      from a Policy Seminar (3-4 January 1990). Stockholm, Sweden: Swedish
      Environmental Advisory Council.

      This is a collection of the papers presented at the Swedish government sponsored
      international policy seminar entitled 'Towards an Ecologically Sustainable
      Economy." Topics of the papers include the use of economic incentives policies,
      the "ecological context" of national sustainable development policies, and ethical
      responsibilities to future generations.
Lander, C.W.M. and R.J.M. Maas. 1990. Economics of Sustainability in a Policy Process.
      Paper presented at the United States Environmental Protection Agency/United
      Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE/USEPA) Workshop on the
      Economics of Sustainable Development (23-26 January 1990).  Washington, D.C.:
      UNECE/USEPA.

      This short paper traces the political process in the Netherlands that led to the
      establishment of national sustainable development goals and the .adoption of a
      "National Environmental Policy Plan" (NEPP). In particular, the paper focusses
      on a report published by the National Institute for Public Health and
      Environmental Protection entitled "Concern for Tomorrow," which  served as a
      catalyst for the Dutch goal-setting process.  It also discusses some of the goals
      adopted by the Dutch.
Lebel, Gregory G. and Hal Kane. 1989. Sustainable Development: A Guide to Our
      Common Future.  Washington, D.C.: Global Tomorrow Coalition.

      This is a useful 77-page summary of the 400-page Report of the World
      Commission on Environment and Development.
Repetto, Robert and John Pezzey. 1990. The Economics of Sustainable Development.
      Paper presented at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe/United
      States Environmental Protection Agency (UNECE/USEPA) Workshop on the
      Economics of Sustainable Development (23-26 January 1990). Washington, D.C.:
      UNECE/USEPA.

      This paper is a useful overview of the range of economic issues often associated
      with sustainable development. It explores subjects such as appropriate pricing of
      natural resources to promote their conservation, economic incentives for pollution
      prevention, the use of discount rates consistent with the long-term time horizons
      associated with sustainable development, the role of international trade issues in
      sustainable development, and the need  to leverage international lending
      institutions (e.g. multilateral development banks) to ensure that funded projects
      are consistent with sustainable development in the developing countries.


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Scientific American.  261.3 (September, 1989).

       This special issue, entitled "Managing Planet Earth," is entirely devoted to
       sustainable development. Eleven articles discuss the global implications of
       sustainable development for various economic sectors (agriculture, energy, and
       manufacturing), key environmental  resources (climate, freshwater, and
       biodiversity), population growth, and development in the Third World.  Articles
       are written by world renowned scholars, researchers, and environmental
       advocates, including William Ruckelshaus and Jim MacNeill, Secretary General of
       the World Commission on Environment and Development.  Most of the articles
       provide useful recommendations. This is an excellent source of compelling
       arguments and statistics underscoring the importance of actions to promote
       sustainable development.


United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and United States Environmental
       Protection Agency (UNECE and USEPA). 1990. UNECE/USEPA Workshop on
      the Economics of Sustainable Development: Final Report. Washington, D.C.:
       UNECE/USEPA.

      The "Workshop Findings and Recommendations" contained in this report provide
      an excellent summary of some of the economic policies and instruments that can
      promote sustainable development.  The report also gives a listing of the speakers
      and participants attending the conference; this can serve as a starting point of a
      list of international contacts on sustainable development.
World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987. Our Common Future.
      Oxford: Oxford University Press.

      This report, released in 1987 after three years of efforts that included public
      hearings on five continents, has probably done more to publicize sustainable
      development than any other document.  With an expansive scope that covers
      topics from population and global food needs to biodiversity and international
      trade, the Report provides a vast array of recommended national and
      international actions designed to meet the economic and environmental needs of
      both the present and future generations. The Commission's "Overview" of the
      Report states:

            Our report, Our Common Future, is not a prediction of ever increasing
            environmental decay, poverty, and hardship in an ever more polluted world
            among ever decreasing resources. We see instead the possibility for a new
            era of economic growth,  one  that must be based on policies that sustain
            and expand the environmental resource base. And we believe such growth
            to be absolutely essential to relieve the poverty that is  deepening in much
            of the developing world.

            But the Commission's hope for the future is conditional on decisive


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             political action now to begin managing environmental resources to ensure
             both sustainable human progress and human survival. We are not
             forecasting a future; we are serving a notice--an urgent notice based on the
             latest and best scientific evidence-that the time has come to make the
             decisions needed to secure the resources to sustain this and coming
             generations.  We do not offer a detailed blueprint for action, but instead a
             pathway by which the peoples of the world may enlarge their spheres of co-
             operation.

      The Brundtland Report has prompted international conferences, official national
      responses, a variety of non-government organization activities, publications, and
      even the creation of a "Centre for Our Common Future" in Geneva to monitor
      and publicize worldwide progress towards sustainable development.
World Resources Institute, United Nations Environment Programme, and United
      Nations Development Programme. 1990. World Resources 1990-91. Oxford: Oxford
      University Press.

      An excellent reference resource, this volume gives brief but well-documented
      overviews of important trends and issues affecting human welfare and global
      environmental resources. "Special Focus Chapters" on global climate change and
      Latin America are also provided.  The analysis is supported by a collection of
      several dozen tables of data on the countries of the world. Categories of data
      include basic economic and demographic indicators; agricultural, industrial, and
      energy production; natural resource endowments and use patterns,  environmental
      indicators; and contributions to global phenomena (e.g. "Net Additions to the
      Greenhouse Heating Effect" listed by country).
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