Semester-2

Answer sheet

NAME - Jay Rameshbhai PatelENROLMENT NO - 04/Sep/ELPMOBILE NO - 7698585237EMAIL ID - erjayenv@gmail.com

Answer: 1

In 1972 the United Nations Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment recognized that we had a responsibility to "protect and improve" the environment for both present and future generations. In 1992, we are faced with defining and implementing this commitment to future generations in the context of environmentally sustainable development.

Environmental externalities are focused primarily on the costs that the present generation bears in polluted air, water, and soils from industrial development, in deforestation, and in other aspects of economic development. The discount rate is used to consider future costs and benefits, again from the perspective of the present generation.

For Example as case in the classic Island of Palmas Arbitration, which involved a dispute between the United States and the Netherlands over sovereignty of the small Pacific island. As described by Judge, the doctrine has two elements: that acts should be judged in light of the law at the time of their creation; and that rights acquired in a valid manner may be lost if not maintained in a manner consistent with the changes in international law. The principle has been subsequently applied in a number of cases before the International Court of Justice, including the Minquiers and Ecrehos Case, The Western Sahara Case, The North Sea Continental Shelf Case, and the Aegean Sea Continental Shelf Case. While the first element of the intertemporal doctrine has been widely accepted as a basic principle, the second has been controversial.

For example, in the 1971 Namibia Advisory Opinion,when the World Court considered whether South Africa's presence in Namibia by virtue of its 1919 League of Nations Mandate continued to be valid, it concluded that the meaning of "sacred trust" had evolved to "self-determination and independence of the people," which did not sustain South Africa's claim. While the Court did not refer to intertemporal law, MacWhinney has correctly characterized it as embracing it.Similarly, Judge Elias notes that the doctrine of intertemporal law has also applied to

the customary law of sovereign immunity.The doctrine of intertemporal law applies to treaties as well as to customary international law, as indicated in The Grisbadarna Case, and the North Atlantic fisheries Case. The deliberations of the International Law Commission in drafting the convention on the law of treaties revealed, however, divergent opinions and approaches to the precise formulation of the doctrine. There are several intertemporal issues raised by treaties: the proper interpretation of a treaty over time, the continuing validity of a treaty in the face of changed circumstances, and retroactive application. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties contains specific provisions addressing these issues, although the doctrine of intertemporal law is not explicitly mentioned.Customary international law doctrines, such as pacta sunt servanda and rebus sic stantibus, respond to the intertemporal question of the continuing validity of treaties.

Another case example, “On April 20, 2010, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced its judgment in a high-stakes environmental dispute between Argentina and Uruguay, concerning Uruguay’s authorization for pulp mills on the banks of the Uruguay River, which forms the international boundary between the two countries. Over strenuous objections from Argentina, Uruguay authorized construction of one of the largest pulp mills in the world in 2005, which has been converting wood chips into paper pulp on the banks of the River since November 2007.

The Court also examined Argentina’s claim that Uruguay breached substantive treaty obligations to coordinate with Argentina through a bilateral river management agency, and to monitor and prevent pollution of the water and riverbed. The Court scrutinized factual evidence from both sides in detail, and found no breach had occurred. The Court rejected all other claims in light of these two decisions.

This judgment is a significant step forward in the ICJ’s jurisprudence on environmental law and on shared watercourses.

The Court recognized environmental impact assessment as a practice that has become an obligation of general international law in these situations. It further found that general international law does not prescribe the scope or content of such assessments. The Court has also fleshed out the definitions of “sustainable development” and “equitable and reasonable use” of shared transboundary watercourses by interpreting those terms in light of the facts of this case. For the most part, the decision relies on the 1975 Statute of the River Uruguay (1975 Statute), which was the basis for the Court’s jurisdiction. The Court does not interpret other multilateral environmental agreements, despite an effort by Argentina to bring them in. This Insight highlights some points of particular interest in the judgment of the Court and discusses the multiple advocacy strategies used by both parties.“

The ICJ is an appropriate recourse because, in addition to having historic value, it would have the power to positively reshape the international approach to greenhouse gas emissions. For the first time, it would define states’ obligations and responsibilities with respect to emissions under international law. Irrespective of how precisely the ICJ might rule, the overall global discussion on climate change would be advanced by the articulation of clear baseline standards of responsibility. Moreover, the very process of generating debate in the world’s highest court might help to highlight the human toll of climate change, as national representatives would appear in the Hague to highlight the challenges facing their countries. Linking such effects to the lives of ordinary people is critical in order to build the political support for climate policies, which will ultimately strengthen the international negotiation process.

