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58-565: The IPC was established by the Planning Act 2008 and began operating on 1 October 2009. The IPC provided advice and guidance about the application process for infrastructure projects until its power to receive, accept and examine applications for development consent came into force on 1 March 2010. It was abolished by the Coalition Government's Localism Act 2011 which transferred its decision-making powers for all cases to

116-546: A sustainability transition or sustainability transformation . Some barriers arise from nature and its complexity while others are extrinsic to the concept of sustainability. For example, they can result from the dominant institutional frameworks in countries. Global issues of sustainability are difficult to tackle as they need global solutions. Existing global organizations such as the UN and WTO are seen as inefficient in enforcing current global regulations. One reason for this

174-403: A conservation and replanting of timber that there can be a continuous, ongoing and sustainable use". The shift in use of "sustainability" from preservation of forests (for future wood production) to broader preservation of environmental resources (to sustain the world for future generations) traces to a 1972 book by Ernst Basler, based on a series of lectures at M.I.T. The idea itself goes back

232-428: A long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): environmental, economic, and social. Many definitions emphasize the environmental dimension. This can include addressing key environmental problems , including climate change and biodiversity loss . The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at

290-489: A new development path was required, one that sustained human progress not just in a few pieces for a few years, but for the entire planet into the distant future. Thus 'sustainable development' becomes a goal not just for the 'developing' nations, but for industrial ones as well. The Rio Declaration from 1992 is seen as "the foundational instrument in the move towards sustainability". It includes specific references to ecosystem integrity. The plan associated with carrying out

348-426: A single specific definition of sustainability may never be possible. But the concept is still useful. There have been attempts to define it, for example: Some definitions focus on the environmental dimension. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines sustainability as: "the property of being environmentally sustainable; the degree to which a process or enterprise is able to be maintained or continued while avoiding

406-402: A very long time: Communities have always worried about the capacity of their environment to sustain them in the long term. Many ancient cultures, traditional societies , and indigenous peoples have restricted the use of natural resources. The terms sustainability and sustainable development are closely related. In fact, they are often used to mean the same thing. Both terms are linked with

464-450: Is bad for the environment. Others focus more on the trade-offs between environmental conservation and achieving welfare goals for basic needs (food, water, health, and shelter). Economic development can indeed reduce hunger or energy poverty . This is especially the case in the least developed countries . That is why Sustainable Development Goal 8 calls for economic growth to drive social progress and well-being. Its first target

522-520: Is for: "at least 7 per cent GDP growth per annum in the least developed countries". However, the challenge is to expand economic activities while reducing their environmental impact. In other words, humanity will have to find ways how societal progress (potentially by economic development) can be reached without excess strain on the environment. The Brundtland report says poverty causes environmental problems. Poverty also results from them. So addressing environmental problems requires understanding

580-412: Is known through scientific study to applications in pursuit of what people want for the future." The 1983 UN Commission on Environment and Development ( Brundtland Commission ) had a big influence on the use of the term sustainability today. The commission's 1987 Brundtland Report provided a definition of sustainable development . The report, Our Common Future , defines it as development that "meets

638-411: Is not a new phenomenon. But it has been only a local or regional concern for most of human history. Awareness of global environmental issues increased in the 20th century. The harmful effects and global spread of pesticides like DDT came under scrutiny in the 1960s. In the 1970s it emerged that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were depleting the ozone layer . This led to the de facto ban of CFCs with

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696-418: Is the lack of suitable sanctioning mechanisms . Governments are not the only sources of action for sustainability. For example, business groups have tried to integrate ecological concerns with economic activity, seeking sustainable business . Religious leaders have stressed the need for caring for nature and environmental stability. Individuals can also live more sustainably . Some people have criticized

754-620: Is why this Bill is getting such widespread opposition from so many different quarters" The coalition government have, however, retained the concept of National Policy Statements, the authorisation regime and the Community Infrastructure Levy The Liberal Democrats were also opposed the Infrastructure Planning Commission. Previously opposed to nuclear power, they are also granted the ability to vote against

812-912: The Localism Act 2011 , that made changes to the regime under the Planning Act 2008. The Localism Act replaced the Infrastructure Planning Commission with the Planning Inspectorate , and returned overall decision-making to the Secretary of State who responds based on the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate. The Localism Act also allows the House of Commons to be able to veto National Policy Statements, and makes other changes to

870-730: The Montreal Protocol in 1987. In the early 20th century, Arrhenius discussed the effect of greenhouse gases on the climate (see also: history of climate change science ). Climate change due to human activity became an academic and political topic several decades later. This led to the establishment of the IPCC in 1988 and the UNFCCC in 1992. In 1972, the UN Conference on the Human Environment took place. It

