Hunter Carter

Abstract:

Referring to FLOGEN Sustainability Framework, in order to achieve sustainability three criteria need to be fulfilled simultaneously: economic growth, environmental protection and social development. As per this framework the three actors that can help or hinder sustainability are Science and Technology, Governance and Management and Education and Civil society that are equally important as 3 pillars of one table with three pillars. As one of the main pillars, technology can help or hinder sustainability because a new technology development can easily push borders of existing habit and understanding of the world this can adversely affect human rights. Human rights in themselves are part of social development criteria of sustainability. As such, if a new technology helps economic growth (one criteria) and environmental protection (the other criteria) but goes against human rights as part of social development criteria, sustainability is not achieved since the criteria a social development is not fulfilled. In this presentation the author’s vast experience in human rights protections is used through different examples to make the point that science and technology in their new inventions and discoveries should not and do not go against human rights.