Sustainable Development and Integration

The principle of sustainable development is undeniably a cornerstone of international environmental law that has shaped the field since at least the 1980’s. Its most accepted definition is that of development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meets their own needs”. Rooted in anthropocentrism, the notion originally stems from the realisation that environmental degradation and economic development are intimately linked and interdependent. It stems from the recognition that a sound environmental base is paramount for sustainable economic development (including the acknowledgment that environmental degradation fuels poverty) and that conversely patterns of development based principally on economic growth are no longer sustainable in view of the impairment of the sound environmental base they lead to. Despite legitimate criticism that the definition offered by the Brundtland Commission is too vague to ascertain sustainable development’s conceptual or legal content, it is generally accepted that sustainable development, following Rio+5 and the World Summit for Sustainable development, must be understood in terms of the reconciliation and mutual support between three interdependent pillars: economic development, environmental protection and social development. Crucially, such reconciliation and mutual support is to be achieved through a process of integration of these concerns. The principle of integration, formulated at principle 4 of the Rio Declaration which posits that “In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it”, thus represent the main means by which sustainable development is to be achieved.