




































AGORA International Journal of Economical Sciences, http://univagora.ro/jour/index.php/aijes 

ISSN 2067-3310, E-ISSN 2067-7669 

Vol. 17, No. 2 (2023), pp. 142-157 

 

142 
 

MANAGEMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

 

S. SMOLOVIĆ, S. ŽIVANOVIĆ, N. ABRAMOVIĆ, M. ŽIVANOVIĆ 

 

Sanja Smolović1, Slađana Živanović2, Nikola Abramović3, Miodrag Živanović4 

1 Faculty of Maritime Affairs and Tourism, University Adriatic Bar, Montenegro   
1 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9893-0593, E-mail: sanjasmolovic83@gmail.com  
2 3 4Faculty of Business Economics and Law, University Adriatic Bar, Montenegro  
2 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6001-3685, E-mail: sladja.nautilus@gmail.com 
3 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7865-3592, E-mail: nikola.abramovic.fpe@gmail.com  
4 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3612-6230, E-mail: mico.zivanovic@gmail.com  

 

Abstract. Unifying the concept of social, economic and ecological development, the new 

development paradigm was established under the name of sustainable development. Sustainable 

development should harmonize sensible consumption of natural resources with their protection and 

ensure a more equitable division of wealth and equal economic development at the global level. 

Within such a context, science and environmental education constitute the precondition for our joint 

future. As regards the contents, this paper provides a precise and comprehensive overview of 

theoretical features of environmental pollution and sustainable development, as well as the most 

important aspects of environmental and natural resource management. For effective control of 

environmental pollution to be possible, it is necessary to consider the ethical foundations of 

environmental economics in particular, and special attention is paid to in the paper. A significant 

part of this work is devoted to criticism of uncontrolled economic growth and the inefficiency of the 

state in controlling environmental pollution. Knowledge management for the purpose of sustainable 

development and development of international regulations on the environment are also included. 

Keywords: Sustainable development, management, environment, pollution 

 

1.Introduction 

The Brundtland report defines sustainable development as "development that meets the needs 

of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." 

Sustainable development policies include institutional measures and measures and activities in the 

field of environmental protection that protect the environmental system, the economic and social 

system as a single unit, as well as a set of principles of economic and social sustainability. Institutional 

measures include the areas of good governance, access to information, the fight against corruption 

and supervision over the implementation of measures and activities. Measures and activities in the 

field of environmental protection refer to the integration of the environmental protection dimension 

into development programs and projects in the programming or design phase, as well as monitoring 

the achievement of goals in this area. Measures in the field of economic sustainability refer to various 

sectors - energy, forestry, agriculture, water management, and others. Measures in the area of social 

sustainability include poverty reduction, gender, cultural and social policy, cooperation with the civil 

sector, and others. If development is to be sustainable in the long term, economic and sustainability 

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9893-0593
mailto:sanjasmolovic83@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6001-3685
mailto:sladja.nautilus@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7865-3592
mailto:nikola.abramovic.fpe@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3612-6230
mailto:mico.zivanovic@gmail.com


Sanja SMOLOVIĆ, Slađana ŽIVANOVIĆ, Nikola ABRAMOVIĆ, Miodrag ŽIVANOVIĆ 
 

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policies must be harmonized with institutional arrangements, measures and activities in the field of 

environmental protection.  

What is sustainable development? Sustainable development represents a general direction, an 

aspiration, to live in a world in which economic, technological and cultural development is 

harmonized with the needs of the development of society and the capacity of the environment.  

The World Commission on Environment and Development in the report "Our Common 

Future" indicates the danger, for people and our planet, of the policy of economic growth without 

taking into account the possibility of regeneration of the planet Earth. In 1987, this commission 

defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without denying 

future generations the ability to meet their own needs.  Sustainable development is a long-term 

concept that indicates the need to create a balanced relationship between three seemingly opposing 

areas that must ensure environmental responsibility, economic profit and a society of equal 

opportunities in the future. This concept of sustainable development represents progress for 

environmental policy, because it explains the connection between environmental, economic, social 

and cultural problems within which environmental protection problems should be considered 

(conservation of natural resources, biodiversity, circulation of matter, emissions of harmful 

substances, sustainable use of land, timely and effective problem solving, aesthetic value of nature), 

if we want to solve them professionally and in a socially acceptable way. 

 

 1.1 Problem, subject and object of research 

The rapid growth of the population in the last hundred years, the strengthening of the 

economic activity of mankind, the development of international trade, and the increasing needs of 

mankind for energy and material goods, have had, and will continue to have, negative consequences 

on the quality of the environment. Ecological problems have taken on dramatic proportions because 

they directly affect people's health and threaten the survival of life on Earth. Harmful ecological and 

economic consequences for the environment are manifested not only in the area of pollution and 

depletion of natural resources necessary for life, but also in the area of a complete reduction of the 

quality of the environment in certain areas where life and economic activity cannot continue.  

