Reasserting the primacy of human needs to reclaim the ‘lost half’ of sustainable development

Everard, Mark; Longhurst, James

Abstract

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. The concept of sustainable development evolved from growing awareness of the interdependence of social and economic progress with the limits of the supporting natural environment, becoming progressively integrated into global agreements and transposition into local regulatory and implementation frameworks. We argue that transposition of the concept into regulation and supporting tools reduced the focus to minimal environmental and social standards, perceived as imposing constraints rather than opportunities for innovation to meet human needs. The aspirational ‘half’ of the concept of sustainable development specifically addressing human needs was thus lost in transposing high ideals into regulatory instruments. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) restore focus on interlinked human needs, stimulating innovation of products and processes to satisfy them. Through three case studies – PVC water pipes, river quality management in England, and UK local air quality management – we explore the current operationalisation of the concept in diverse settings, using the SDG framework to highlight the broader societal purposes central to sustainable development. Partnerships involving civil society support evolution of regulatory instruments and their implementation, optimising social and ecological benefits thereby serving more human needs. Restoring the visionary ‘lost half’ of sustainable development – meeting human needs in sustainable ways – creates incentives for innovation and partnership; an innovation framework rather than a perceived constraint.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 11, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Nov 2, 2017
• Publication Date: Apr 15, 2018
• Deposit Date: Oct 13, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 2, 2018
• Journal: Science of the Total Environment
• Print ISSN: 0048-9697
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-1026
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 621
• Pages: 1243-1254
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.104
• Keywords: sustainable development goals, vision, human needs, corporate responsibility, business, regulation
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/869478
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.104
• Contract Date: Oct 13, 2017