928-531: The natural resources and ecosystem services needed for economies and society. The concept of sustainable development has come to focus on economic development , social development and environmental protection for future generations. Scholars usually distinguish three different areas of sustainability. These are the environmental, the social, and the economic. Several terms are in use for this concept. Authors may speak of three pillars, dimensions, components, aspects, perspectives, factors, or goals. All mean

986-516: The "integrity of the earth's life-support systems" was essential for sustainability. The authors said that "the SDGs fail to recognize that planetary, people and prosperity concerns are all part of one earth system, and that the protection of planetary integrity should not be a means to an end, but an end in itself". The aspect of environmental protection is not an explicit priority for the SDGs. This causes problems as it could encourage countries to give

1044-441: The "three dimensions of sustainability" concept. One distinction is that sustainability is a general concept, while sustainable development can be a policy or organizing principle. Scholars say sustainability is a broader concept because sustainable development focuses mainly on human well-being. Sustainable development has two linked goals. It aims to meet human development goals. It also aims to enable natural systems to provide

1102-627: The "three legislative pillars of the Government's strategy to secure long-term prosperity and quality of life for all". The Infrastructure Planning Commission has since been abolished and replaced with the Planning Inspectorate as of 31 March 2012. Labour introduced the Bill that became the Planning Act, although some 60 Labour members signed a Commons Motion opposing plans to set up an independent commission in May 2008. The Conservatives were opposed to

1160-400: The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with their 169 targets as balancing "the three dimensions of sustainable development, the economic, social and environmental". Scholars have discussed how to rank the three dimensions of sustainability. Many publications state that the environmental dimension is the most important. ( Planetary integrity or ecological integrity are other terms for

1218-458: The 1960s and 1970s. This led to discussions on sustainability and sustainable development. This process began in the 1970s with concern for environmental issues. These included natural ecosystems or natural resources and the human environment. It later extended to all systems that support life on Earth, including human society. Reducing these negative impacts on the environment would improve environmental sustainability. Environmental pollution

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1276-546: The 2008 Act. In England, its remit covered applications for proposed energy, transport, water, waste water and waste infrastructure projects. Its remit in Wales only covered proposed energy and harbour projects. The framework for decision-making over applications for development consent was set out in National Policy Statements (NPS). Following the designation of a NPS, the 2008 act provided jurisdiction for

1334-463: The Act ensures that national policy statements which are used to guide planning approval for NSIP's can be voted for by the parliament. Amends sections 14 and appends section 30A to the Planning Act 2008. It sets out rules for disposal of radioactive waste, and surveying the potential sites. Environmental sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over

1392-577: The Brundtland Report, the environment and development are inseparable and go together in the search for sustainability. It described sustainable development as a global concept linking environmental and social issues. It added sustainable development is important for both developing countries and industrialized countries : The 'environment' is where we all live; and 'development' is what we all do in attempting to improve our lot within that abode. The two are inseparable. [...] We came to see that

1450-515: The IPC to decide over applications in a specific field. While an NPS is in draft form, the IPC acted as examining authority and provided a report of recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State who was to take the decision. The chairperson was Sir Michael Pitt and the chief executive officer John Saunders. Planning Act 2008 The Planning Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of

1508-492: The Infrastructure Planning Commission while in opposition with parts of the act amended by the Coalition Government via the Localism Act 2011 . Prime Minister David Cameron said before the 2010 election that "This quango is going to be almost entirely divorced from the processes of democracy. That is wrong. People need a planning system in which they feel they have a say – both at national and local level. That

1566-478: The Planning Act regime. Previously, the Infrastructure Planning Commission were responsible for planning approval related to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, and were not directly accountable to the public. Section 128(1) of the Localism Act abolishes the aforementioned Infrastructure Planning Commission handing over the responsibility for decisions related to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects towards Government Ministers. Section 130(3) of

1624-551: The Planning Inspectorate on 31 March 2012. The responsibilities of the IPC were transferred to the National Infrastructure Directorate of the Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Act 2008 also addressed the issue of having to receive several different regimes under Part 4 of the Planning Act 2008. Now NSIP projects would only require a Development Consent Order (DCO) therefore the requirement of seeking approval under several different consent regimes

1682-499: The Rio Declaration also discusses sustainability in this way. The plan, Agenda 21 , talks about economic, social, and environmental dimensions: Countries could develop systems for monitoring and evaluation of progress towards achieving sustainable development by adopting indicators that measure changes across economic, social and environmental dimensions. Agenda 2030 from 2015 also viewed sustainability in this way. It sees

