Estratègies per al desenvolupament sostenible - Generalitat de ...

Organized into a consistent framework. The pressure–state–response frameworkhas been used, although it is better suited to environmental monitoring than morecomprehensive sustainable development needs.Assessment should commence from the outset of a strategy process to establisha baseline. But, as monitoring and evaluation are integral to a continuous improvementapproach to decision making, they should be regular and integrated activities ratherthan sporadic and separate events. The benefit of regular assessment is that itencourages participants to rethink priorities, reset objectives and rechart their courseof action. It keeps the strategy working as a system, rather than an (increasingly outof date) master plan.The pressure–state–response framework is an approach for linking a greatnumber of variables that need to be monitored to assess the state of theenvironment. As such, it has both utility and limits – limits that are beingstretched with its more recent application to the even more complex issue ofthe state of sustainable development. The framework follows a holisticcause–effect–social response logic. Sustainability indicators are selected,based on variables, which signal pressure, state and response:The pressure that society puts on the environment; for example in the formof demands on resources (leading to resource depletion) and demands onecological processes (leading to pollution). Pressure indicators are basedon measurements or on model-based estimates of actual behaviour.The resulting state of the environment (especially the incurred changes)compared with desirable (sustainable) states. State indicators cover themajor characteristics of natural, physical, financial, social and human capitalassets, individually or in a combined manner.The response mainly in the form of political and societal decisions, measuresand policies. Response indicators measure progress towards regulatorycompliance or other governmental efforts, but don’t directly tell what ishappening to the environment. Response indicators need to be able toascertain the most relevant policy or programme in relation to any givendriving force or state indicators.181