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Sustainable development policy: goals, targets and political cycles

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  • Nuno Quental
  • Júlia M. Lourenço
  • Fernando Nunes da Silva

Abstract

This paper describes the global political milestones of greater importance to the emergence and evolution of sustainable development. In addition, it depicts the cyclical patterns of political activity dealing with sustainability and identifies the main sustainability goals and targets endorsed by several political initiatives. These tasks are accomplished through a literature review and an assessment of indicators dealing with political will. It is concluded that global sustainability governance followed an intermittent path characterized by two periods of significant accomplishments (until 1979; 1987–1995) and by two others less successful (1980–1986; 1995 onwards, interrupted by a peak around 2000). Peaks in political activity coincide with the decennial Earth Summits, suggesting their major influence as catalysts of more profound societal and political action. Sustainability concerns and goals shifted from an emphasis on pollution control and availability of natural resources to a more balanced position that puts human development at the center. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Nuno Quental & Júlia M. Lourenço & Fernando Nunes da Silva, 2011. "Sustainable development policy: goals, targets and political cycles," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(1), pages 15-29, January/F.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:19:y:2011:i:1:p:15-29
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/sd.416
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    Cited by:

    1. Kang Tian & Yanrong Wang & Annan Chen & Jia Yao, 2023. "Exploring characterizing factors and mechanisms of citizens' water literacy to promote sustainable water use: A grounded systems analysis method," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1311-1327, June.
    2. Tom Waas & Jean Hugé & Aviel Verbruggen & Tarah Wright, 2011. "Sustainable Development: A Bird’s Eye View," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 3(10), pages 1-25, September.
    3. Falko Leukhardt & Simon Allen, 2013. "How environmentally focused is the German sustainability strategy? A critical discussion of the indicators used to measure sustainable development in Germany," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 149-166, February.
    4. Emilio Galdeano-Gómez & José A. Aznar-Sánchez & Juan C. Pérez-Mesa, 2012. "Sustainability dimensions of agricultural development in Almería (Spain): The experience of 50 years," ERSA conference papers ersa12p256, European Regional Science Association.
    5. Kibler, Ewald & Salmivaara, Virva & Stenholm, Pekka & Terjesen, Siri, 2018. "The evaluative legitimacy of social entrepreneurship in capitalist welfare systems," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(6), pages 944-957.
    6. Tom Waas & Jean Huge & Thomas BLOCK & Tarah Wright & Francisco Javier Benitez Capistros & Aviel Verbruggen, 2014. "Sustainability assessment and indicators: Tools in a decision-making strategy for sustainable development," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/189410, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    7. Nuno Quental & Júlia M. Lourenço, 2012. "References, authors, journals and scientific disciplines underlying the sustainable development literature: a citation analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 90(2), pages 361-381, February.
    8. Judith Janker & Stefan Mann & Stephan Rist, 2018. "What is Sustainable Agriculture? Critical Analysis of the International Political Discourse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, December.
    9. Xiaoli Zhao & Pavel Castka & Cory Searcy, 2020. "ISO Standards: A Platform for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-19, November.
    10. Tom Waas & Jean Hugé & Thomas Block & Tarah Wright & Francisco Benitez-Capistros & Aviel Verbruggen, 2014. "Sustainability Assessment and Indicators: Tools in a Decision-Making Strategy for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(9), pages 1-23, August.
    11. Zeyu Wang & Yachao Xiong & Changli Zhang, 2024. "Quantitative Evaluation of Eco-Environmental Protection Policy in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: A PMC-Index Model Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-25, January.
    12. Emília Duľová Spišáková & Barbora Gontkovičová & Emil Spišák, 2021. "Assessment of Research and Development Financing Based on the Strategies in EU: Case of Sweden, Slovakia and Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-18, August.
    13. Barnes, Stuart J. & Mattsson, Jan, 2016. "Understanding current and future issues in collaborative consumption: A four-stage Delphi study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 200-211.
    14. Rosario Adapon Turvey & Nandakumar Kanavillil & Christopher Murray & Gerardo Reyes, 2018. "Creating sustainable communities: skills and learning in Ontario’s small urban municipalities," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 1173-1190, June.
    15. Vandeventer, James Scott & Cattaneo, Claudio & Zografos, Christos, 2019. "A Degrowth Transition: Pathways for the Degrowth Niche to Replace the Capitalist-Growth Regime," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 272-286.
    16. Zichao Nie & Francesco Zurlo & Elisabetta Camussi & Chiara Annovazzi, 2019. "Service Ecosystem Design for Improving the Service Sustainability: A Case of Career Counselling Services in the Italian Higher Education Institution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-24, March.
    17. Nicolai Abramovich & Alexandru Vasiliu, 2023. "Sustainability as fairness: A Rawlsian framework linking intergenerational equity and the sustainable development goals (SDGs) with business practices," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1328-1342, June.
    18. Miguel Rodríguez-Rosa & Isabel Gallego-Álvarez & Mª Purificación Vicente-Galindo & Mª Purificación Galindo-Villardón, 2017. "Are Social, Economic and Environmental Well-Being Equally Important in all Countries Around the World? A Study by Income Levels," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 543-565, March.

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