Answer: 2

The Manmohan Singh government had come up with a similar legislation in 2008. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha but got defeated in the Rajya Sabha in February 2009. A parliamentary standing committee, which studied the bill, then recommended the withdrawal of the bill.

More than Rs 38,000 crore has been collected by various state governments over the years for compensatory afforestation. The money, on directions of the Supreme Court, has been transferred to the central government, in the absence of suitable institutions in the state to use the money. The money, lying unspent, has to be eventually transferred back to the states once they set up these institutions. The proposed law will set up authorities at the national level as well as the state level to use these funds.

To accelerate the CA activities, the Union Cabinet on 29 April 2015 gave its approval for introduction of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015 in Parliament. The proposed legislation seeks to provide an appropriate institutional mechanism, both at the Centre and in each State and Union Territory, to ensure expeditious utilization, in an efficient and

transparent manner, of the amounts realised in lieu of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose. It also seeks to provide safety, security and, transparency in utilization of these amounts, which currently are being kept in Nationalised Banks and are being managed by an ad-hoc body.

The Bill provides for among other things:- 

Establishment of the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) and the State CAFs to credit amounts collected by State Governments and Union Territory Administrations to compensate loss of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose. 

Constitution of a National Authority to manage and utilise amounts credited to the National CAF. 

Constitution of a State Authority in each State and Union Territory to manage and utilise the amounts credited to the State CAFs. 

Establishment of a Monitoring Group to assist the National Authority in monitoring and evaluation of activities undertaken from amounts released from the National CAF and State CAFs. 

But recent CAF Bill has many flaws which have beenhighlighted by environmentalists as:

1. The bill promotes breaking of large forest land into smaller

patches which disrupts landscape connectivity, affecting dispersal of animals, creates new edges that expose forest to exploitation and severe degradation. Therefore there is no consolidation of OGF (old growth forest) but fragmentation of them.

2. The species raised are non native to the areas where they are planted. This causes degradation of indigenous or native species. E.g KIOCL ( Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd.) planted trees in Bhadra river basin which has destroyed natural grassland over there.

3. The compensatory afforestation has only increased tree cover as VDF(very dense forest) and MDF(moderately dense forest) has declined. This was highlighted by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science &

Technology, Environment & forest. This should be taken intoaccount.

4. Bill also does not provide for natural restoration and regeneration of degraded forest

The need of the hour is to promote consolidation of OGF, restoring degraded ecology and using funds for non-native plantations only in extreme case when forest is extremely degraded with no trace of native species

Expenditure of the National CAMPA is proposed to be met from the funds to be retained in the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) from the accumulated funds transferred to it by the ad-hoc CAMPA, and the funds to be transferred, on yearly basis, to the National CAF from a part of the funds credited by user agencies directly into State CAFs. 

My Key Analysis opinions:

CAMPA should release money to the states to carry out afforestation work. The Bill also requires CAMPA to ‘accomplish’ the afforestation work. Whereas CAMPA has the power to manage and monitor funds, it does not have any power to direct implementation agencies (which are state government bodies) to comply.

Of the total required afforestation, about 42% has been completed as of May 2008. Some states have completed less than 1% while other states have completed almost 90% of the required afforestation.

Net Present Value (NPV) is used to estimate the loss of environmental services that are provided by the forest area which is being diverted. The Bill states that NPV calculations may be revised periodically by an expert committee. The Bill does not make it mandatory for the government to revise NPV at periodic intervals.

