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Sustainable Development in International Environmental Law

the processes without such limits in the development and industrialization
processes. Considering the limits targeted in the use of natural resources and
installation costs of environmental technologies and production facilities,
we can relate that developing countries are suspicious about sustainable
development (Güneş and Coşkun 2004:91-92).
Despite all the criticisms directed at sustainable development, it should
be taken into account that environmental-friendly technologies, zero waste
investments and efficient use of natural resources and energy have become
available with the development of technology, and startup investments
have become increasingly accessible. The energy efficiency of renewable
energy sources increases each year, while installation and maintenance costs
decrease. Moreover, increasing technical knowledge (know-how) and data
in open sources also encourage underdeveloped states on investing in this
field. On the other hand, improving production technologies gradually boosts
the use of recycled products or making it attractive to design and market
recyclable products.

Conclusion

In our study, the concept of sustainable development has been examined by
taking into account the processes in international studies from the past to the
present and it has been revealed that this concept is actually multidimensional
and concerns many branches other than international law. The international
jurisdiction and agreement to point out sustainable development principle
for the first time, despite not mentioning by name, is the Pacific Fur Seal
Arbitration dated 1893 and International Convention for the Regulation of
Whaling dated 1946. ASEAN Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources of 1985 was the first international text where Principle of
sustainable development was mentioned by name and the definition of the
principle was made in the Brundtland Report of 1987 at the international level.
As mentioned above, the concept of sustainable development started to
be included primarily in flexible legal documents such as declarations and
resolutions, and at the beginning of the 1990s it was adapted to binding
international agreements.
The concept of sustainable development, which has been in progress
since its first introduction in international texts, has continued to find a place
in international environmental law, although it has been criticized for its
ambiguous structure and how to be applied by countries at different levels
of development. The sustainable development concept, which is defined
in the fields of flexible law and the method of application is shaped by the
agreements, is a phenomenon to be recognized that it has a normative value

Year 2 / Issue 3 / January 2023 57