The economic prerequisite has already reached or exceeded important limitations related to 

the source, that is, to the natural capacity of the country. Parts of the Earth have already been damaged 

or destroyed, so there is practically no place where traces of human existence cannot be noticed. From 

the center of Antarctica to Mount Everest, waste materials dumped by humans can be clearly seen, 

and the quantities are increasing. It is not possible to find a sample of ocean water without seeing 

traces of human waste. Toxic substances and compounds of heavy metals have already accumulated 

within the marine system, and one fifth of the world's population breathes air more toxic than the 

standard recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).  

In the eighties of the last century, it became obvious that environmental degradation has 

become one of the main obstacles to economic development. Economists of environmental 

economics, a new scientific branch of economic sciences, assume a significant role in considering the 

mutual effects of economic growth and environmental quality. By means of environmental protection 

policy, they try to integrate the solution of environmental issues. Through the economics of the 

environment, economists strive to express the functions of the environment in monetary terms in 

order to be able to show the mutual relationship between the goals of economic policy and the goals 

of environmental protection policy.  

 



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In such an environment, the concept of steady or sustainable development was created. 

Accepting such a conception of development, the economy must be trained for a new organization in 

relation to the use of natural resources and new state economic and environmental protection 

measures. The economy must set new goals for environmental protection, but also anticipate and 

reduce the negative consequences of state policy in environmental protection. In such new 

environmental conditions, the economy has to deal more with research and development projections, 

taking into account the growing interest in environmental protection.  

In order to achieve this, it is necessary to investigate basic environmental problems, mutual 

influences of economic growth and environmental quality, as well as the impact of environmental 

protection policy on economic growth. As environmental protection is an expensive activity, it is 

necessary to find an objective measure of environmental pollution, so that the costs for environmental 

protection are lower than the benefits of economic growth. At the same time, it is necessary to know 

the entire economic-ecological instrumentation that is available for environmental protection policy.  

Although for a long period of time current phenomena are scientifically studied and current 

problems of environmental pollution are solved on a global scale and numerous institutional and 

instrumental activities are undertaken. All these activities are undertaken with the aim of affirming 

and operationalizing the idea of global sustainable growth and development of all activities and 

encourage the management of sustainable development, which would be directly in the function of 

creating basic assumptions for the creation of individual and social well-being. The described issue 

and the determined problem of the research on the current phenomena of the relationship between 

management and sustainable growth and development determined the scientific framework for the 

subject of the research as a project task: To investigate the current theoretical and applied phenomena 

of the principles, instruments, laws and theories of sustainable development, systematically 

formulating the results of the research on the causes and the consequences of global environmental 

pollution, the most important determinants of environmental management, the mission of educational 

systems in global sustainable development, the legal framework of sustainable development 

management, and concludes the management of sustainable development in the 21st century.  

The problem and the subject of the research refer to two interconnected objects of research: 

management and sustainable development.  

 

1.2 Hypothetical framework  

Research problem, subject and object of research, the purpose and goals of the research on the 

current phenomena of the relationship between management and sustainable development, to which 

this work is dedicated, determined the scientific paradigm for the hypothetical framework:  

The main hypothesis is the hypothesis of knowledge and skills about the most important 

pollution of the environment, sustainable development, management, about the legal framework of 

sustainable management development, management of sustainable development, which represent the 

creation of a basic reference for looking at the management of sustainable development for the 21st 

century in all activities.  

The main hypothesis set in this way included several auxiliary hypotheses:  

1. Scientifically based knowledge about the causes and consequences of global environmental 

pollution and the mission of ecological policies and ecological systems in global sustainable 

development represent a theoretical framework for the study of numerous current phenomena 

of sustainable development management.  



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2. Knowledge and understanding of management in general, and especially the functions and 

specifics of environmental management, enable the management of all potentials, resources 

and capacities in all activities and the creation of basic assumptions for global sustainable 

development.  

3. Good knowledge of the most important pedagogical meanings of educational systems 

represents a scientific paradigm for the ecological education of children, students, students 

and adults in the system of lifelong learning and education, but also for the appropriate 

management of knowledge in the function of global sustainable development.  

4. An adequate amount of knowledge and understanding of legal rules and legal institutes, 

national, international, coercive law, autonomous law, directives and recommendations of the 

European Union, declarations, programs, and environmental documents enables not only 

environmental managers but also others: teachers, scientists, politicians, entrepreneurs, 

intellectuals, experts of various professions, to create basic assumptions for micro, macro and 

global sustainable growth and development.  

 

1.3 Purpose and goals of the research  

The goal of the research is closely related to the previously determined research 

problem. Based on the review of ecological and economic problems of environmental pollution and 

the determination of the interaction between economic policy and environmental protection policy, 

the need to involve environmental economics economists is determined to solve environmental 

problems. It wants to prove that only a new philosophy of development can ensure smooth and 

sustainable development. 

Accordingly, the new role of the state and companies in environmental protection and the 

function of management in environmental protection are investigated. The purpose is to draw the 

attention of the holders of the state environmental protection policy to the need for an effective fight 

against environmental pollution, providing them with information on the international environmental 

protection policy in developed countries and countries in transition. As the state's environmental 

protection policies are based mainly on environmental taxes and incentives, and these on damage 

assessments and benefits from environmental protection, it is desired to provide a framework for the 

objective determination of environmental damages, i.e. setting an environmental protection policy 

and the development of environmental management.  

