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3.6. Associated Impacts of ARD Activities
This section briefly considers potentially harmful or beneficial impacts of
increased ARD activities on factors other than carbon storage. To what extent
might these activities have associated impacts that conflict with, or support,
the sustainable development objectives agreed to at the UN Conference on Environment
and Development (UNCED) and set out in more detail in other multilateral international
agreements, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests and the Convention
on Biological Diversity?
The heart of the sustainable development concept is management of resources
to maximize the income of an activity while maintaining or increasing the amount
and quality of assets or capital affected by that activity. Because resources,
assets, and capital all have natural and human dimensions, sustainable development
encompasses socioeconomic factors as well as environmental sustainability. Sustainable
development requires a balance between social, economic, and environmental considerations
to improve current human welfare while ensuring a sound foundation for the welfare
of future generations.
Opinions generally differ over the interpretation, identification, and valuation
of assets and capital which can make implementation of sustainable development
difficult. Section 3.6.1 provides a very brief discussion
of specific factors related to ARD activities. These issues are discussed more
fully in Section 2.5 and, in relation to project-based
activities, in Chapter 5.
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