environmentally sound technologies, often through partnerships wi thin and among countries and between the scientific and technological community, industry and Governments.
34.20. National capacities to assess, develop, manage and apply new technologies should be developed. This will require strengthening existing institution s, training of personnel at all levels, and education of the end-user of the technology.
(d) Establishment of a collaborative network of research centres
34.21. A collaborative network of national, subregional, regional and international research centres on environmentally sound technology should be established to enhance the access to and development, management and transfer of environmentally sound technologies, including transfer and cooperation among developing countries and between developed and developi ng countries, primarily based on existing subregional or regional research, development and demonstration centres which are linked with the national institutions, in close cooperation with the private sector.
(e) Support for programmes of cooperation and assistance
34.22. Support should be provided for programmes of cooperation and assistance, including those provided by United Nations agencies, international organizations, and other appropriate public and private organizations, in particular to developing cou ntries, in the areas of research and development, technological and human resources capacity -building in the fields of training, maintenance, national technology needs assessments, environmental impact assessments, and sustainable development planning.
34.23. Support should also be provided for national, subregional, regional, multilateral and bilateral programmes of scientific research, dissemination of information and technology development among developing countries, including through the involvement of both public and private enterprises and research facilities, as well as funding for technical cooperation among developing countries' programmes in this area. This should include developing links among these facilities to maximize their efficiency in understand ing, disseminating and implementing technologies for sustainable development.
34.24. The development of global, regional and subregional programmes should include identification and evaluation of regional, subregional and national need -based priorities. Plans and studies supporting these programmes should provide the basis for potential financing by multilateral development banks, bilateral organizations, private sector interests and non -governmental organizations.
34.25. Visits should be sponsored and, on a volunta ry basis, the return of qualified experts from developing countries in the field of environmentally sound technologies who are currently working in developed country institutions should be facilitated.
(f) Technology assessment in support of the managem ent of environmentally sound technology
34.26. The international community, in particular United Nations agencies, international organizations,
and other appropriate and private organizations should help exchange experiences and develop
capacity for technology needs assessment, in particular in developing countries, to enable them to
make choices based on environmentally sound technologies. They should:
a. Build up technology assessment capacity for the management of environmentally sound
technology, including env ironmental impact and risk assessment, with due regard to
appropriate safeguards on the transfer of technologies subject to prohibition on
environmental or health grounds;
b. Strengthen the international network of regional, subregional or national environme ntally
sound technology assessment centres, coupled with clearing -houses, to tap the technology
assessment sources mentioned above for the benefit of all nations. These centres could, in
principle, provide advice and training for specific national situatio ns and promote the
building up of national capacity in environmentally sound technology assessment. The
possibility of assigning this activity to already existing regional organizations should be
fully explored before creating entirely new institutions, an d funding of this activity
through public -private partnerships should also be explored, as appropriate.
(g) Collaborative arrangements and partnerships
34.27. Long-term collaborative arrangements should be promoted between enterprises of developed and
developin g countries for the development of environmentally sound technologies. Multinational
companies, as repositories of scarce technical skills needed for the protection and enhancement of the
environment, have a special role and interest in promoting cooperati on in and related to technology
transfer, as they are important channels for such transfer, and for building a trained human resource
pool and infrastructure.
34.28. Joint ventures should be promoted between suppliers and recipients of technologies, taking into
account developing countries' policy priorities and objectives. Together with direct foreign
investment, these ventures could constitute important channels of transferring environmentally sound
technologies. Through such joint ventures and direct investme nt, sound environmental management
practices could be transferred and maintained.
MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION
Financing and cost evaluation
34.29. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this chapter to be between $450 million and $600 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial t erms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
Agenda 21 – Chapter 35 SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 35.1. This chapter focuses on the role and the use of the sciences in supporting the prudent management of the environment and development for the daily survival and future development of humanity. The programme areas proposed herein are intended to be over -arching, in order to support the specific scientific requirements identified in the other Agenda 21 chapters. One role of the sciences should be to provide information to better enable formulation and selection of environment and development policies in the decision -making process. In order to fulfil this requirement, it will be essential to enhance scientific understanding, improve long -term scientific assessments, strengthen scientific capacities in all countries and ensure that the sciences are responsive to emerging needs.
35.2. Scientists are improving their understanding in areas such as climatic change, growth in rates of resource consumption, demographic trends, and environmental degradation. Changes in those and other areas need to be taken into account in working out long -term strategies for development. A first step towards improving the scientific basis for these strategies is a better understanding of land, oceans, atmosphere and their interlocking water, nutrient and biogeochemical cycles and energy flows which all for m part of the Earth system. This is essential if a more accurate estimate is to be provided of the carrying capacity of the planet Earth and of its resilience under the many stresses placed upon it by human activities. The sciences can provide this underst anding through increased research into the underlying ecological processes and through the application of modern, effective and efficient tools that are now available, such as remote -sensing devices, robotic monitoring instruments and computing and modelli ng capabilities. The sciences are playing an important role in linking the fundamental significance of the Earth system as life support to appropriate strategies for development which build on its continued functioning. The sciences should continue to play an increasing role in providing for an improvement in the efficiency of resource utilization and in finding new development practices, resources, and alternatives. There is a need for the sciences constantly to reassess and promote less intensive trends i n resource utilization, including less intensive utilization of energy in industry, agriculture, and transportation. Thus, the sciences are increasingly being understood as an essential component in the search for feasible pathways towards sustainable deve lopment.
35.3. Scientific knowledge should be applied to articulate and support the goals of sustainable development, through scientific assessments of current conditions and future prospects for the Earth system. Such assessments, based on existing and emergi ng innovations within the sciences, should be used in the decision -making process and in the interactive processes between the sciences and policy - making. There needs to be an increased output from the sciences in order to enhance understanding and facilit ate interaction between science and society. An increase in the scientific capacity and capability to achieve these goals will also be required, particularly in developing countries. Of crucial importance is the need for scientists in developing countries to participate fully in international scientific research programmes dealing with the global problems of environment and development so as to allow all countries to participate on equal footing in negotiations on global environmental and developmental issu es. In the face of threats of irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific understanding should not be an excuse for postponing actions which are justified in their own right. The precautionary approach could provide a basis for policies rela ting to complex systems that are not yet fully understood and whose consequences of disturbances cannot yet be predicted.
35.4. The programme areas, which are in harmony with the conclusions and recommendations of the
International Conference on an Agenda of S cience for Environment and Development into the 21st
Century (ASCEND 21) are:
a. Strengthening the scientific basis for sustainable management;
b. Enhancing scientific understanding;
c. Improving long -term scientific assessment;
d. Building up scientific capacity and capability.
PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Strengthening the scientific basis for sustainable management
Basis for action
35.5. Sustainable development requires taking longer -term perspectives, integrating local and regional effects of global change into the deve lopment process, and using the best scientific and traditional knowledge available. The development process should be constantly re -evaluated, in light of the findings of scientific research, to ensure that resource utilization has reduced impacts on the E arth system. Even so, the future is uncertain, and there will be surprises. Good environmental and developmental management policies must therefore be scientifically robust, seeking to keep open a range of options to ensure flexibility of response. The pre cautionary approach is important. Often, there is a communication gap among scientists, policy makers, and the public at large, whose interests are articulated by both governmental and non -governmental organizations. Better communication is required among scientists, decision makers, and the general public.
Objectives
35.6. The primary objective is for each country with the support of international organizations, as
requested, to identify the state of its scientific knowledge and its research needs and priori ties in order
to achieve, as soon as possible, substantial improvements in:
a. Large-scale widening of the scientific base and strengthening of scientific and research
capacities and capabilities - in particular, those of developing countries - in areas rele vant
to environment and development;
b. Environmental and developmental policy formulation, building upon the best scientific
knowledge and assessments, and taking into account the need to enhance international
cooperation and the relative uncertainties of t he various processes and options involved;
c. The interaction between the sciences and decision -making, using the precautionary
approach, where appropriate, to change the existing patterns of production and
consumption and to gain time for reducing uncertain ty with respect to the selection of
policy options;
d. The generation and application of knowledge, especially indigenous and local
knowledge, to the capacities of different environments and cultures, to achieve sustained
levels of development, taking into a ccount interrelations at the national, regional and
international levels;
e. Improving cooperation between scientists by promoting interdisciplinary research
programmes and activities;
f. Participation of people in setting priorities and in decision -making relating to sustainable
development.
Activities
35.7. Countries, with the assistance of international organizations, where required, should:
a. Prepare an inventory of their natural and social science data holdings relevant to the
promotion of sustainable developm ent;
b. Identify their research needs and priorities in the context of international research efforts;
c. Strengthen and design appropriate institutional mechanisms at the highest appropriate
local, national, subregional and regional levels and within the Unit ed Nations system for
developing a stronger scientific basis for the improvement of environmental and
developmental policy formulation consistent with long -term goals of sustainable
development. Current research in this area should be broadened to include more
involvement of the public in establishing long -term societal goals for formulating the
sustainable development scenarios;
d. Develop, apply and institute the necessary tools for sustainable development, with regard
to:
i. Quality-of-life indicators coveri ng, for example, health, education, social
welfare, state of the environment, and the economy;
ii. Economic approaches to environmentally sound development and new and
improved incentive structures for better resource management;
iii. Long-term environmental poli cy formulation, risk management and
environmentally sound technology assessment;
e. Collect, analyse and integrate data on the linkages between the state of ecosystems and
the health of human communities in order to improve knowledge of the cost and benefit
of different development policies and strategies in relation to health and the environment,
particularly in developing countries;
f. Conduct scientific studies of national and regional pathways to sustainable development,
using comparable and complementary m ethodologies. Such studies, coordinated by an
international science effort, should to a large extent involve local expertise and be
conducted by multidisciplinary teams from regional networks and/or research centres, as
appropriate and according to nationa l capacities and the available resources;
g. Improve capabilities for determining scientific research priorities at the national, regional
and global levels to meet the needs of sustainable development. This is a process that
involves scientific judgements r egarding short-term and long -term benefits and possible
long-term costs and risks. It should be adaptive and responsive to perceived needs and be
carried out via transparent, "user -friendly", risk-evaluation methodologies;
h. Develop methods to link the find ings of the established sciences with the indigenous
knowledge of different cultures. The methods should be tested using pilot studies. They
should be developed at the local level and should concentrate on the links between the
traditional knowledge of ind igenous groups and corresponding, current "advanced
science", with particular focus on disseminating and applying the results to
environmental protection and sustainable development.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
35.8. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $150 million, including about $30 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indic ative and order -of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon f or implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
35.9. The scientific and technological means include the following:
a. Supporting new scientific research programmes, including their socio -economic and
human aspects, at the community, national, subreg ional, regional and global levels, to
complement and encourage synergies between traditional and conventional scientific
knowledge and practices and strengthening interdisciplinary research related to
environmental degradation and rehabilitation;
b. Setting up demonstration models of different types (e.g., socio -economic, environmental
conditions) to study methodologies and formulate guidelines;
c. Supporting research by developing relative -risk evaluation methods to assist policy
makers in ranking scientific r esearch priorities.
B. Enhancing scientific understanding
Basis for action
35.10. In order to promote sustainable development, more extensive knowledge is required of the Earth's
carrying capacity, including the processes that could either impair or enhance i ts ability to support
life. The global environment is changing more rapidly than at any time in recent centuries; as a result,
surprises may be expected, and the next century could see significant environmental changes. At the
same time, the human consumpt ion of energy, water and non -renewable resources is increasing, on
both a total and a per capita basis, and shortages may ensue in many parts of the world even if
environmental conditions were to remain unchanged. Social processes are subject to multiple
variations across time and space, regions and culture. They both affect and are influenced by
changing environmental conditions. Human factors are key driving forces in these intricate sets of
relationships and exert their influence directly on global chang e. Therefore, study of the human
dimensions of the causes and consequences of environmental change and of more sustainable
development paths is essential.
Objectives
35.11. One key objective is to improve and increase the fundamental understanding of the link ages
between human and natural environmental systems and improve the analytical and predictive tools
required to better understand the environmental impacts of development options by:
a. Carrying out research programmes in order better to understand the carr ying capacity of
the Earth as conditioned by its natural systems, such as the biogeochemical cycles, the
atmosphere/hydrosphere/lithosphere/cryosphere system, the biosphere and biodiversity,
the agro-ecosystem and other terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems;
b. Developing and applying new analytical and predictive tools in order to assess more
accurately the ways in which the Earth's natural systems are being increasingly
influenced by human actions, both deliberate and inadvertent, and demographic trends,
and the impact and consequences of those actions and trends;
c. Integrating physical, economic and social sciences in order better to understand the
impacts of economic and social behaviour on the environment and of environmental
degradation on local and global e conomies.
Activities
35.12. The following activities should be undertaken:
a. Support development of an expanded monitoring network to describe cycles (for
example, global, biogeochemical and hydrological cycles) and test hypotheses regarding
their behaviour, an d improve research into the interactions among the various global
cycles and their consequences at national, subregional, regional and global levels as
guides to tolerance and vulnerability;
b. Support national, subregional, regional and international observ ation and research
programmes in global atmospheric chemistry and the sources and sinks of greenhouse
gases, and ensure that the results are presented in a publicly accessible and
understandable form;
c. Support national, subregional, regional and internatio nal research programmes on marine
and terrestrial systems, strengthen global terrestrial databases of their components,
expand corresponding systems for monitoring their changing states and enhance
predictive modelling of the Earth system and its subsystem s, including modelling of the
functioning of these systems assuming different intensities of human impact. The
research programmes should include the programmes mentioned in other Agenda 21
chapters which support mechanisms for cooperation and coherence of research
programmes on global change;
d. Encourage coordination of satellite missions, the networks, systems and procedures for
processing and disseminating their data; and develop the interface with the research users
of Earth observation data and with the United Nations EARTHWATCH system;
e. Develop the capacity for predicting the responses of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and
marine ecosystems and biodiversity to short - and long-term perturbations of the
environment, and develop further restoration ecolo gy;
f. Study the role of biodiversity and the loss of species in the functioning of ecosystems and
the global life -support system;
g. Initiate a global observing system of parameters needed for the rational management of
coastal and mountain zones and signific antly expand freshwater quantity/quality
monitoring systems, particularly in developing countries;
h. In order to understand the Earth as a system, develop Earth observation systems from
space which will provide integrated, continuous and long -term measureme nts of the
interactions of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, and develop a distribution
system for data which will facilitate the utilization of data obtained through observation;
i. Develop and apply systems and technology that automatically coll ect, record and transmit
data and information to data and analysis centres, in order to monitor marine, terrestrial
and atmospheric processes and provide advance warning of natural disasters;
j. Enhance the contribution of the engineering sciences to multidi sciplinary research
programmes on the Earth system, in particular with regard to increasing emergency
preparedness and reducing the negative effects of major natural disasters;
k. Intensify research to integrate the physical, economic and social sciences to better
understand the impacts of economic and social behaviour on the environment and of
environmental degradation on local and global economies and, in particular:
a. Develop research on human attitudes and behaviour as driving forces central to
an understanding of the causes and consequences of environmental change and
resource use;
b. Promote research on human, economic and social responses to global change;
l. Support development of new user -friendly technologies and systems that facilitate the
integration of multidisciplinary, physical, chemical, biological and social/human
processes which, in turn, provide information and knowledge for decision makers and the
general public.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
35.13. The Conference secret ariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $2 billion, including about $1.5 billion from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and or der-of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implement ation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
35.14. The scientific and technological means include the following:
a. Supporting and using the relevant national research activities of academia, research
institutes and governmental and non -governmental organizat ions, and promoting their
active participation in regional and global programmes, particularly in developing
countries;
b. Increasing the use of appropriate enabling systems and technologies, such as
supercomputers, space -based observational technology, Eart h- and ocean-based
observational technologies, data management and database technologies and, in
particular, developing and expanding the Global Climate Observing System.
C. Improving long -term scientific assessment
Basis for action
35.15. Meeting scientific research needs in the environment/development field is only the first step in the support that the sciences can provide for the sustainable development process. The knowledge acquired may then be used to provide scientific assessments (audits) of the curre nt status and for a range of possible future conditions. This implies that the biosphere must be maintained in a healthy state and that losses in biodiversity must be slowed down. Although many of the long -term environmental changes that are likely to affe ct people and the biosphere are global in scale, key changes can often be made at the national and local levels. At the same time, human activities at the local and regional levels often contribute to global threats - e.g., stratospheric ozone depletion. T hus scientific assessments and projections are required at the global, regional and local levels. Many countries and organizations already prepare reports on the environment and development which review current conditions and indicate future trends. Region al and global assessments could make full use of such reports but should be broader in scope and include the results of detailed studies of future conditions for a range of assumptions about possible future human responses, using the best available models. Such assessments should be designed to map out manageable development pathways within the environmental and socio -economic carrying capacity of each region. Full use should be made of traditional knowledge of the local environment.
Objectives
35.16. The primary objective is to provide assessments of the current status and trends in major developmental and environmental issues at the national, subregional, regional and global levels on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge in order to develop al ternative strategies, including indigenous approaches, for the different scales of time and space required for long -term policy formulation.
Activities
35.17. The following activities should be undertaken:
a. Coordinate existing data - and statistics -gathering systems relevant to developmental and
environmental issues so as to support preparation of long -term scientific assessments - for
example, data on resource depletion, import/export flows, energy use, health impacts and
demographic trends; apply the data obt ained through the activities identified in
programme area B to environment/development assessments at the global, regional and
local levels; and promote the wide distribution of the assessments in a form that is
responsive to public needs and can be widely understood;
b. Develop a methodology to carry out national and regional audits and a five -year global
audit on an integrated basis. The standardized audits should help to refine the pattern and
character of development, examining in particular the capacitie s of global and regional
life-supporting systems to meet the needs of human and non -human life forms and
identifying areas and resources vulnerable to further degradation. This task would involve
the integration of all relevant sciences at the national, re gional, and global levels, and
would be organized by governmental agencies, non -governmental organizations,
universities and research institutions, assisted by international governmental and non -
governmental organizations and United Nations bodies, when ne cessary and as
appropriate. These audits should then be made available to the general public.
Means of implementation
Financing and cost evaluation
35.18. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $35 million, including about $18 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
35.19. With regard to the existing data requirements under programme area A, sup port should be provided for national data collection and warning systems. This would involve setting up database, information and reporting systems, including data assessment and information dissemination in each region.
D. Building up scientific capaci ty and capability
Basis for action
35.20. In view of the increasing role the sciences have to play in dealing with the issues of environment and development, it is necessary to build up scientific capacity and strengthen such capacity in all countries - particularly in developing countries - to enable them to participate fully in the generation and application of the results of scientific research and development concerning sustainable development. There are many ways to build up scientific and technological ca pacity. Some of the most important of them are the following: education and training in science and technology; assistance to developing countries to improve infrastructures for research and development which could enable scientists to work more productive ly; development of incentives to encourage research and development; and greater utilization of their results in the productive sectors of the economy. Such capacity-building would also form the basis for improving public awareness and understanding of the sciences. Special emphasis must be put on the need to assist developing countries to strengthen their capacities to study their own resource bases and ecological systems and manage them better in order to meet national, regional and global challenges. Fur thermore, in view of the size and complexity of global environmental problems, a need for more specialists in several disciplines has become evident world wide.
Objectives
35.21.
The primary objective is to improve the scientific capacities of all countries - in particular, those
of developing countries - with specific regard to:
a.
Education, training and facilities for local research and development and human resource
development in basic scientific disciplines and in environment-related sciences, utilizing
where appropriate traditional and local knowledge of sustainability;
b.
A substantial increase by the year 2000 in the number of scientists - particularly women
scientists - in those developing countries where their number is at present insufficient;
c.
Reducing significantly the exodus of scientists from developing countries and
encouraging those who have left to return;
d.
Improving access to relevant information for scientists and decision makers, with the aim
of improving public awareness and participation in decision-making;
e.
Involvement of scientists in national, regional and global environmental and
developmental research programmes, including multidisciplinary research;
f.
Periodic academic update of scientists from developing countries in their respective fields
of knowledge.
Activities
35.22.
The following activities should be undertaken:
a.
Promote the education and training of scientists, not only in their disciplines but also in
their ability to identify, manage and incorporate environmental considerations into
research and development projects; ensure that a sound base in natural systems, ecology
and resource management is provided; and develop specialists capable of working in
interdisciplinary programmes related to environment and development, including the
field of applied social sciences;
b.
Strengthen the scientific infrastructure in schools, universities and research institutions -
particularly those in developing countries - by the provision of adequate scientific
equipment and access to current scientific literature, for the purpose of achieving and
sustaining a critical mass of highly qualified scientists in these countries;
c.
Develop and expand national scientific and technological databases, processing data in
unified formats and systems, and allowing full and open access to the depository libraries
of regional scientific and technological information networks. Promote submission of
scientific and technological information and databases to global or regional data centres
and network systems;
d.
Develop and expand regional and global scientific and technological information
networks which are based on and linked to national scientific and technological
databases; collect, process and disseminate information from regional and global
scientific programmes; expand activities to reduce information barriers due to language
differences. Increase the applications - particularly in developing countries - of computer-
based retrieval systems in order to cope with the growth of scientific literature;
e.
Develop, strengthen and forge new partnerships among national, regional and global
capacities to promote the full and open exchange of scientific and technological data and
information and to facilitate technical assistance related to environmentally sound and
sustainable development. This should be done through the development of mechanisms
for the sharing of basic research, data and information, and the improvement and
development of international networks and centres, including regional linking with
national scientific databases, for research, training and monitoring. Such mechanisms
should be designed so as to enhance professional cooperation among scientists in all