1740-439: The SDGs. It should also show how to address the trade-offs between ecological footprint and economic development. The social dimension of sustainability is not well defined. One definition states that a society is sustainable in social terms if people do not face structural obstacles in key areas. These key areas are health, influence, competence, impartiality and meaning-making . Some scholars place social issues at

1798-761: The UN launched eight Millennium Development Goals . The aim was for the global community to achieve them by 2015. Goal 7 was to "ensure environmental sustainability". But this goal did not mention the concepts of social or economic sustainability. Specific problems often dominate public discussion of the environmental dimension of sustainability: In the 21st century these problems have included climate change , biodiversity and pollution. Other global problems are loss of ecosystem services , land degradation , environmental impacts of animal agriculture and air and water pollution , including marine plastic pollution and ocean acidification . Many people worry about human impacts on

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1856-659: The United Kingdom intended to speed up the process for approving major new infrastructure projects such as airports, roads, harbours, energy facilities such as nuclear power and waste facilities. This was felt to be necessary after the 8-year approval process for Heathrow Terminal 5 . Along with the Climate Change Bill and the Energy Bill this bill was considered by the Brown administration to be one of

1914-402: The authorisation process, over 1,000 representations were made on the application that the IPC accepted. The Community Infrastructure Levy is a form of planning gain tax, where a proportion of the increase in value on land as a result of planning permission is used to finance the supporting infrastructure, such as schools and will 'unlock housing growth' The coalition government introduced

1972-593: The bill will help protect the environment that it was more likely to aid developers trying to push through major schemes with scant regard to wildlife and the countryside and could "fast track environmental harm". John Cridland, then Deputy Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry supported the bill saying that it was in the national interest and would facilitate the building of infrastructure that will help Britain protect its energy security, build renewable power sources to cut carbon, and invest for

2030-478: The economic dimension of sustainability are controversial. Scholars have discussed this under the concept of weak and strong sustainability . For example, there will always be tension between the ideas of "welfare and prosperity for all" and environmental conservation , so trade-offs are necessary. It would be desirable to find ways that separate economic growth from harming the environment . This means using fewer resources per unit of output even while growing

2088-453: The economy but there is no fixed definition of sustainability indicators . The metrics are evolving and include indicators , benchmarks and audits. They include sustainability standards and certification systems like Fairtrade and Organic . They also involve indices and accounting systems such as corporate sustainability reporting and Triple Bottom Line accounting . It is necessary to address many barriers to sustainability to achieve

2146-399: The economy. This decoupling reduces the environmental impact of economic growth, such as pollution . Doing this is difficult. Some experts say there is no evidence that such a decoupling is happening at the required scale. It is challenging to measure sustainability as the concept is complex, contextual, and dynamic. Indicators have been developed to cover the environment, society, or

2204-590: The environment . These include impacts on the atmosphere, land, and water resources . Human activities now have an impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems . This led Paul Crutzen to call the current geological epoch the Anthropocene . The economic dimension of sustainability is controversial. This is because the term development within sustainable development can be interpreted in different ways. Some may take it to mean only economic development and growth . This can promote an economic system that

2262-540: The environment includes society, and society includes economic conditions. Thus it stresses a hierarchy. Another model shows the three dimensions in a similar way: In this SDG wedding cake model , the economy is a smaller subset of the societal system. And the societal system in turn is a smaller subset of the biosphere system. In 2022 an assessment examined the political impacts of the Sustainable Development Goals. The assessment found that

2320-495: The environment less weight in their developmental plans. The authors state that "sustainability on a planetary scale is only achievable under an overarching Planetary Integrity Goal that recognizes the biophysical limits of the planet". Other frameworks bypass the compartmentalization of sustainability into separate dimensions completely. The environmental dimension is central to the overall concept of sustainability. People became more and more aware of environmental pollution in

2378-426: The environmental dimension.) Protecting ecological integrity is the core of sustainability according to many experts. If this is the case then its environmental dimension sets limits to economic and social development. The diagram with three nested ellipses is one way of showing the three dimensions of sustainability together with a hierarchy: It gives the environmental dimension a special status. In this diagram,

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2436-539: The factors behind world poverty and inequality. The report demands a new development path for sustained human progress. It highlights that this is a goal for both developing and industrialized nations. UNEP and UNDP launched the Poverty-Environment Initiative in 2005 which has three goals. These are reducing extreme poverty, greenhouse gas emissions, and net natural asset loss. This guide to structural reform will enable countries to achieve

2494-518: The future". The Planning Act 2008 introduced a number of changes towards seeking development consent nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) with the aim to overhaul the planning process in order to save costs and increase efficiency. Among these changes included the formation of the Infrastructure Planning Commission which served as an independent examining body for all applications relating to major infrastructure projects on 1 October 2009. The IPC has since been abolished and replaced by

