News,
views and information about science, technology and the developing world
22 August 2002
Science and Sustainable Development
Ten
years on from the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, thousands of international policy
makers gathered in Johannesburg between August 26 and September 4 at the United
Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development. Politicians, scientists and pressure
groups attempted to set out plans to counter the current global trend: that environmental
degradation is the price to be paid for prosperity. Issues high on the agenda
included depletion of fresh-water reserves, population growth, the use of unsustainable
energy sources, food security, habitat loss and global health - all addressed
in the context of social justice in balance with environmental sustainability.
Science is no longer on the fringes in attempting to solve these problems. Unlike Rio in 1992, consultation with researchers from a host of relevant disciplines was widely sought during the summit's preparatory meetings, and organisations such as the Paris-based International Council for Science have been asked to submit formal contributions to the summit.
Over the past few years,
Nature has presented articles on many aspects of sustainable development.
This web focus brings together a wide selection of recent material, as well as
news and features reporting from the Johannesburg summit.
Leadership at Johannesburg
Political
difficulties may stifle the impact of next week's sustainable-development summit
in South Africa, but researchers and others must continue to pursue solutions
to sustainability issues despite a lack of direction from governments.
Nature
418, 803 (2002); doi:10.1038/418803a
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Sustainable
development: Wanted: scientists for sustainability
TOM
CLARKE
Few observers expect much political progress at next week's summit
on sustainable development. But it could mark the start of a transformation in
the way scientists deal with sustainability issues.
Nature 418,
812–814 (2002); doi:10.1038/418812a
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Summit: vague answers to well-known problems?
EVAN D. G. FRASER & WARREN MABEE
Multinational negotiations
can work, but not where local people are causing the problem.
Nature
418, 817 (2002); doi:10.1038/418817a
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The price of consumerism
NORMAN
MYERS reviews Confronting Consumption edited by Thomas Princen & Michael
Maniates & Ken Conca
Nature 418, 819–820 (2002); doi:10.1038/418819a
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PDF) |
Africa hungry for conventional food as biotech row drags
on
NATASHA MCDOWELL
Nature 418,
571–572 (2002); doi:10.1038/418571a
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UN predicts long wait to repair environment
VIRGINIA GEWIN
Nature 417, 475 (2002); doi:10.1038/417475a
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PDF)
World's
academies seek a sustainable future
ROBERT TRIENDL
Nature 405, 501 (2000); doi:10.1038/35014781
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Poverty
and transgenic crops
Africa's rejection of genetically
modified food aid reflects a chasm of misunderstanding that is only exacerbated
by exaggerated claims for the benefits of the technology.
Nature 418,
569 (2002); doi:10.1038/418569a
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Classic papers
The
end of world population growth
WOLFGANG LUTZ, WARREN
SANDERSON & SERGEI SCHERBOV
Nature 412, 543–545 (2001);
doi:10.1038/35087589
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Paragraph | Full
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Seeking the great transition
GRETCHEN
C. DAILY & BRIAN H. WALKER
Environmentally sustainable economies are unachievable
without enhanced participation of the private sector. Scientists must facilitate
this process.
Nature 403, 243–245 (2000); doi:10.1038/35002194
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Enhancing the crops to feed
the poor
JIKUN HUANG, CARL PRAY & SCOTT ROZELLE
Nature 418, 678–684 (2002); doi:10.1038/nature01015
| Summary
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/ PDF) |
Agricultural sustainability and intensive production
practices
DAVID TILMAN, KENNETH G. CASSMAN, PAMELA
A. MATSON, ROSAMOND NAYLOR & STEPHEN POLASKY
Nature 418,
671–677 (2002); doi:10.1038/nature01014
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/ PDF) |
Towards
sustainability in world fisheries
DANIEL PAULY,
VILLY CHRISTENSEN, SYLVIE GU�NETTE, TONY J. PITCHER, U. RASHID SUMAILA, CARL J.
WALTERS, R. WATSON & DIRK ZELLER
Nature
418, 689–695 (2002); doi:10.1038/nature01017
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/ PDF) |
Collapse and recovery of marine fishes
JEFFREY
A. HUTCHINGS
Nature 406, 882–885 (2000); doi:10.1038/35022565
| First Paragraph | Full
Text (HTML / PDF) |
Effect
of aquaculture on world fish supplies
ROSAMOND
L. NAYLOR
Nature 405, 1017–1024 (2000);
doi:10.1038/35016500
| Summary
| Full Text (HTML /
PDF) |
