Theory of Sustainable Development

Economic globalization has led to a great increase in social productivity and an unprecedented expansion of the economic scale, with the global economy growing dozens of times, creating unprecedented material wealth and greatly advancing the process of human civilization; however, the pursuit of economic interests by all countries triggered by economic globalization has led to a threat to the basis of sustainable economic development and the environment. The over-exploitation and consumption of natural resources and the massive emission of pollutants have led to a global shortage of resources, environmental pollution and ecological damage. The continuous accumulation of these problems has intensified the conflicts between human beings and the natural world, posing new obstacles to the sustainable development of society and the survival of human beings themselves. In this form, mankind has to seriously review its development history, re-examine its social and economic behavior and explore new development strategies.

I. Historical Background of the Theory of Sustainable Development

The idea of sustainable development has been around for a long time, but the one that puts it forward clearly as a scientific term and gives it a systematic elaboration is the World Outline for Nature Conservation (WONC) of 1980, which was formulated by IUCN under the commission of the United Nations Environment and Development Agency (UNEP) with the support and collaboration of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It was developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on behalf of the United Nations Environment and Development Programme (UNEP), with the support and collaboration of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Sustainable development is understood in the Framework to mean that "in order for development to be sustainable, it must take into account social and ecological factors as well as economic factors, and the living and non-living resource base".

In 1981, IUCN launched another internationally influential document, Protecting the Planet, in order to further the understanding and implementation of the concepts set out in the World Conservation Strategy. This document further elaborated on the concept of "sustainable development" from a social science perspective, noting that the concept of "sustainable development" is sometimes confused with "sustained growth", It was pointed out that people sometimes confused the concept of "sustainable development" with that of "sustained growth" and "sustained utilization", which was incorrect because the concept of "sustained growth" was imprecise. Strictly speaking, no natural thing can grow endlessly and continuously. The concept of "sustained utilization", on the other hand, can only be applied to renewable resources, which can be sustained when people do not use them beyond their load limits, and it does not apply to non-renewable resources either. Thus, in the document "Protecting the Planet", the definition of "sustainable development" is: "Improving the quality of human life without exceeding the carrying capacity of the ecosystems that support it".

The important impetus to the formation and development of the concept of "sustainable development" was the World Commission on Environment and Development (established in November 1983), which submitted to the United Nations in February 1987 a report entitled "Our ****together future". The report provided a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the current problems of human development and environmental protection, and put forward a universally accepted concept of sustainable development. Sustainable development is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs", and points out that, whereas in the past we were concerned with the impact of economic development on the environment, we now feel the urgent ecological pressures of degradation of soils, water, the atmosphere, and forests on the impact of economic development.

In June 1992, the United Nations held a world summit on environment and development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and adopted the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 and other important documents, in which the participating countries unanimously committed themselves to taking the path of sustainable development as a future long-term **** with the development strategy. For the first time, the issue of sustainable development was pushed from theory and concept to action.

The principles of sustainable development

There are three basic principles of sustainable development: the principle of equity; the principle of continuity; and the principle of ****similarity. Some experts also believe that on the basis of these three principles, three more principles can be added, namely, the principle of demand, the principle of high efficiency and the principle of step-by-step.

Principle of fairness: the so-called fairness refers to the equality of opportunity to choose. Fairness here has two meanings: on the one hand, it refers to intergenerational fairness, i.e., vertical fairness between generations; on the other hand, it refers to horizontal fairness between people of the same generation. Sustainable development must achieve equity not only between present generations, but also between present and future generations. This is one of the fundamental differences between sustainable development and the traditional development model. Equity has not been sufficiently emphasized in the traditional development model. Ethically, future generations should have the same power as current generations to make their demands on resources and the environment. Sustainable development requires that the present generation take historical responsibility for the needs and consumption of future generations while considering its own needs and consumption, since it is in a position of non-competitive dominance in resource development and utilization compared to future generations. Equity between generations requires that no generation should be in a position of domination, i.e., all generations should have the same scope for choice.

Principle of Sustainability: Sustainability in this context refers to the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its productivity when subjected to some kind of disturbance. The resource environment is the basis and condition for human survival and development, without which there is no way to talk about human survival and development. The sustainable utilization of resources and the sustainability of ecosystems are the primary conditions for the sustainable development of human society. Sustainable development requires people to adjust their lifestyles in accordance with the conditions of sustainability and to set their own consumption standards within the limits of ecological possibilities. The principle of sustainability of sustainable development reflects the principle of fairness of sustainable development from a certain side.

