Sustainable Development

Because the need for development is as great as ever, yet our environmental footprint and impact is increasing.

Future development cannot simply follow the model of the past. This is true for the world as a whole, and for every community in this country.

The global picture is striking.

A quarter of the world's people have to survive on incomes of less than US $1 a day and a fifth have no access to health care.

Demand for natural resources such as oil, wood and water are rapidly increasing and yet these are finite resources.

It is certainly a challenge, and one that is becoming larger: the world's population will increase by half, another three billion people, by 2050.

In the past, economic activity tended to mean more pollution and wasteful use of resources.

We have had to spend to clean up the mess. A damaged environment impairs quality of life.

We have to find a new way forward. This is the challenge of sustainable development. For the future, we need ways to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives in balance, and consider the longer term implications of decisions.

We need to improve the efficiency with which we use resources and we need international co-operation to overcome environmental problems, to allow trade to flourish and to help the world's poorest people as we move towards a more global society.

Central, regional and local government have all made a commitment to taking forward the sustainable development agenda and work towards improving quality of life.

Locally Kettering Borough Council produces an annual commitment and action plan that details what we will do over the coming year.

For more information on the Councils commitment and work towards sustainable development please contact the Community Partnerships Manager on 01536 534289 or e-mail leisure@kettering.gov.uk