... continueSustainable Development
The Calgary Working Group (CWG) views sustainable development in the Arctic as a multi-faceted and evolving set of actions, informed by principles, and drawing predominantly on regional and community visions of the future. As traditions and opportunities across the Arctic vary, so too will the specific action pathways of those seeking current and future well-being for people, economy, and environment. There is no single state that having been attained we can say, "We now have sustainable development". Instead, sustainable development is seen as a process of continually designing, acting, evaluating, and adapting, guided throughout by agreed upon principles. The discussion on sustainable development focused on the following points.
• Sustainable development is a process of becoming, and as such it requires that we preserve the capacity of both societal and ecological systems to change. While there continues to be a great deal of discussion and debate over the definition of sustainable development, and many decry its vagueness and the ease with which meanings shift depending on whose interest is at issue, what stands out in the experience of the CWG participants is the focus of Northerners upon opportunities for action that promote sustainability. An aid to clarity in the planning of these actions is to continually ask the questions, "For whom?" and "By whom?" Answering these can provide a valuable understanding of the power relations that can affect the sustainability process.
• The discussion of "on the ground action" in the report of the Standing Committee, deserves more emphasis. While encouragement to establish networks across the Arctic is desirable and important, networks alone will not suffice. Local and regional organizations have made significant gains in pursuit of sustainable development. This is especially so in Canada and Alaska where the institutions and organizations established through comprehensive land claims settlements have "breathed" practical, action-oriented life into sustainable development. For many Northerners, sustainable development is more than just a vague and pliable concept; it is a dynamic, tangible set of activities - indeed, an evolving way of life. And in the process they are building capacity - that essential human component that will ensure a creative balance of self reliance and interdependence. The view of the CWG is that in both domestic and foreign policy, greater acknowledgment and support of the action-based capacities for local and regional initiatives is needed.
• Sustainable development is both a framework, or "architecture", and a process to guide activities. And those activities are informed by the overall sense of purpose and direction. The CWG suggests that national sustainable development policies should build upon the "upward guidance" of regional and local initiatives. This is consistent with many of the principles of sustainable development, outlined in the report of the standing committee. And to this list we would add a number of suggestions based on "Principles of Sustainability" from Robinson, et. al. 1990. (See Figure 1: Principles of Sustainable Development)
Figure 1: Principles of Sustainable Development
The report of The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade identifies the following as guiding principles of sustainable development (Box 7 - Arctic Sustainable Development Principles, p. 102):
• subsistence preference;
• co-management;
• subsidiarity;
• precautionary principle;
• primacy of prior rights and clear responsibilities;
• true cost accounting; and
• environmentally appropriate technologies and practices.
Robinson, J.B., et. al., (Alternatives, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1990, p.44). suggest two types of sustainability principles. They are adapted as follows:
1. Principles of environmental/ecological sustainability:
• life support systems must be protected;
• biotic diversity must be protected;
• maintain and enhance the integrity of ecosystems;
• adopt preventive and adaptive strategies to ecological threats
2. Principles of socio-political sustainability include:
• keep scale of human activity below carrying capacity of the biosphere;
• minimize energy and materials use per unit of economic activity;
• promote human rights and equity;
• enhance effectiveness of environmental institutions;
• greater public involvement in translating principles into action;
• decision making at level of environmentally meaningful jurisdictions to promote greater local and regional self reliance;
• open, accessible political processes;
• creative and self-directed participation in political and economic systems
• In advocating greater attention to "upward guidance" in domestic policy processes, the CWG recognizes the need for broad-ranging, multi-interest alliances across the circumpolar Arctic. International issues are now on the agendas of local and regional bodies. Business and trade organizations have important roles to play in promoting sustainable practice in the Arctic. The recent Barents Region Conference in Finland (see Appendix 2) demonstrated this very clearly. Both private and public organizations are playing key roles in emerging relationships throughout the region. Aboriginal interests span the circumpolar North and their organizations are exerting increasingly greater influence through a variety of decision making processes. The CWG supports the call for a "made in Canada" northern policy with both foreign and domestic dimensions. The foreign policy perspectives must be rooted in the reality of existing east-west connections among regional and sub-regional organizations. Furthermore, national and circumpolar perspectives must be dynamic, evolutionary, and adaptive with each perspective informing the other. The CWG suggests this as the perspective in which to proceed on the Standing Committee's recommendations for a Canadian Circumpolar Cooperation Framework (Rec. No. 1), and an Arctic Region 2000 Strategy (Rec. No. 2).
• In centering northern development in a sustainable development context, the CWG is mindful that there are those who view sustainable development as an impediment to economic growth. For conventional, growth-oriented decision makers, sustainable development rules out, or significantly challenges large-scale resource projects. Current national policies in a number of countries, including the United States, reflect this view. For them, sustainable development "is off the radar screen". In some quarters the Arctic Council is seen as a potential focus for sustainable development and is thus, suspect. It was noted that several of the recommendations in the report of the Standing Committee promote sustainable development and therefore reflect an anti-development bias. For some, global relationships for sustainable development are means by which national interests can be compromised, reinforcing their reluctance to participate in multilateral arrangements.
• Within the broad mix of Canadian policies, sustainability often conflicts with those that are more growth-oriented and centralized. The demonstrated commitment in many Arctic settings to practices aligned with the principles of sustainability underlies the view of the CWG that to effectively provide the foundation for sustainable development in the Arctic more attention to, and support for, regional and sub-regional initiatives is required. To be sure, there are vital roles for federal agencies. But, the national interest is not to be construed as the federal interest. Rather, the national interest should be a synthesis of obligations and opportunities from the community to the federal levels. Viewed in this way, sustainable development with strong local and regional roots should infuse a truly Canadian foreign policy for the circumpolar Arctic.
The challenge is also to connect Arctic issues, places, and people with the rest of Canada. North-south relations are changing through devolution and treaty-making (land claims) while east-west (circumpolar) relations are strengthening. Individual people often bridge these many levels in their daily lives , as a result of the residents of northern communities becoming directly engaged in global social processes (for example in the recent sequence of UN-sponsored global conferences, i.e. UNCED-Rio). The popular use of the Internet is increasingly facilitating this important trans-level activity. At the same time our nation-to-nation relations around the circumpolar world need strengthening if we are to be effective in our efforts to promote Arctic sustainability.
Conclusions
Sustainable development is most appropriately viewed as an evolving set of actions that are informed by agreed upon principles. In the circumpolar region, experience indicates that regional and sub-regional sustainable development initiatives can provide the kind of "upward guidance" that will inform policy at the national and international levels. By focusing on actions, and accomplishments that bring economic, social, and cultural benefits, detractors of sustainable development may be persuaded to support (or at least not interfere) such initiatives.
... continue