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OECD INSIGHTS

TRACEY STRANGE ANNE BAYLEY

SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT

Linking economy, society, environment

OECD INSIGHTS

Sustainable

Development

Linking economy, society, environment

By Tracey Strange and Anne Bayley

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION

AND DEVELOPMENT

The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work

together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation.

The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments

respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the

information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation

provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to

common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and

international policies.

The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the

Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,

Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand,

Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,

the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European

Communities takes part in the work of the OECD.

OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics

gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the

conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members.

This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of

the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not

necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments

of its member countries.

Also available in French under the title:

Les essentiels de l’OCDE

Le développement durable

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OECD

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OECD

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Foreword

Since the Brundtland Commission published its landmark

report in 1987, we have come a long way in our reﬂ ectionﬂ on

sustainable development. Few would dispute its fundamental

principles: that our actions must take into account effects on the

environment, economy and society, and that what we do today

should not compromise the well-being of futurf generations.

In the last 20 years, signiﬁcanﬁ progress has been made. Most

national governments have begun to incorporate sustainable

development into their planning and policy. Pro-active businesses

across the globe have brought sustainability to their products and

processes. Local initiatives have had success in informing citizens

of the

importance of participating

in reducing waste, renewing

urban spaces and other programs.

In spite of these efforts, though, putting the principles of

sustainable development into practice has proven to be anything

but simple or straightforward. After all, both people and

institutions have their habits, and changing them, even when the

need is obvious, can be daunting. A key question remains whether

we have made enough progress, or taken the warnings seriously

enough to allow us to grasp and confront our biggest, most pressing

problems.

We have solid evidence of climatf change, with projections

pointing to an increase in extreme environmental events with

potentially devastating consequences for the systems that support

human life and society. About half thf world still lives on less

than $2.50 dollars a day, lacks access to clean water, sanitation,

adequate health care and education – an unacceptably stark

contrast to the much higher standards of living

in developed

countries. Some emerging economies, such as China and India,

are undergoing rapid growth, resulting in more wealth, but also

anincreased demand for energy and greater pollution problems.

Finding sustainable solutions for growth holds t he potential to help

reduce poverty, foster development and preserve the environment.

Implementing them requires political will and co-operation on a

global scale.

The OECD has been at the forefront of thf effort to advance

sustainable development. We have supported extensive research

on the challenges of sustainabilitf and been active in efforts to

develop best practices in areas such as sustainable production

and consumption and measuring sustainable development. One of

the signiﬁcanﬁ challenges lies in policy coherence – ensuring that

different policies and practices support each other in reaching a

goal. Achieving this coherence in our policies and institutions is

essential to achieving real and lasting progress. With a long record

of researchf analysis and international co-operation, the OECD can

offer policy options for addressing these challenges.

f Insights series is to generate an informed debate on

some of thf key issues that affect our societies and economies today.

For a truly meaningful dialogue, we need to go beyond exchanging

opinions – no matter how ﬁ ercely

The aim of the

ﬁ they are held – and look at the

facts and ﬁ guresﬁ We also need to move beyond jargon. After all, it

is this kind of inclusivf and broad-based dialogue that will produce

the most widely-supported decisions and strongest results.

Angel Gurría

Secretary-General of the

OECD

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