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SECTION 3:
PRINCIPLES FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
This section outlines key principles and approaches that lie at the core of
environment improvement. They provide the reader with some insight into the
logic of environment improvement, environment management and sustainable
development. They are also the foundation on which environment policies and
strategies are based.
The
precautionary
principle
advocates a
better-safethan-sorry,
no-regrets
approach to
environment
management.
The Precautionary Principle
It is more efficient and cheaper to do things properly the first time, than to go back
and rectify the damage. The precautionary principle advocates a better-safe-thansorry,
no-regrets approach to environment management. It calls for industries to
anticipate the environment impacts of their present and future activities and take
action to minimise impacts before they happen – hence ‘precautionary’.
Environment Integration
Environment integration focuses on the interdependence between economic
growth and environment quality. In the case of the tourism industry, this principle
is particularly significant because industry growth and expansion will not be
possible if its key resource – the environment – is destroyed.
Environment integration is multi-faceted in its application. With reference to
environment management systems, it reminds us that pollution control in one
medium (air, land or water), or in one activity, should not result in pollution
increases in other mediums or activities. Let us consider some examples.
• Recycling post-consumer waste requires that waste is cleaned and
sorted in homes/businesses, that collection points are set up, and that
it is transported to handling facilities where it is again sorted, cleaned
and crushed. The crushed product is then transported to manufacturers
where it is transformed into new products. The process can be very
energy and material-intensive. If recycling is to be environmentally
and economically viable, the resources and energy saved and the
waste avoided by recycling should not be offset by the resources and
energy used and the new waste created in collecting, preparing and
transporting waste for recycling.
• Photovoltaics (PVs) are an alternative emissions-free energy source.
But to get the full benefit of PVs, the system’s capacity and feasibility
must be well calculated to minimise use of the back-up diesel
generator: if the generator has to be used for long periods, the PV
application is both economically and environmentally-unsustainable.
Environment integration also calls for limiting human and financial resources in
seeking environment solutions. Take the example of a coastal area with a large
concentration of beach resorts. Sewage from the hotels must be treated before
discharge, to maintain the quality of the shallow bathing waters. This will be more
environmentally and economically feasible if local authorities set up a collective
wastewater treatment plant, rather than requiring each facility to construct its
own on-site unit. Construction-related impacts will be reduced, and pre-discharge
wastewater-level monitoring will be made easier. Maintenance costs of such a
plant could be financed through discharge levies.
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