Sustainable development: Implementing utopia?

Abstract

Sustainable development is popular, but also indeterminate concept, with many meanings and interpretations. This complex and vague idea seems more difficult to implement on the local basis then on the national level. It is therefore surprising that such an abstract concept has rather high mobilizing power. One of the explanations lies in its positive image. When one compares the ?optimistic? concept of sustainability with the ?pessimistic? concept of entropia, it is possible to hypothesize that its popularity is the result of its utopistic potential, i.e. its ability to visualize the reconciliation of the eternal fight between man (society), and nature. Comparing attitudes and statements with the actual behavior makes it possible to conclude that sustainability is just as popular as declaration, which is in strong contrast with the everyday reality. It is quite understandable that sustainability, as a radical concept, is difficult to implement in the real life. A lot has to be done in coordinating the measures on the local level in order to prevent shocks which would destabilize communities. But just the fact that the concept is provocative makes it effective in stimulating the discussion on numerous questions considering sound, sustainable development. This paper tries to structure the concept of sustainability in order to clarify its social potential.Odrzivi razvoj je popularan, ali i nedovoljno odredjen koncept, koji ima mnoga znacenja i interpretacije. Ovu kompleksnu i nejasnu ideju je, cini se, teze primeniti na lokalnom nego na nacionalnom nivou. Otuda je iznenadjujuce da tako uopsten pojam ima veliku mobilisucu snagu. Jedno od objasnjenja se nalazi u pozitivnoj konotaciji ovog pojma. Kada se poredi optimisticki koncept odrzivosti sa pesimistickim konceptom entropije, moguce je pretpostaviti da je popularnost prvog vezana za njegov utopijski potencijal, odnosno sposobnost da vizualizuje razresenje vecite borbe izmedju ljudi (drustva) i prirode. Poredjenje stavova sa aktuelnim ponasanjem, medjutim, vodi zakljucku i da je odrzivost popularna samo na retorickom nivou, te da je u ostrom kontrastu sa svakodnevnom realnoscu. Sasvim je neodrzivo da je odrzivost, kao radikalni koncept, tesko primenljiva u stvarnom zivotu. Mnogo se mora uciniti na koordinaciji mera neophodnih da se prevenira destabilizacija zajednice na lokalnom nivou. Sama cinjenica da je koncept provokativan, medjutim, cini ga efektivnim u stimulisanju diskusija o brojnim pitanjima koja se ticu temeljnog odrzivog razvoja. Ovaj rad ima za cilj da strukturise koncept odrzivosti na nacin koji objasnjava njegov drustveni potencijal.