The Bill states that all money collected for ‘additional compensatory afforestation’ and ‘catchment area treatment plan’ should be deposited in CAF. The Bill does not provide a definition for either term.

India has 677 thousand square kilometres of forest cover, which is approximately 21% of the total geographic area. The Forest Survey of India 2005 classifies forest cover as land with either very dense forests (2%), moderately dense forest (10%), and open forest (9%).States with the largest amount of area under forest cover include Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, and Maharashtra, while several northeast states have the highest proportion of geographic area under forest cover. Between the Forest Surveys of 2003 and 2005, some states such as Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands have seen a reduction in forest cover. In these states, approximately 728 square kilometres of forest land (about 0.1% of forest cover) were lost due to shifting cultivation, tsunami destruction, dam projects, and legal and illicit tree felling.

Several laws govern the use and protection of forest land in India. For example, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 specifies conditions under which the central government may grant permission for the diversion of forest land for no forest purposes. All projects that are approved for diversions of land are required to pay money for afforestation (planting of trees) work elsewhere. Since the Act came into force, approximately 11,500 square kilometers of land has been diverted for non-forest purposes across the country. Currently, 410 applications for forest clearances are pending with the centre and 1,494 applications are pending with the states.

In the T.N Godavarman Thirumalpad vs. Union of India case, the Supreme Court issued several orders regarding the valuation of forests and management of afforestation funds. (The case was filed in 1995 and a final judgement is still pending.) In 2002, the Supreme Court directed the centre to pool money from the diversion of forest land into a central fund. In 2006, the Supreme Court ordered the creation of an ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority to collect all afforestation money. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2008 creates the Compensatory Afforestation Fund to collect all money from the diversion of forest land for afforestation purposes. The Bill also creates a permanent Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) to manage and utilize these funds.

Answer: 3

India has the largest number of absolutely poor people of any country of the world, estimated at 40 per cent-plus of its population of 1.2 billion. But they account for a tiny proportion both of India’s total GHG emissions and of the 58 per cent increase in its emissions that occurred between 1994 and 2007.

Because of its 7,500 kilometre-long coastline, vulnerability to cyclones on the East Coast, the dependence of its major river systems on the Himalayan glaciers (which are melting rapidly), and loss of forests and wetlands, India is especially vulnerable to climate change.

India’s annual per capita emissions are low at 1.9 tonnes and only about one-third of the world average. This number reflects not so much the efficiency of the economy or frugal use of energy, as the prevalence of huge rich-poor disparities and lack of access to electricity for two-fifths of the population.

More than half of India’s emissions are accounted for by the energy sector. Sixty-eight per cent of India’s electricity comes from coal, and another 12 per cent from gas. Although renewable energy generation, especially from wind turbines, is growing, it still remains small in comparison to energy from fossil fuels.

India’s GHG emissions are projected to grow at a high 3.5 per cent a year, and the country will double its share of total global emissions by 2035 from 5 per cent (in 2010). India drew up a National Action Plan on Climate Change in 2008, with eight “missions” dealing with different categories, from promoting solar power and energy efficiency, to agriculture, water and the Himalayan ecosystem. This was done in haste, and driven by an anxiety to ward off international pressure for a more proactive climate policy. Some of these “missions” have not yet been finalised or fully fleshed out. The most significant are the solar and energy efficiency missions.

India is a strong advocate of multilateralism in climate matters and boasts of a leadership role in the G77, although this has been weakened by BASIC’s formation and evolution. India categorically refuses binding climate obligations, strongly insists on equity and the CBDR principle, and demands equal per capita entitlement for every person to global natural resources. The only constraint India accepts on its emissions is that they will never exceed those of the North in per capita terms.

India can play a leadership role to inspire developing countries in environmental policy-making, according to a new paper. Using its experience, India should further enhance South-South cooperation through an action plan including the establishment of a cooperation platform focussing on issues such as climate change, traditional knowledge, innovation, and intellectual property rights.

