Chapter 1
Goals for An Eco-Efficient Economy
Overview
Setting goals was critical to the strategic approach of the Task Force.
The goals provided a common basis for all the members from which they
could assess and refine the policy recommendations and other outcomes of
their work. The goals and their attendant indicators of
progress will be the standard for evaluation of the effectiveness of
the recommended policies as they are brought into practice.
The goals were developed through a process of discussion, negotiation,
and, eventually, consensus. They derived from the vision of a
sustainable U.S. economy, from the findings of the demonstration projects
and the policy clusters, and from the personal beliefs and experiences of
the Task Force members.
The goals are a formulation of the Task Force members' shared view of
what the future could and should look like as the U.S. economy moves
along the path of sustainable development. This view is summarized in
the following vision statement:
The U.S. economy shall produce and use globally competitive goods and
services while achieving environmental and social goals. This vision
will result in a transition to an economy in which the constituents
--people and businesses--provide for their needs and those of future
generations through efficient and environmentally responsible practices.
It is worth noting that each term in the vision statement was selected
with care to bring out an aspect of eco-efficiency. For example:
- Produce and use underscores that responsibility for eco-efficiency is
shared by those economic actors who supply goods and services, and by
those who create demand for the same.
- Globally competitive recognizes that U.S. business increasingly operates
in a world market and that the costs of reducing environmental impacts
should not place U.S. products at a disadvantage.
- Goods and services refers to the comprehensiveness of the eco-efficient
ideal, and also to the evolving nature of U.S. economic activity from
primarily smoke-stack manufacturing to more diverse, service and
information-age industries.
- Achieving environmental and social goals is a reminder that
eco-efficient economic growth, by its nature, reinforces the drive to
produce a cleaner environment and a more equitable society.
These concepts were amplified and organized within the goals of the Task
Force.
Goals
The Task Force set six goals toward which its recommendations should
lead: Responsibility shared throughout society for eco-efficiency;
continued Economic Growth; Sustainable Resource Utilization; protection
of Environmental Quality; flexible, cost-effective Government
Regulatory Policy; and increased Social Well-Being.
This section contains a context statement, a summary of the goals, and
suggested indicators of progress for each goal. The context statements
reflect the thinking behind the goal. The indicators translate the goals
into practical terms that should allow a ready measure of the
nation's progress as it strives toward greater eco-efficiency.
Responsibility and Economic Growth are, in the view of the Task Force,
the underpinning of the other goals.
Responsibility
Context Statement
Individuals, through their actions, choices, and decisions, are the
foundation upon which our society and economy are built. In order to
capture the significant societal, economic, and
environmental improvements offered by sustainable development,
therefore, eco-efficiency must become a widely held societal value.
Goal
To act collectively and individually in ways that contribute to
eco-efficiency and sustainable development through better understanding
and communication of the environmental, economic, and social consequences
of our actions.
Indicators of Progress
Progress toward the goal of responsibility could be measured using
indicators such as:
- school curricula which incorporate eco-efficiency; and
- adoption of environmental management systems by a majority
of institutions.
Economic Growth
Context Statement
Continued, long-term economic growth is essential to the prosperity of
the United States and is fundamental to sustainable development.
Maintaining this economic growth as the United States
transitions to sustainability, is a critical challenge.
Goal
To maximize economic growth in the expanding global marketplace as
measured through newly established indicators that fully account for
social and environmental externalities.
Indicators of Progress
Progress toward the goal of long-term economic growth could be measured
using indicators such as:
- development of a sustainable national account; and
- incorporation of externalities in existing national accounts.
From these two core principles flowed the goals of Sustainable Resource
Utilization, Environmental Quality, and Government Regulatory Policy. The
interaction of these three goals leads to efficient and proper use of
resources and the desired state of environmental quality.
Sustainable Resource Utilization
Context Statement
In the aggregate, current use of materials and energy in the U.S.
economy is not sustainable. Production and consumption of materials now
account for large shares of U.S. energy use, waste, and pollution.[4]
Goal
The U.S. economy should efficiently produce and use globally competitive
goods and services while reducing resource use to sustainable levels and,
thereby, greatly reducing adverse impacts on natural systems.
Indicators of Progress
Progress toward the goal of sustainable resource utilization could be
measured using indicators such as:
- increased market share of renewable and recoverable resources; and
- achievement of commodity-specific recycling rates.
Environmental Quality
Context Statement
In the aggregate, the environmental burden created by US. economic
activities is not sustainable.
Goal
A safe and clean environment should be attained by making pollution
prevention, waste reduction, and product stewardship standard practice.
All people and ecosystems should be protected, and economic and social
well-being enhanced.
Indicators of Progress
In order to measure progress toward the goal of environmental quality,
we would first need to:
- establish sustainability levels for all media.
Government Regulatory Policy
Context Statement
The transformation to sustainable development and eco-efficiency will
occur through the actions of individuals, government, and the
marketplace. Government is responsible for establishing
national environmental goals and enabling progress toward those goals.
Goal
Government regulatory policies should support and enable the efforts of
individuals, communities, and corporate entities to achieve their
eco-efficiency objectives in the most flexible, expeditious, and
cost-effective manner possible.
Indicators of Progress
Progress in the area of government regulatory policy could be measured
using indicators such as:
- increased use of voluntary compliance agreements; and
- increased use of performance-based systems.
The final goal, Social Well-Being, is the net result and byproduct of a
robust economy, a safe and clean environment, and the exercise of
individual responsibility.
Social Well-Being
Context Statement
Social well-being is affected by the availability and quality of
educational and job opportunities and by the short- and long-range
environmental, health, economic, and social impacts of
employers on individuals and communities.
Goal
Increase the quality and quantity of job opportunities in all
communities and protect the health of all people and ecosystems through
appropriate government policies and efficient economic expansion.
Indicators of Progress
Enhanced social well-being could be measured in terms such as:
- increased employment or functional literacy rates;
- increased instances of urban redevelopment; and
- reduced disproportionate environmental burdens.
The complete Eco-Efficiency Task Force goals, including context
statements and all indicators of progress, are attached to this report as
Appendix A.
[4] World Resources Institute, World Resources 1994-95 (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1994), p. 15 (showing enormous consumption of
materials by the United States); U.S. Department of Commerce,
Statistical Abstract of the United States 1994 Washington, D.C.:
Government Printing Office, 1994), p. 587, table 924 (showing industry
consuming 24.2 percent of total U.S. energy).
Chapter 2: Policy
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