ABSTRACT
Power relations have been subtly yet substantially reconfigured by the decisive shift away from an environment-centred interpretation of sustainable development. Environmental groups have had to present their arguments with much greater sensitivity to social and economic issues, while development groups have been able to draw on the legitimacy which derived from the government’s interpretation of sustainable development including the ‘high and stable economic growth’ objective. As the case study of sustainability appraisal in Chapter 3 intimates, the shift towards an integrated approach to sustainable development has challenged the privileged role of environmental techniques. The key finding was that where environment-led approaches seemed to offer the potential to make seemingly ‘objective’ decisions, the need to integrate environmental, social and economic issues brings political choices back to the fore.
