Information: The foundation of sustainable development

Download or read book Information: The foundation of sustainable development written by Craig A. Schwabe and published by HSRC Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable development can be defined as the improvement of economic efficiency, the protection and restoration of the environment and the enhancement of the social well-being of people (IISD, 1995). The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IIDS) further argues that sustainable development is an integrated process for decision-making that requires information for it to be accomplished. Inherent in the idea of sustainable development are aspects such as democratic values, community participation, international collaboration and strong leadership. A wide diversity of information is required to reflect an integrated approach to sustainable development. Agenda 21 is the foundational document of sustainable development and sets out a global action plan. The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) similarly embraces the need for sustainable development and has formulated actions that have to be taken on the African continent. This paper proposes the development of an information framework for sustainable development in South Africa and discusses the country's ability to provide the information required to address actions stipulated in Agenda 21. As part of this framework, indicators needed to implement and monitor sustainable development are discussed and the inherent value of spatial information for the implementation of sustainable development is touched on.