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Environmental Sustainability Term Paper

Environmental Sustainability At this point in time, there is a tremendous difference in European and American approaches to environmental sustainability, with the result being that the U.S. is falling behind Europe in its ability to foster and maintain sustainable development practices. This has a negative impact on American progress, as encouraging consumptive development places the U.S. In a less competitive position than other developed nations, while saddling it with some of the drawbacks of doing business in developing nations. Sustainable development means "meeting the needs of present generations without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs- in other words, a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come" (European Commission, 2012). Sustainable development can be influenced by official policies, so that government and businesses play important roles in helping influence sustainable development, and this official influence seems to be part of why Europe is having more success at implementing sustainable development policies than the United States.

Sustainable development policies require a different approach to business. Rather than placing profit at the...

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This requires a cultural change where the policies of conservation are given priority over the policies of profit. One reason that Europe may be better suited for this societal-level change is the different structure of government in Europe when compared to the United States. Many European Union member nations have a much higher degree of socialist practices and policies, so that thinking about the collective good is already part of their mindset. Furthermore, American culture is very resistant to the type of oversight and top-down planning that characterizes the best practices in sustainable development (European Sustainable Development Network, 2012).
Expanding that type of collective thought to include environmental concerns and issues was a natural next-step for many European countries. The commitment to environment protection "recognises that in the long-term, economic growth, social cohesion and environmental protection must go hand in hand" (Commission…

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References

Commission of the European Communities. (2001, May 15). A sustainable Europe for a better world: A European Union strategy for sustainable development. Retrieved January 8, 2013 from Eur-Lex website: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2001/com2001_0264en01.pdf

Council of Europe. (2012). Sustainable development: On top of the agenda. Retrieved January

8, 2013 from Council of Europe website: http://hub.coe.int/what-we-do/culture-and-nature/sustainable-development

European Commission. (2012, February 23). Sustainable development. Retrieved January 8,
2013 from European Commission website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/
European Sustainable Development Network. (2012). Basics of SD strategies. Retrieved January 8, 2013 from European Sustainable Development Network website: http://www.sd-network.eu/?k=basics%20of%20SD%20strategies
Nicholson, C. (2012, April 30). Q&A: Europe's world class innovation in sustainability (and why the U.S. is falling behind). Retrieved January 7, 2013 from Smart Planet website: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/thinking-tech/q-a-europes-world-class-innovation-in-sustainability-and-why-the-us-is-falling-behind/11455
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