On ecological and cosmic aspects of sustainable development

E.I.Alexeeva

Computing Center of RAS

Vavilova, 40, Moscow, 117333, Russia

The modern situation in the area of sustainable development is reviewed. The presentation of communities as a network of interactions among the environment, economy and society is discussed. In the frame of this web, the number of indicators of sustainability is analyzed. The possibility of application of some space aspects in the area of sustainable development is discussed. This work is presented at Section "Astronautics and sustainable development of society" of XXIX-th Academic Conference on Astronautics (Moscow, 2005).

At present, as never before, the future of life on our planet has become a matter of great concern. The environment is suffering critical stress. Our massive tampering with the world's interdependent web of life - coupled with the environmental damage which is inflicted by deforestation, species loss, and climate change - could trigger widespread adverse effects, including unpredictable collapses of critical biological systems whose interactions and dynamics we only imperfectly understand. Uncertainty over the extent of these effects cannot excuse complacency or delay in facing the threats. No more than one or a few decades remain before the chance to avert the threats we now confront will be lost and the prospects for humanity immeasurably diminished.

A great change in the stewardship of the Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided and our global home on this planet is not to be irretrievably mutilated. Acting on this recognition is not altruism, but enlightened self-interest. Whether industrialized or not, we all have one lifeboat. No nation can escape injury when global biological systems are damaged. No nations can escape from conflicts over increasingly scarce resources. In addition, environmental and economic instabilities will cause mass migrations with incalculable consequences for developed and underdeveloped nations alike:

A new ethic is required - a new responsibility for caring for ourselves and for the Earth. We must recognize the Earth's limited capacity to provide for us:. We must no longer allow it to be ravaged. This ethic must motivate a great movement, convincing reluctant leaders and reluctant governments and reluctant peoples themselves to effect the needed changes (Agenda 21, 1992; World Climate Change Conference, 2003).

It will be useful to recall Agenda 21 of the Earth Summit. The first part of Section 5.3 of the document says:

"The growth of world population and production combined with unsustainable consumption patterns places increasingly severe stress on the 'life supporting' capacities of our planet. These interactive processes affect the use of land, water, air, energy, and other resources" (Agenda 21, 1992, p.124).

The anthropogenic regulation is the forecast of natural cataclysms and punctual decrease in speed of the process. It is the choice between the immediate profit and long-term revenues in the usage of natural resources. The new ideas for people should be formed considering the fact, that one species is taking the responsibility for practicing "safety rules on the planet", as well as preservation of stable equilibrium of energy and financial inputs. This concept was named "the ecological imperative" (Moiseev, 1988, 1999).

When discussing "life support systems", the specified concern was made for the wise use of land, water, air, energy, and other resources. These resources underpin life itself. However, life is a highly complex set of interactive systems on which human existence is ultimately dependent.

Thus, in accordance with the documents, mentioned above, the following definition of life support systems (LSS) could be introduced:

A life support system is any natural or human-engineered system that furthers the life of the biosphere in a sustainable fashion.

The fundamental attribute of life support systems is that together they provide all of the sustainable needs required for continuance of life. These needs go far beyond biological requirements. Thus life support systems encompass natural environmental systems as well as ancillary social systems required to foster societal harmony, safety, nutrition, medical care, economic standards, and the development of new technology. The one common thread in all of these systems is that they operate in partnership with the conservation of global natural resources.

The LSS represents a concerted global intellectual effort of unprecedented magnitude towards developing a knowledge base, which presents systemic approaches for the development of constructive respond to the needs for sustainability and global security. A major premise motivating the evolution of the LSS is that economic and other development policies should be based on six principles of sustainability, designed to ensure that socio-economic and technological developments meet current needs in all regions of the world, without compromising future generations' needs. These six principles are: intergenerational equity, intragenerational equity, risks aversion strategies, conservation of biodiversity, internalisation of environmental costs, and enlightened institutions. Economic and development policies should be oriented as needed, to respect the earth's carrying capacity. In this way human actions are guided to avoid conflicts between these policies and the Earth's natural systems which might lead to "global crisis".

Instead, the policies should ensure the maintenance of conditions for sustainability of life and global security.

The notions of global (international) security and risk have not been defined precisely and uniformly enough thus far, primarily because they involve threats and opportunities that have not been fully realized. Until recently, international security was considered synonymous with military security, although it is clear that this is an inadequate definition. Tragedies and crisis will occur, despite efforts to prevent them, and reactive techniques may often be the only way to diagnose and remedy such situations. To achieve these aims requires a broad understanding of many scientific disciplines and technologies, and their interactions leading to an integrated knowledge base for the sustainability of the world resources in their broadest sense.

In some countries the term "sustainable development" is still the political slogan, but not a principle of action. The principles of sustainable development are not being taken into the consideration in the planning process of the socioeconomical development.

It is evident from the consideration, given above, that we have to go long way before the population of the most countries will realize the principles of sustainability in their everyday lives. This is why the role of science education is becoming increasingly important in developing of new indicators of sustainability and showing to the people the advantages of it.

We also would like to stress the role of astronautics, as a very useful example of proactive and interactive approaches and techniques in complicated process of carrying life in the space.

The developing astronautics, especially in area of the system of global information support from cosmic space, could affect positively the system of indicators of sustainability all over.

The principles of sustainability designed to ensure that socio-economic and technological developments meet current needs in all regions of the world, without compromising future generations needs. All questions discussed above, being just a little part of the huge concept of sustainable development, indicate the importance of the useful system of indicators of sustainable development. An implication of this system to the community life should affect the quality of life on local, regional, international and global level.