2552-412: The global, national, organizational, and individual levels. A related concept is that of sustainable development , and the terms are often used to mean the same thing. UNESCO distinguishes the two like this: " Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it." Details around

2610-492: The idea of sustainability. One point of criticism is that the concept is vague and only a buzzword . Another is that sustainability might be an impossible goal. Some experts have pointed out that "no country is delivering what its citizens need without transgressing the biophysical planetary boundaries". Sustainability is regarded as a " normative concept ". This means it is based on what people value or find desirable: "The quest for sustainability involves connecting what

2668-561: The intersection of economics, the environment, and the social. There are many broad strategies for more sustainable social systems. They include improved education and the political empowerment of women . This is especially the case in developing countries. They include greater regard for social justice . This involves equity between rich and poor both within and between countries. And it includes intergenerational equity . Providing more social safety nets to vulnerable populations would contribute to social sustainability. A society with

2726-481: The long term. The concept of sustainability, or Nachhaltigkeit in German, goes back to Hans Carl von Carlowitz (1645–1714), and applied to forestry . The term for this now would be sustainable forest management . He used this term to mean the long-term responsible use of a natural resource. In his 1713 work Silvicultura oeconomica, he wrote that "the highest art/science/industriousness [...] will consist in such

2784-478: The long-term depletion of natural resources". The term sustainability is derived from the Latin word sustinere . "To sustain" can mean to maintain, support, uphold, or endure. So sustainability is the ability to continue over a long period of time. In the past, sustainability referred to environmental sustainability. It meant using natural resources so that people in the future could continue to rely on them in

2842-463: The need for development and other policy deliberations. The sustainability of the policy has to be assessed beforehand to ensure compliance with environmental sustainability standards. The National Policy Statements were intended to make the outcome more certain by following guidelines. This had clear benefits for applicants who invested in a wealth of resources in order to bring development consent into fruition and in financial matters. This new system

2900-442: The needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The report helped bring sustainability into the mainstream of policy discussions. It also popularized the concept of sustainable development . Some other key concepts to illustrate the meaning of sustainability include: In everyday usage, sustainability often focuses on the environmental dimension. Scholars say that

2958-580: The nuclear power National Policy Statement when it comes before Parliament. Friends of the Earth say that the government must make Climate Change a central consideration in the decision-making process. In November 2007 major environmental groups described the Planning Bill as a 'Developer's charter' and the head of planning at the RSPB expressed concern saying that although the minister claimed that

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3016-456: The relevant Secretary of State. The act gained royal assent on 15 November 2011 and from 1 April 2012, the acceptance and examination of applications for development consent is dealt with by a new Infrastructure Planning Unit within the Planning Inspectorate . The IPC examined accepted applications for development consent for proposed projects that meet certain thresholds, as set out in Part 3 of

3074-411: The same thing in this context. The three dimensions paradigm has few theoretical foundations. The popular three intersecting circles, or Venn diagram , representing sustainability first appeared in a 1987 article by the economist Edward Barbier . Scholars rarely question the distinction itself. The idea of sustainability with three dimensions is a dominant interpretation in the literature. In

3132-403: The time to make a decision from seven years to less than a year and saving the taxpayer £300 million per year. Applications for large energy and transport projects had to be made to the IPC from 1 March 2010, but by December 2010 only two applications had in fact been made, one of which the IPC refused to accept as inadequately prepared. Despite claims that the general public would be cut out of

3190-425: The very center of discussions. They suggest that all the domains of sustainability are social. These include ecological , economic, political, and cultural sustainability. These domains all depend on the relationship between the social and the natural. The ecological domain is defined as human embeddedness in the environment. From this perspective, social sustainability encompasses all human activities. It goes beyond

3248-415: Was intended to streamline the process for applying for development consent through procedural amendments to the planning regime. The Infrastructure Planning Commission was formed on 1 October 2009 with a brief to oversee planning applications for major infrastructure projects (also known as nationally significant infrastructure projects ) such as power stations, roads, railways and airports claiming to cut

3306-452: Was no longer necessary. This front-loaded approach to unifying the consents regime was intended to make the process for applying for planning consent faster and more efficient. National Policy Statements were introduced under Part 5 of the Planning Act 2008. The Planning Act requires that all applications which sought development consent would have to follow the guidelines for National Policy Statements. The National Policy Statements set out

3364-446: Was the first UN conference on environmental issues. It stated it was important to protect and improve the human environment. It emphasized the need to protect wildlife and natural habitats: The natural resources of the earth, including the air, water, land, flora and fauna and [...] natural ecosystems must be safeguarded for the benefit of present and future generations through careful planning or management, as appropriate. In 2000,

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