Principle of Harmony (or the principle of ****sameness): sustainable development not only emphasizes fairness, but also requires harmony, as stated in the report "Our ****same Future," "In a broad sense, the strategy of sustainable development is to promote harmony among human beings and between human beings and nature." If each individual considers and organizes his or her actions in a way that takes into account the impact of those actions on other people (including future generations) and on the ecological environment, and sincerely acts in accordance with the principle of "harmony", then a mutually beneficial relationship can be maintained between human beings and nature, and only then can sustainable development be realized.

The principle of demand: the traditional development model, supported by traditional economics, pursues the goal of economic growth, which ignores the limited nature of resources and develops production based on the market. This development model not only makes the world's resources and environment under unprecedented pressure and deteriorating, but also some of the basic materials needed by human beings still can not be satisfied. Sustainable development, on the other hand, adheres to fairness and long-term sustainability, develops people based on their needs, and emphasizes human needs rather than market commodities. Sustainable development is about meeting the basic needs of all people and providing all people with the opportunity to realize their aspirations for a better life.

Principle of high efficiency: The principles of equity, sustainability, harmony and demand in sustainable development already imply the principle of high efficiency. In fact the first four principles already form the basis of the efficiency of sustainable development. Unlike traditional economics, the high efficiency here is not only measured according to its economic productivity, but more importantly according to the extent to which people's basic needs are satisfied, and it is the comprehensive and overall high efficiency of the overall human development.

The principle of step-leap: sustainable development is aimed at meeting the needs of the present and future generations, and with the passage of time and the continuous development of society, the content and level of human needs will continue to increase and improve, so sustainable development itself implicitly involves a continuous step-leap process from a lower level to a higher level.

Third, the main viewpoints of the theory of sustainable development

Sustainable development, as a new development thought and development strategy, its goal is to ensure that the society has the ability to develop sustainably over a long period of time, and the main viewpoints (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sustainable Development Research Group, 2003) include:

Firstly, the connotation of development includes not only the economic development, but also social development and maintaining and building a good ecological environment.

Second, the permanent utilization of natural resources is the material basis for guaranteeing sustainable socio-economic development. Sustainable development should be based on the protection of natural resources and the environment, in harmony with the carrying capacity of resources and the environment. In order to realize sustainable development, resources and environmental protection should be an integral part of the development process, and every effort must be made to prevent the depletion and extinction of the Earth's living resources. The degree of environmental protection in the sustainable utilization of resources is the watershed that distinguishes traditional development from sustainable development.

Third, human development is constrained by natural resources, and the natural ecological environment is the material basis for human survival and socio-economic development.

Fourth, sustainable development is also a management strategy that calls for people to give up the traditional crude production methods of high consumption, high growth and high pollution and the lifestyle of high consumption and high waste, and advocates that equal importance be given to products, efficiency, resources and the environment, that economic growth and environmental protection be combined, that social stability and equity be combined, and that short-term interests be combined with long-term interests. One of the most serious problems facing the planet was inappropriate lifestyles and production methods, which had led to environmental degradation, resource scarcity, increased poverty and an imbalance in the development of countries. The essence of the idea of sustainable development is that, on the one hand, people are required to produce as little input and as much output as possible; on the other hand, they are required to utilize as much as possible and emit as little as possible when consuming.

Fifth, controlling population growth and eradicating poverty are major issues closely related to the protection of the ecological environment. It is necessary to re-establish the relationship between human beings and nature and between generations, to define new strategies for economic development, and to develop cleaner production and environmentally friendly or environmentally beneficial technological systems, etc.

Four, the connotation of sustainable development of national oil

With the deepening of the theory of sustainable development, the countries of their own national sustainable development of the exploitation and utilization of basic resources are carrying out long-term strategic thinking. The benevolent see benevolence, the wise see wisdom. We may wish to draw on the views of experts to the national oil sustainable development issues slightly discussed, and thus to peep into the international oil sustainable development concept.

