Citation
(2014), "CIWEM report – “Re-framing Sustainable Development: A Critical Analysis", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 15 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-09-2013-0128
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
CIWEM report – "Re-framing Sustainable Development: A Critical Analysis"
Article Type: Feature From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 15, Issue 1
A new report by the UK-based Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) proposes a new paradigm for sustainable development in order to "avert environmental and subsequent social and economic collapse".
The report argues that the current emphasis on an integrated consideration of environmental, social and economic components of sustainability is undermined by poor decision making, weak governance and institutional frameworks. The resulting factor is the prioritisation of economic growth over environmental and resource conservation. The report proposes that the concept of sustainability be reframed to focus more explicitly on the environmental dimension within culturally sympathetic contexts. It suggests that if the natural environment can be managed and conserved appropriately, then pressures on people and the environment will be lessened and social and economic benefit will ultimately follow. Further details can be seen at: http://www.ciwem.org/policy-and-international/current-topics/sustainable-development.aspx
Walter Leal Filho
Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany