Abstract

Five years have passed since the 'United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)'. An interim balance has now been drawn up to see what has been done to meet the ambitious challenges adopted in Agenda 21 during this conference? Such a balance is presented in this report and the complementary brochure, 'Developments in Sustainability', reflecting societal developments and changes in environmental quality, as well as changes in responses to environmental concerns. Many countries, in most global regions, have experienced growth in their national incomes during the past five years. However, this has increased inequity between countries. A smaller proportion of the global population now lives below the absolute poverty line, but the absolute numbers are larger than in the 1980s. Not much progress can be reported on the state of the global environment. Emissions of carbon dioxide have increased, inter alia, as a result of slowing down the rate of improvement in energy efficiency. Scarcity of land and water has further increased. Natural areas are diminishing rapidly due to extensive conversion to agricultural land. Worldwide, much experience in policy responses has been built up in the last five years. This has included introduction of environmental policy instruments such as environmental impact assessment, market-oriented policy and communicative tools. Much more knowledge is now available on the do's and don'ts of various responses. A good example is formed by subsidy reforms, thought to be extremely important. Experience is not always implemented, in particular, in low-income countries, where lack of capacity for enforcement is an important handicap. Although most global environmental conventions have seen progress in understanding and procedures, only the agreement on the protection of the ozone layer has so far resulted in a discernible reduction in environmental pressure. The mobilisation of resources from high-income countries to promote implementation of Agenda 21 in low-income countries has not met the funding requirements. On the other hand, total investments in low- and middle-income countries have grown to a level comparable to the costs estimated as being necessary for implementing Agenda 21. Harnessing these capital flows will become important for future financing of sustainable development. There are large regional differences, clearly seen when comparing developments at global, European and national (The Netherlands) levels. Different environmental concerns are given priority in accordance with social and economic development, and trends in environmental policy-making. Considerable action will therefore still be required at all levels to come closer to sustainable development, the objective of Agenda 21. Progress on several issues is at the moment either too slow, unknown or simply non-existent.