Today's challenges provide the chance to develop global mechanisms for sustainable development. They can act as springboards towards higher resource productivity and efficiency, environmentally friendly technologies, and sustainable habits and lifestyles. The above discussion brings up a number of issues that require thorough considerations. However, these are still on the nature of individual components of the policy framework, not on the framework itself. It may be useful to provide a brief reflection on the strategic vision that can hold these diverse thoughts together.

While the 21st century promises to herald the advent of the era of ecological reality, a sustained emphasis on resource efficiency stands out as the need of the hour

Environmental protection will work only if it makes economic sense. And, one good way of making sure it does is by introducing a comprehensive system of environmental taxes.