If India could sustain its efforts to work with both developing and developed countries on issues of mutual interest, it is a matter of time before India could emerge as a key player in guiding multilateral processes and shaping the future of South-South Cooperation. This Policy Brief provides an assessment of current state of play in the area of environmental diplomacy and suggests options for India to engage more effectively in re-shaping SSC, especially when the Prime Minister of India is keen for India to play a lead role on issues such as climate change negotiations.

A clear indication that the large young population will support the national leadership to take a proactive, firm and nationalist approach to governing India. Accordingly, one can expect a significant shift in India’s approach to international relations, in favour of unambiguously articulated national interests, over the coming years.

India has recently approved a national mission for a Green India. This initiative strives to increase the forest/tree cover on five million hectares of forested and non-forested land, and improve the quality of forest cover on another five million hectares. Green India focuses on improving the delivery of ecosystem services, including biodiversity, carbon sequestration and hydrological services. It also aims at increasing forest-based incomes for three million forest-dependent family.

All in all India has the world's largest youth population despite having a smaller population than China. Young people are the innovators, creators, builders and leaders of the future. But they can transform the future only if they have skills, health,

decision-making, and real choices in life. Thus we can become leader in world in the field of the Environment and Climate Change.

Answer: 4

Introduction

Water is sustenance of the life cycle .It must be preserved and protected from all type of pollutant. The human body and other living organisms require it, but in its pure form any type of contamination .but man is disturbing water bodies as rivers, wells, streams, seas. On land the natural water system is being polluted by the addition of Industrial wastes, urban wastes, pesticides and related pollutant.

Water is good solvent .Therefore it is rarely found, except in chemical laboratory, free from ‘impurities’. Even rain water has dissolved some gases in it. The practical and rational definition of water can thus be following- “The presence of deleterious matter in such quantities to make the water unsuitable for its designated use.” In Scientific sense, “water pollution is a distortion of the aquatic ecosystem. Hence, water pollution is such a change which ‘adversely affect the aquatic ecosystem in terms of the living organism, Oxygen content, the presence of toxins and so on.

Law in India

In general, water law is largely state based. This is due to the constitutional scheme, which since the Government of India Act, 1935 has in principle given power to the states to legislate in this area. Thus, states have the exclusive power to regulate water supplies, irrigation and canals, drainage and embankments, water

storage, hydropower and fisheries. Thus, with regard to water pollution, Parliament did adopt an act in 1974, The Water Act of 1974 (Amendment, 1988). This is the first law passed in India whose objective was to ensure that the domestic and industrial pollutants are not discharged into rivers, and lakes without adequate treatment. The reason is that such a discharge renders the water unsuitable as a source of drinking water, for the purposes of irrigation and to support marine life. This Act paved the way for the creation of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs). The main function of the CPCB ‘shall be to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the states’.

Reasons for Reforms

Water needs to be ‘managed’ in an ‘efficient’ and financially sustainable manner

Law and policy changes are related and partly dictated by global influence

Domestic push for reforms – water law is often outdated and/or incomplete

Water needs to be ‘managed’ in an ‘efficient’ and financially sustainable manner

Traditionally, water resource management and development and water supply are sectors dominated by government through its various departments such as irrigation department and public works department. Major strategy followed by the government was to build more and more infrastructures such as irrigation canals, dams and water treatment plants. This is generally known as supply oriented approach, which means the focus is on providing more and more supply with the belief that it will satisfy the needs and achieve progress as well.

The main implication of this economic perspective is that it makes local institutions and communities responsible for water supply and environmental sanitation with community participation and capital cost sharing, and the application of water pricing, including full-cost recovery principles and trading of water rights, to water law reforms. While water pricing is expected to reduce waste and pollution and lead to efficiency in water use, the principle of full-cost recovery allows the water service providers to pass all costs of production and services onto water consumers. The latter is expected to ensure the financial viability and sustainability of the scheme.