Oil resources is the foundation, sufficient oil resources and reasonable investment in exploration and development can ensure effective supply. The rational development and utilization of domestic oil and gas resources is an important prerequisite for the realization of sustainable development of the oil and gas industry. A country's oil security depends both on an objective understanding of the potential of its natural resources and their rational development and utilization, and is also related to the degree of the country's participation in international oil cooperation. In today's world, no country can achieve sustainable development without utilizing international resources. In the face of the "extraordinary" international situation, without international cooperation and oil reserves to meet the country's needs for a certain period of time, it is difficult to ensure national oil security. The scale of development and layout of the petrochemical industry are closely related to the potential, quality and distribution of national petroleum resources, as well as to the rational and effective utilization of oil and gas resources and environmental protection. For a big country with a population of 1.3 billion like us, although the total amount of oil and gas resources is not small, the proportion of oil and gas resources per capita is very low. Therefore, advocating the economical utilization of hydrocarbon resources and actively seeking alternative energy sources have become important elements of the strategy for realizing the sustainable development of the hydrocarbon industry. The realization of the above goals also requires the state to formulate reasonable guidelines and policies and take effective measures to guide, encourage and promote.

Sustainable development emphasizes the relationship between social and economic development and the rational use of resources and environmental protection. In China's oil and gas sustainable development strategy, sustainable development should emphasize the sustainable use of oil and gas resources, the sustainable development of oil and gas enterprises and the coordination between oil and gas industrial development and the environment. First of all, the sustainable utilization of oil resources is the foundation of sustainable development. Oil and gas are non-renewable resources, so adopting a strategy for the utilization of oil and gas resources that suits the characteristics of China's resources is an important matter for protecting the resources, guaranteeing China's long-term safe supply of oil and gas, and benefiting future generations. Secondly, the sustainable development of oil enterprises is the cornerstone of the sustainable development of the oil and gas industry. As the cell of national economy, oil enterprises should not only focus on economic benefits, expand profits, develop production and improve their market competitiveness, but also have the social responsibility to protect the environment and guarantee the continuous supply of oil. In the fierce market competition, China's oil enterprises can only realize sustainable development by establishing an efficient competitive incentive mechanism and unifying the enterprises' pursuit of economic goals with their responsibility to contribute to society. Third, the development of the oil industry must be harmonized with the environment. The process of oil exploration and development and transportation will cause damage to the natural ecology, produce harmful gases and wastes, or leakage due to accidents, resulting in certain environmental pollution problems; petroleum products will also emit hazardous substances in the process of production and consumption. Therefore, the petroleum industry needs to continuously promote technological progress, constantly reduce the harm caused to the environment, and win the space for sustainable development while contributing to the protection of the environment.

It is on the basis of the same understanding and awareness that Dr. Daniel Yergin, an internationally renowned expert on energy issues, Pulitzer Prize winner, and President of the Cambridge Energy Research Association, made a report on the U.S. energy situation, global energy security, and other issues at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Economic Policy, Exports, and Trade Promotion on April 8, 2003, in which Dr. Yergin stated that the U.S. energy situation and global energy security are the most important issues in the U.S. energy market. According to Daniels (2003): Based on the U.S. experience over the past 30 years, there are eight principles that should be followed to ensure energy security, namely: there is only one global oil market, of which the U.S. is only a part, and the U.S. oil security relies on the stability of the global market; the diversification of energy supply is one of the main guarantees of energy security; emergency reserves are the first line of defense against oil disruptions; the oil market is more flexible than it was decades ago, and there is more flexibility in the oil market than it has been in the past. The oil market is much more flexible now than it was decades ago, and intervention and control are counterproductive; Seek energy partnerships with other oil-importing countries, whether industrialized, newly "globalized" (e.g., China and India), or poor; The government can reduce panic through the use of high-quality information and by accelerating the transmission of information in the oil industry; The U.S. needs to work with the U.S. oil industry to ensure that the oil market is stable. The U.S. needs to maintain strong dialog and cooperative relationships with most oil-exporting countries on a consistent basis; a healthy, technology-driven domestic energy industry is part of energy security, and a commitment to broad-based research, development, and technological innovation that takes into account current and future environmental considerations is essential. These views all reflect from the same side that a country's development cannot be separated from the support of hydrocarbons, and that the sustainable supply of hydrocarbons requires the country to consider many aspects and adhere to the concept of sustainable development of hydrocarbons and take measures for the sustainable supply of hydrocarbons.