The Potential Role of Life Cycle Approaches in Sustainable Development
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Date
2006
Authors
Kituyi, E.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
School of Environmental Studies and Human Sciences,
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Africa remains one of the most underdeveloped continents in the world. In
the struggle to attain economic and social development, the region has
_ witnessed serious unsustainable patterns of consumption and production
(WSSD, 20021). In Africa in particular, the abstraction and conversion of natural
resources such as minerals and forests, as well as processing of agriculture-based
commodities potentially present the biggest concern for material and energy losses.
It is on these sectors that economies and livelihoods of most countries in Africa
depend.
The unsustainable patterns of production and consumption have been attributed,
first, to the piecemeal nature of interventions to environmental management,
characteristic in many developing countries. Secondly, Agenda 21-the action
plan towards sustainable development adopted by governments in Rio a decade
ago-did not define a strategy or even provide guidance on how governments
may develop one (OEeD, 2002). Thirdly, despite increasing recognition of the
role of science, technology and innovation in the economic transformation of
developing countries, their prominence in national development policy is generally
understated".
As a result, there have been massive losses of materials and energy at points of
resource extraction, processing, consumption and disposal. Furthermore, much
of this loss has contributed to environmental pollution on land, air and water
bodies, rendered land unusable for food production due to pollution or
desertification. The obsolete technology employed and the inadequate capacity
to apply international quality standards in most of these production and
consumption processes are largely to blame for the poor quality of goods that
have frequently failed to compete on global commodity markets such as the
European Union. Many export oriented small and medium scale enterprise (SMEs)
have closed down with resultant massive job losses.
Ironically, these challenges exist at a time when holistic, science based innovations
exist. And the WSSD called for the development of policies for sustainable
consumption and production using science based tools and approaches. For
instance, Industrial Ecology-also known as the science of sustainability, and
defined in this chapter as the study of the flows of materials and energy in industrial
and consumer activities, of the effects of these flows on the environment, and of the
influences of economic, political, regulatory and social factors on the flow, use and
transformation of resources' - is among the latest important contributions by science
in pursuit of sustainable development. Industrial ecology-related tools include
inter alia Design-for-Environment (DfE), industrial symbiosis and Life Cycle
Approaches. This chapter explores the potential in Life Cycle Approaches as a
sustainability tool for Africa.
Description
Book Chapter