ABSTRACT
The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development recognized that sustainable development would require countries to "build upon and harmonize their various sectoral economic, social and environmental policies and plans". This chapter draws on the 18 national reports and international data sources and characterizes the impact of industry on sustainable development in these 18 countries. It summarizes the perceptions of the country experts about the obstacles to enhancing the socioeconomic impacts and mitigating the negative environmental impacts of industry on sustainable development. The chapter presents the country experts' proposals for enhancing the contribution of industry to sustainable development. It details their proposals for steps that are needed for assessing the contribution of industry to sustainable development. The existence of old polluting industry in many developing and transition economies is a serious obstacle to sustainable development. There is a lack of information about environmentally sound technologies as well as the financial resources to acquire them.
