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TABLE 24-2 National Goal Towards Sustainable Development
G O A L 1 : H E A L T H A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T
Ensure that every person enjoys the benefits of clean air, clean
water, and a healthy environment at home, at work, and at
play.
G O A L 2 : E C O N O M I C P R O S P E R I T Y
Sustain a healthy U.S. economy that grows sufficiently to create
meaningful jobs, reduce poverty, and provide the opportu-
nity for a high quality of life for all in an increasingly
competitive world.
G O A L 3 : E Q U I T YEnsure that all Americans are afforded
justice and have the opportunity to achieve economic,
environmental, and social well-
being.
G O A L 4 : C O N S E R V A T I O N O F N A T U R EUse,
conserve, protect, and restore natural resources land, air, water,
and biodiversity in ways that help ensure long-term
social, economic, and environmental benefits for ourselves and
future generations.
G O A L 5 : S T E W A R D S H I P
Create a widely held ethic of stewardship that strongly
encourages individuals, institutions, and corporations to take full
re-
sponsibility for the economic, environmental, and social
consequences of their actions.
G O A L 6 : S U S T A I N A B L E C O M M U N I T I E SEncourage
people to work together to create healthy communities where natural
and historic resources are preserved, jobs are
available, sprawl is contained, neighborhoods are secure,
education is lifelong, transportation and health care are
accessible,and all citizens have opportunities to improve the
quality of their lives.
G O A L 7 : C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T
Create full opportunity for citizens, businesses, and
communities to participate in and influence the natural resource,
environ-
mental, and economic decisions that affect them.
G O A L 8 : P O P U L A T I O N
Move toward stabilization of U.S. population.
G O A L 9 : I N T E R N A T I O N A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T
YTake a leadership role in the development and implementation of
global sustainable development policies, standards of con-
duct, and trade and foreign policies that further the
achievement of sustainability.
G O A L 1 0 : E D U C A T I O NEnsure that all Americans have
equal access to education and lifelong learning opportunities that
will prepare them for mean-
ingful work, a high quality of life, and an understanding of the
concepts involved in sustainable development.
Table 23-1 Principal Health and Productivity Consequences of
Environmental Mismanagement
EnvironmentaProblem
Effect on Health Effect on Productivity
Water Pollution and
water scarcity
More than 2 million deaths and billions of illnesses a
year are attributable to pollution; poor household
hygiene and added health risks are caused by water
scarcity.
Declining fisheries, rural household time (time
spent fetching water) and municipal costs of pro-
viding safe water, depletion of aquifers, leading to
irreversible compaction, constraint on economic
activity because of water shortages.
Air Pollution Many acute and chronic health impacts are
responsi-
ble for 300,000-700,000 premature deaths annually
and for half of childhood chronic coughing, 400 mil-
lion-700 million people, mainly women and children
in poor rural areas are affected by smoky air.
Restrictions on vehicles and industrial activity
during critical episodes, effect of acid rain on for-
ests, bodies of water and human artifacts.
Solid and Hazard-
ous wastes
Diseases spread by rotting garbage and blocked
drains. Risks from hazardous wastes are typically
local but often acute.
Pollution of groundwater resources.
Soil degradation Reduced nutrition for poor farmers on depleted
soils,
greater susceptibility to drought.
Field productivity losses in the range of 0.5-1.5%
of gross national product are common on tropical
soils, offsite siltation of reservoirs, river-transport
channels, and other hydrologic systems.Deforestation Localized
flooding, leading to death and disease.; Loss of sustainable
logging potential and of ero-
sion prevention, watershed stability, and carbon
storage by forests. Loss of nontimber forest prod-
ucts.
Loss of biodiversity Potential loss of new drugs. Reduction of
ecosystem adaptability and loss of
genetic resources.
Atmospheric
changes
Possible shifts in vector-born diseases, risks from
climatic natural disasters, diseases attributable to
ozone depletion (300,0000 more skin cancers per
year. 1.7 cases of cataracts per year)
Sea-rise damage to coastal investments, regional
changes in agricultural productivity disruption of
marine food chain.
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Benefits-Mat May Be Gained by Reduction and Prevention of
Pollution
1. Improved human health
Reduction and prevention of pollution-related illnesses
Reduction of worker stress caused by pollutionIncreased worker
productivity
2. Improved agriculture and forest production
Reduction of pollution-related damage
More vigorous growth by removal of stress due to pollutionHigher
farm profits, benefiting all agriculture-related industries
3. Enhanced commercial and/or sportfishing Increased value of
fish and shellfish harvest
Increased sales of boats, motors, tackle, and bait
Enhancement of businesses serving fishermen
4. Enhancement of recreational opportunities'Direct uses such as
swimming and boating
Indirect uses such as observing wildlife
Enhancement of businesses serving vacationers
5. Extended lifetime of materials and less cleaning
necessary
Reduction of corrosive effects of pollution, extending the
lifetime of metals, textiles, rubber, paint, and other
coatings
Reduction of cleaning costsEnhancement,of real estate values
Heatenergy
Figure 23-3
Environmental economicview of economic activity.
The natural environment en-
compasses the economy,
which is constrained by theresources found within the
environment.
