Mankind Vision und Ökologie

THEME 8: Achieving global sustainable development

With the Maastricht Treaty a "harmonious and balanced development of economic activities, sustainable and non-inflationary growth respecting the environment" has become one of the principle policy objectives of the European Union. The principle of sustainable development the generally accepted definition of sustainable development is that "current generations should meet their needs without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Linking economic and social development to improvement of the environment is a first step in that direction. However, making the concept of sustainability precise and easily applicable in practice has proved difficult.

The underlying question is the degree to which the information society will allow the substitution of telematic based services for material (raw materials, energy) and personal transport, in short the potential for de-materialisation of our social and economic system.

Reductions of raw material and energy have always been achieved in the past as a result of technological change. Indeed, so far experience has demonstrated the potential of new materials (lighter, with less damage to the environment) such as aircraft composites or biologicals. Another example is re-engineering business processes to reduce environmental impact, for instance smaller and lighter products cuts down on warehousing and transportation. However, this reduction has normally been over-compensated by increasing consumption.

Research is showing that current models of economic activity are unsustainable in environmental, economic and social terms, as we move towards the 21st century. What may be required is a more comprehensive approach which takes into account the whole cycle of a product: the production inputs (not only in energy terms, but all resources exploited for its manufacture); the resources and costs associated with the running of a product (e.g. for automobiles, not just petrol, but also maintenance, roads, pollution, and all other "externalities"); and, the outputs in terms of waste disposal, recycling, etc.

In order to essentially "de-materialise" society, that is move away from material-intensive production and consumption, new political and economic strategies are required, as well as changes in consumer habits. It would be necessary to move away from considering products in terms of materials, and more in terms of the service they provide: a car becomes the service "personal transportation" which can be assured through other means of physical transport, but also through video-conferencing which is far less material-intensive.

A shift towards a more information-intensive economy and the innovative use of new communications services and telematic applications may enable the emergence and growth of industries which will create new employment and which at the same time offer substitutes for travel and transport of goods, a major shift towards less material-intensive production and consumption, trade and value generation. Such changes may significantly reduce the environmental impact of industrial and commercial activities and thus make a considerable contribution to sustainable development.

Introduction

The rapid integration of information and communication technologies into our professional and private lives is transforming our society into the "information society". From a technical point of view processing, storage and transmission of information in any form (oral, visual and written) are made possible without any constraint, neither spatial nor temporal. Consequently information can become accessible for anyone, in any form, and anywhere. Indeed, information can increasingly be regarded as a basic economic resource and a structuring factor for our society.

These developments are unstoppable and gathering speed. The Information Society carries along with it a host of new economic and social opportunities whilst giving rise to some profound changes and important challenges. It may cause new problems as well as providing solutions for others. There is a general lack of awareness about the advent of an information age and the impacts it could have on society, and often people feel threatened by the introduction of new information and communication technologies. How the information society really does affect our lives in the future also depends on what political choices are made today. It is therefore important to bring these issues out into the open so that we can give shape to the future and exploit the potential of the Information Society whilst avoiding the risks.

Based on the recommendations of the High Level Group (Bangemann) Report, the Commission presented its Action Plan, "Europe's Way to the Information Society", to the Council and Parliament last July. The Action Plan gives guidelines for activities at European level in the areas of liberalisation and the regulatory framework, the development of networks and applications, the social, societal and cultural aspects, and promotional activities.

The necessity of liberalisation of the European telecommunications markets has been widely recognised. The enormous investments that are needed to build the networks, services and applications of the information society and to give citizens access to them mean that private capital has to be heavily involved. Liberalisation is a prerequisite, a necessary condition for setting up the information infrastructure. But it is not sufficient.

The European approach goes beyond the implementation of a regulatory framework or the creation of an information infrastructure in a technological and economic sense. The concept of "information society" expresses the European Union's desire to look at the whole picture. We are anxious to prevent the creation of a two-tier society in which only part of the population has access to the new technology (and therefore to valuable information resources), is comfortable using it and can fully enjoy its benefits.

As set out in the Action Plan, the European Commission's work will also focus on the social, societal and cultural aspects of the Information Society.

The Information Society Forum is being established to enable the participation of all the parties concerned and to encourage open debate on the developments and challenges of the information society. It will thereby support the European Commission's activities in this area.

The purpose of this document is to provide the members of the Information Society Forum with a starting point for discussion on the kinds of issues that could be examined as part of their work. The document introduces a number of different themes which could serve to define the work of the different working groups.

Each section is structured in the following way. It begins with a general description of the trends observed followed by a short analysis of the potential positive impacts and potential risks. At the end of each theme a non-exhaustive list of "points for debate" are suggested.