Sustainable development
An overview
In 1992 nearly 180 countries met at the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro
to discuss how to achieve sustainable development.
The 'Earth Summit' agreed 27 principles supporting sustainable
development aimed at preventing climate change, the extinction
of biologically diverse species and a set of principles to support
the sustainable management of forests worldwide.
An action plan, Agenda 21, was also agreed that recommended
that all countries should produce national sustainable development
strategies.
In 1994 the UK became one of the first
countries to produce a sustainable development strategy in response
to the Earth Summit.
In 1999 the UK government launched their new
strategy, 'A better quality of life - A strategy for sustainable
development for the UK.' The Strategy included four agreed
priorities:
- sustainable consumption and production
- climate change
- natural resource protection
- sustainable communities
In 2000 Carlisle City Council and the Carlisle
Environment Forum produced a Local
Agenda 21 Plan for Carlisle.
In 2002 the World Summit on Sustainable
Development was held in Johannesburg attended by 191 national
governments, UN agencies, financial institutions and other major
groups to assess progress since Rio. Key commitments included
those on sustainable consumption and production, water and
sanitation, and energy.
Also in 2002 the first Community Plan for
Carlisle, City Vision, was produced outlining aims for Carlisle as
a sustainable community.
In 2006 Carlisle City Council produced an
Environmental Policy Statement.
Also in 2006 the Carlisle Partnership was formed and produced a
new Sustainable Community Plan for Carlisle.
In 2007 Carlisle City Council signed up to
the Nottingham Climate Change
Declaration.
In 2009 Carlisle City Council produced a
Climate Change Strategy.