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Home  Field Trips Wildlife Tour SustainabilityTheoriesSustainabilityNext theory - Multiplier Principle >> As the pressure on the environment has grown through increased population, greater desire for economic growth and the growing global demand for commodities such as ivory and rhino horn, the government of Zambia and conservation agencies have recognised that consideration must be given to the sustainability of the environment. Sustainability is the ability of the environment to survive its use for economic activity. In the context of development the 1987 UN World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Four different approaches to sustainability have been put forward. The free market approach It is argued that self-interest will ensure sustainability. If all resources are privately owned and hence property rights established then as particular resources are used they become scarcer raising their price. The rising prices will encourage resource owners to conserve and maintain their valuable resources or look for ways, through improvements in technology to use the resources more efficiently. However little weight is given to the interests of future generations of people. The social efficiency approach It is argued that when considering how resources are used then both social costs and social benefits are taken into account and not simply the self-interests of the producer and consumer. Thus the social costs and benefits include the external costs and benefits as well as the private costs and benefits. However in this case the interests of humans are only considered. In this approach more weight can be given to future generations and sustainability. The social costs can include the costs to future generations as well as the present population. The question is how much weighting do we give to the costs and benefits to future generations? The conservationist approach This approach suggests the population should take responsibility not only themselves and their future generations but also the environment for its own sake. Here the economic system should move away from self interest, consumption and economic growth as it will lead to environmental degradation. A zero growth option is sometimes proposed. The Gaia approach This is the strongest approach to sustainability. It argues that populations do not own the planet's resources. They are simply custodians of the resources. This is often part of the philosophy of traditional indigenous hunter gatherer communities. They believe that they have a responsibility to ensure that the land they leave for their descendants is in the same condition as when they took it over. Which is the most beneficial is not something that economists can make easy decisions over. That is left to the politicians. Economists are only able to offer frameworks in which decisions can be then made. Theories relating to productive and allocative efficiency attempt to do this. Next theory - Multiplier Principle >>
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