Law and policy changes are related and partly dictated by global influence

In the water sector, several State governments have received loans from International Financial Institutions, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. These institutions take advantage of their bargaining power throughout the negotiations of structural adjustment loans to impose modifications to core domestic laws and policies of states in exchange for the disbursements. This practice is known as conditionality and the adoption of new laws is often linked to the implementation of projects. The World Bank’s 2004 Strategy does not promote law conditionality but it has indirectly justified and fostered its use in Bank loans as a way to ensure that borrowing countries implement the proposed reforms. For instance, the World Bank’s Uttar Pradesh Water Sector Restructuring Project required the State government to set up a Water Tariff Regulatory Commission and prepare a draft legislation specifying the functions and responsibilities of the Regulatory Commission.

Domestic push for reforms – water law is often outdated and/or incomplete

The existing water laws are characterized by a number of different principles, rules and laws for the different uses and different bodies of water. This has led to a situation where there is no comprehensive water law in India. Instead, there are separate laws to regulate water for the different uses and different sources of water. A comprehensive water law common to the whole territory of India is very difficult given the fact that the state governments have the power to make laws.

The bases for reforms

Water as an economic good Shrinking the role of the government Decentralisation and participation Privatization

The key aspects of water law reforms

Drinking water – from ‘supply’ to ‘demand-led’ paradigm Rural water supply and urban water supply Water quality regulation – towards stronger regulation Sanitation: increasing emphasis Irrigation law – ‘decentralisation’ through water user

associations Groundwater – new legislation based on ‘old’ principles New water institutions – taking away power from the

government

The impacts of ongoing law reforms

Water is turned into a tradable property. Disconnection becomes a basic feature of water law. Provision of drinking water reduced – public sources of water

are gradually disappearing.

Weaker groups are sometimes negatively impacted, in particular the poor, women and children.

Limited understanding of decentralisation and participation Conservation is only a front for reforms that are not

environment friendly Democratic ideals are not fully realised

An agenda for future action

Enforcing the right to information, transparency and accountability in the water sector

Ensuring the implementation and enforcement of the fundamental human right to water

Towards a drinking water legislation Ensuring that states effectively devolve power recognised in

the constitution to democratically elected local bodies Ensuring an ‘integrated’ perspective on water that is centred

on people and the environment Advocate for participatory and democratic way of

introducing and implementing water law and policy reforms Advocate for human right to sanitation

Conclusion

Water pollution is a serious problem in India as almost 70 per cent of its surface water resources and a growing percentage of its groundwater reserves are contaminated by biological, toxic, organic, and inorganic pollutants.

In many cases, these sources have been rendered unsafe for human consumption as well as for other activities, such as irrigation and industrial needs. This shows that degraded water quality can contribute to water scarcity as it limits its availability for both human use and for the ecosystem. Thus it is required to change and/or accept the new reforms.

Answer: 5

Figure 1 is one such illustration, showing the relationship between the environment, society and the economy as three circles within circles, indicating how this linkage could be understood. The

economy is here assumed to exist within society because all parts of the human economy require interaction among people. However, society is more than just the economy. Friends and families, music and art, religion and ethics are important elements of society, but they are not primarily based on exchanging goods and services. Society in turn, exists entirely within the environment. Our basic requirements – of air food and water – come from the environment, as do the energy and raw materials for housing, transportation and the products we depend upon. The environment surrounds society because our need for food, water, raw materials and air society can never be larger than the environment.

To make Sustainable Development, more concrete, several writers have transformed these pillars into different types of capitals to be able to more easily illustrate the linkages and trade-offs between them. A frequent classification is four types of capital, namely, manufactured capital, natural capital, human capital and social capital.

Manufactured capital

Manufactured (or human-made) capital is what we traditionally consider to be capital: produced assets that are used to produce other goods and services. Some examples are machines, tools, buildings and infrastructure.

Natural capital

Natural capital is sometimes sub-divided into, natural resources, ecological or ecosystem services and aesthetic capital (Hart, 1999). The natural resources are fish, timber, water, energy and mineral services. The ecosystem services are for example air and water filtration and decomposition and the aesthetic capital is understood the “beauty” of the nature surrounding us. This type of capital has become important, partly due to that tourism has become an increasingly important economic sector.

