At the Sustainable Development and Emerging Technology Forum, sponsored by the United Nations and hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, on April 15-17, in Beijing, Dr. Thomas T. Shen, an independent environmental advisor, of New York presented a paper on strategy and technology of sustainable development. Below is an abstract of his paper:
The key element of sustainable development is a sustainable economic system that requires an industry/business economic system to provide the essential needs for the people of present and future generations. By adopting sustainable practices, industry/business needs an environmental sound strategy and technologies that can save costs, improve processes and product quality, as well as gain competitive edge, increase their market share, and boost shareholder value. Some of the world's largest corporations have chosen pollution prevention of toxic waste and harmful product as new business opportunities.
In general, pollution management technologies may be divided into two categories: pollution prevention and pollution control. The major difference is that pollution control emphasizes wastes and pollutants from various sources, while pollution prevention focuses on not only wastes and pollutants but also certain environmentally harmful products and services.
Pollution Control today is far more perfect, efficient and reliable than it has ever been, but pollution problems from various old and new sources continue to increase. In recent years, costs of waste treatment and disposal, waste cleanup, and liability have risen, while costs of resource input, energy and raw materials have also risen. Pollution control may also transfer pollutants from one environmental medium (air, water, or land) to another, causing potential secondary pollution problems that require further treatment and disposal. Pollution control technologies helped solving only short-term problems, rather than eliminate pollutants. Pollution Prevention is a step forward by searching for alternative solutions and logical extensions of pollution control. Pollution prevention is not just individual technology, but total systems that include know-how, procedures, goods and services, and equipment as well as organizational and managerial procedures.
All nations require economic growth to be based on the use of environmentally clean technologies and clean products. The governments and industries of developed countries have an opportunity and responsibility to lead all nations to apply pollution prevention, by example and by providing assistance. Waste generation is a shortsighted, immoral, and an illusory path to economic prosperity. The sooner the transition to pollution prevention occurs, the faster the economic prosperity will achieve.
A clear vision of a sustainable strategy can mobilize human energies to create innovative technologies that make necessary changes toward pollution prevention, breaking out of familiar and established reactive pollution control patterns. Pollution Prevention is the very first step leading to achieve Sustainable Development.