2005:47 R
Sustainable development
Why another publication on sustainable development?
Sustainable development is very much an area of current concern. Not least during the process of composing this publication has it become clear that students and the labour market are looking for programmes about and individuals with training in sustainable development. The need for knowledge about and expertise in dealing with these complex and multi-disciplinary issues is growing as work on sustainable development increases. Here research and education have a central role to play. It is important for the higher education institutions to be involved and to impel developments forwards.
Sustainable development is one of the overall goals of government policy and is mainstreamed into all policy areas. It has recently been proposed that it should be incorporated into the Higher Education Act. The National Agency for Higher Education considers that it would be wrong to include sustainable development in the act. One reason is that it is difficult to monitor compliance with a legal demand of this kind. On the other hand it is important to encourage and stimulate sustainable development and it is in this light that this publication should be viewed. There is a need to render the concept in concrete terms if it is to lead to any result.
This publication is addressed to the administrators of higher education institutions in Sweden and also to others at these institutions who are interested in developing the work they do for sustainable development. The governance perspective occupies its foreground. We have chosen writers with varied experiences and backgrounds and also from different types of organisations to demonstrate the variety that exists in the work for sustainable development. It is our hope that their various contributions will stimulate and provide support for a discussion of sustainable development at the higher education institutions.
Our guiding principle has been the insight that intensified and extended endeavours for sustainable development rely on committed support from the governance of the institutions. We know that there is profound and extensive knowledge about sustainable development at the higher education institutions. At various places teaching is also offered on sustainable development.
The concept of “sustainable development"
“Sustainable development" can be defined in many different ways. One definition that is often used in official contexts is the one coined by the Brundtland Commission in 1987 - “development which meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". A clear element in sustainable development is the participation and responsibility of the individual. Its sustaining principle is that economic, social and environmental conditions and processes are integrated and that sustainable development therefore offers us a means of keeping these different perspectives in view. At the same time a global perspective forms a natural element.
The writers in this publication start from different definitions of the concept. This means that it may seem abstract, but it also provides opportunities. A broad and multi-faceted definition offers scope for various directions and activities, but their sustaining principles are the same. We hope that when you read these articles you will find a valuable platform and inspiration for continued work at your own institution. It may involve beginning to define the concept, support for initiating discussion of sustainable development in the institution or the development of a policy in this area. Everything will depend on where you are in the process today. The higher education institutions are already working with some aspects of sustainable development at the moment. For them the challenge is to demonstrate clearly how this forms part of deliberate endeavours towards sustainable development, to define this for themselves and to make it clear to others what this deliberate strategy looks like.
Two decades of sustainable development
Sustainable development has become an integral element in many discussions and policy areas. We react differently to the concept. Some shrug their shoulders and write it off as a political catchword. Some react with irritation and regard the concept as restrictive or retrograde, whereas others speak ardently about the importance of a global, long-term approach.
"The Union shall work for the sustainable development of Europe based on balanced economic growth and price stability, a highly competitive social market economy, aiming at full employment and social progress, and a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment. It shall promote scientific and technological advance."The Swedish government expresses its view of sustainable development like this:The government´s policy for sustainable development during the period of its mandate will focus on four strategic future issues:
- Environmentally driven growth and welfare
- Good health - the most important future resource
- A coherent policy for sustainable community development
- A policy for children and young people in an ageing society
Sustainable development is an overall objective in government policy and must therefore be mainstreamed into every policy area.
In addition for the Confederation of Swedish Industry “sustainable development" is one of its key terms in the work it does for the companies that are its members and the community at large.
In its 2006 budget bill (Bill 2005/06:1) the government proposes the incorporation of a new provision in the Higher Education Act stipulating that in their activities the higher education institutions are to encourage sustainable development that will mean that current generations and generations to come will be ensured a healthy and sound environment, economic and social welfare and justice.
Today there is relatively widespread support for the concept of “sustainable development" in the political system and in industry and it is therefore natural to base activities in higher education and research on this platform as well.
Sustainable development cannot merely be legislated into existence. Above all we must view it as a gradual change in our fundamental values and norms. Legislation and directives of other kinds must support this, but without a firm basis in values they will be ineffective. Education at every level plays a decisive role in the work of altering values.
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