Human capital

Human capital generally refers to the health, well -being, and the productive potential of individual people. Types of human capital include mental and physical health, education, motivation, and work skills. These elements not only contribute to a happy, healthy society, but also improve the opportunities for economic development through a productive workforce.

Social capital

Social capital, like human capital, is related to human well-being, but on a societal rather than an individual level. It consists of the social networks that support an efficient, cohesive society, and facilitate social and intellectual interactions among its members. Social capital refers to those stocks of social trust, norms and networks that people can draw upon to solve common problems and to create social cohesion. Examples of social capital include neighbourhood associations, civic organisations and co-operatives. The political and legal structures, which promote political stability, democracy, governmental efficiency, and social justice, are also a part of stock of social capital.

Each of the target indicator in this diagram has equal importance, reflecting that in the long run none of the indicator can be achieved at the expense of the others. This is consistent with the notion of meeting needs and maintaining options. For example, economic growth should not compromise the cohesion of society, which could come about if a small group had control of all the productive assets of a country. Similarly, if the environment is preserved to the extent that no economic activity can take place, then this would not be considered development and would threaten social cohesion. The target indicator therefore reflect the balancing act that needs to take place in order to ensure a development path is sustainable.

The target indicator are not intended to represent a sustainable development strategy, policy goals, or directions.

Environmental responsibility

Environmental responsibility acknowledges the importance of living within the limits of the Earth’s resources. This includes both critical levels of natural capital and preserving biodiversity to ensure the maintenance of options for current and future generations. Living within environmental limits means using the natural resources of the planet in such a way that the systems that regenerate them are not damaged beyond repair.

Economic efficiency

Economic efficiency relates to achieving a greater output per unit of inputs, or put another way, achieving the same output with fewer inputs. Efficiency can be expressed in terms of productivity. This is commonly understood in the concepts of capital and labor productivity, and can also be extended to our environment, for example, measuring the intensity of carbon or water use in terms of volumes per unit of value added. Protecting our environment will require limits to be placed on the resources used. If we are to continue to increase, or even maintain, our standard of living and provide for the material needs of people within these limits we will need to use the resources we have more efficiently.

Social cohesion

Social cohesion refers to how well people can meet their needs in society and maintain levels of unity and harmony within society. Social cohesion is about why a society holds together, rather than falls apart. Levels of unity and harmony within society will be influenced by perceptions of fairness and people's abilities to fully participate in social and civic life. Social cohesion has implications for the ability of a society to work together to achieve long-term goals and respond to changing conditions. Culture, which is often described as the fourth pillar of sustainability, is included as an element of social cohesion in this framework. For an individual, sense of belonging to a culture and/or sub-culture may enhance well-being, while for a society it is the strength of the connections across distinct sub-populations or groups that impacts on social cohesion.

The three target indicator relate to managing a portfolio of assets across society, the environment, and the economy. They take into account levels of critical capital and balance the needs of the current generation with maintaining options for future generations. From each of the three target indicator, we identified following principles that defines current scenarios.

Principles of environmental responsibility:

Principles Description

Ecosystems and biodiversity

1a Preservation and protection Preserving the dynamic diversity of nature, in terms of the health of of biodiversity ecosystems and species, and genetic diversity. Maintaining or restoring viable populations of indigenous species.

1b Maintenance and restoration Safeguarding the natural processes important for the functioning of of the ecological integrity of ecosystems, and the services that ecosystems provide, from adverse ecosystems impacts of human activities and pests.

Consumption of resources

2a Limits for renewable Ensuring that the consumption of renewable resources does not exceed resources their long-term rates of natural regeneration. Using renewable resources efficiently to avoid unnecessary wastage of resources that may be needed by future generations.

2b Limits for non-renewable Ensuring that the activities and functions that currently rely on nonresources renewable resources are available to future generations. Dependence on non-renewable resources is reduced through technological development or shifts to renewable resources.

Materials and wastes

3a Limits for degradable waste Ensuring that the release of hazardous or polluting substances into the and toxins environment does not exceed the assimilative capacity of the environment. Concentrations are kept below established critical levels necessary for the protection of human health and the environment.

3b Avoidance of non- Ensuring that the release of non-degradable pollutants into the degradable toxins environment is prevented wherever possible.

Risks

4a Management of biosecurity Ensuring the protection of New Zealand’s

population, unique natural risks resources, and plants and animals from damaging pests and diseases.

4b Apply the precautionary Lack of full scientific certainty is not a reason for postponing measures to approach prevent environmental degradation or restoration of ecosystems where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage.

4c Avoiding irreversibility Avoiding irreversible adverse effects of human activities on ecosystems and the services they provide.

Rate of change

5a Taking into consideration the Balancing the rate of human intervention in nature with the time needed time needed for natural for the natural processes required for the environment to respond and processes regenerate.

Access and value of the environment

6a Access to the environment Encouraging access to the natural environment for recreation and for recreation and tourism tourism as long as use is not inconsistent with the conservation of any natural resource.

6b Protection of Mäori values Recognising and protecting Mäori values and use of the environment and use of the environment including the practice of kaitiakitanga, customary use, and matauranga Mäori (traditional knowledge).

Principles of economic efficiency:

Principles Description

Economic system

7a Economic system meets the needs of society

Ensuring economic activity meets the needs of individuals and society effectively.

7b Maintenance of infrastructure

Ensuring infrastructure is maintained at an acceptable level.

7c Financial position Limiting the accumulation of debt to a level that does not limit investment options for future generations.

Efficiency and innovation

8a Investment in innovation Promoting and investing in research and development activities. Options are created for current and future generations.

8b Economic efficiency Ensuring resources are used efficiently.

8c Development of knowledge and skills to meets the needs of economic development

Ensuring organisations and individuals have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of economic development.

Rate of change

9a Socially compatible rate of change

Ensuring the economic system achieves the needed change without jeopardising social cohesion.

9b Promoting resilience in the economic system

Encouraging a long-term outlook in the economic system to predict risks and adopt sustainable responses.

International connection

10a World economic activity from which all parties can benefit

Ensuring that through world activity, one nation’s needs are met without compromising the needs of other nations.

Principles of social cohesion:

Principle Description

Objective living conditions

11a Meeting needs Ensuring the basic needs of the population are met over the long term. Individuals can take reasonable actions to meet material and nonmaterial needs that extend beyond basic needs.

11b Promoting health Protecting and promoting human health.

Subjective living conditions

12a Satisfaction and happiness Maintaining and promoting opportunities for the current generation to

find satisfaction and happiness in life without compromising the opportunities for future generations.

Equality of opportunity, access to resources

13a Equal opportunities and Ensuring each member of society has the same rights and opportunities.

access to resources Society strives to achieve an equitable distribution of access to resources and options.

13b Limits to individual freedom

Individual development is limited where it impinges on the well-being of other individuals in current or future generations.

Knowledge and skills

14a Development of individual knowledge and skills

Ensuring each member of society has the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills to enhance their well-being and to participate fully in society.

Governance

15a

Civil and political rights Protection of civil and political rights.

15b

Civic and political participation

Civic and political participation is promoted.

15c

Government effectiveness

Ensuring government functions in an open, effective, fair, and accessible manner.

15d Partnership between Mäori and government

Strengthening partnership between Mäori and the New Zealand Government as recognised by the Treaty of Waitangi.

International assistance

16a Development Providing assistance to developing countries to move

cooperation toward sustainable development, particularly in the Pacific.

Culture and identity

17a

Historic heritage Protecting and promoting New Zealand’s historic heritage.

17b

Cultural diversity Ensuring cultural diversity is freely expressed, respected, and valued.

17c

Cultural identity New Zealanders have a strong sense of identity based on their distinct heritage and cultures.

17d

Mäori cultural identity Recognising and valuing Mäori culture as an essential and unique element of New Zealand culture.

Social connectedness

18a Social participation Social participation is promoted.

18b Integration of disadvantaged groups

Promoting the integration of disadvantaged groups of the population into economic, social, cultural, and political life.