Bearing in mind the aforementioned and the fundamental mission of this work, the purpose 

and goals of the research were determined: to investigate the increasingly important meaning, 

principles, rules, instruments, phenomena about the most important problems of sustainable 

development management and to define the research results and present them in this paper.  

 

1.4 Evaluation of previous researches  

The first serious study by R. Carson called Silent spring (Silent spring, New York, 1962) 

scientifically indicated the endangerment of flora and fauna and the problem of human survival on 

Earth. In that study, the environmental problems of our planet are pointed out, but economic growth 

is not discussed in detail.  

The economic aspects of the environment are also covered by P. Nijkamp in the book Theory 

and Application of Environmental Economics (Amsterdam, 1978), in which he discusses the 

functional and methodological problems of the environment from an economic point of view. He 

rightly points out that the increase in the use of natural resources and materials causes an increase in 



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national welfare and at the same time increases the waste of production and consumption, that is, 

further degradation of the environment.  

Studies by English author David W. Pearce et al. Economics of Natural resources and the 

Environment (London, 1990) and the American author Berry C. Field's Environmental economics 

(New York, 1994) also include the economic aspects of environmental protection and determine the 

subject and work methods of the new scientific discipline of environmental economics.  

The books New Direction (Zagreb, 1995) by S. Schmidheiny and Green Inc (London, 1995) 

by F. Cairncross indicate a new environmental policy implemented in the economy of developed 

countries. Those books show with numerous examples and quotes that the environmental policy is 

being integrated step by step with the economic policy of states and companies and that a friendly 

relationship with the environment is developing.  

Finally, it is necessary to mention the study by the author Ratko Zelenika, who in the book 

Science of Science (Rijeka, 2004) defined and clearly presented the basics of economic research and 

determined the methodology of scientific-research work, which to a considerable extent helped shape 

this work methodologically and in terms of content.  

 

1.5 Scientific methods  

The following scientific research methods were used in the processing of the topics discussed 

in this paper in appropriate combinations: inductive and deductive, methods of abstraction and 

concretization, methods of generalization and specialization, methods of definition and classification, 

historical method, logical method, and as the most frequently used and most significant methods of 

analysis and synthesis in determining the appropriate necessary knowledge of environmental 

managers and applying it to their education and training programs.  

 

2. Significance of Environmental Pollution and Sustainable Development 

The strategic threat of human civilization to the global environment has led to negative trends 

in all environmental indicators. Thus, the trends of forest loss and species extinction are accelerating, 

climate changes are occurring, and with them natural disasters, water is running out, and soil erosion 

is causing more and more damage.  

Technical and technological growth, which is based on the strong development of science, 

constantly accelerates the growth of productivity, and contributes to the constant increase in 

production, and thus to the ever-increasing depletion of natural resources. Strong economic growth, 

especially in certain developed countries, has created global politics and growing differences between 

the rich and the poor. With its modern technological capacities, the economy has created the illusion 

of "unlimited power of economic growth and non-distinction between the terms growth and 

development (Šebić, 2002). Pollution of the atmosphere and oceans on a global scale is taking on 

worrying dimensions, and the decline in food production and the growth of genetically modified food 

are causing hunger and concern. All this points to the imbalance that has arisen between human 

development and the environment. Civilization's great need for natural resources and weak 

environmental balance have led to an ecological crisis of global proportions.  

But, the most dangerous threats to our global environment are not only the mentioned threats, 

but the way in which we experience this crisis. Scientists must continuously research environmental 

and development problems, but this must not diminish our action to "do something now"; the balance 

between development and the environment must be restored and greater personal responsibility must 



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be taken for the destruction of the global environment.  

Free market economics, arguably the most powerful tool of civilization, ignores the value of 

environmental goods (clean air, water, healthy forests, etc.). It cannot see, and even less economists 

can measure the value of these goods, because there are no points of contact between macroeconomics 

and the environment. All this indicates that it is necessary to scientifically and professionally point 

out development and environmental problems with objective information. Therefore, it is very 

necessary to change the overall human awareness towards one's own natural environment, and 

especially towards ecological systems. It is necessary to reduce the entropy of the Earth's ecosystem 

and create a new philosophy of development that will be in the interest of man, but not for man to 

destroy the ecosystems without which he cannot survive. In other words, we have to move to 

sustainable development.  

As already pointed out, development and economic policy in the search for a balance of 

economic activities exerts a strong pressure on the environment and creates an ecological imbalance 

on Earth. These pressures are primarily reflected through economic development activities, but also 

through uncontrolled demographic development in certain parts of our planet. All this points to the 

fact that through scientific research, public discussions and ecological and moral pressures, political 

structures on the international and national level will be forced to regulate the use of ecological goods 

and pressure on the increasingly "sensitive" environment. 

 

2.1 Anthropogenic causes of environmental pollution  

Finally, today it is clear that the market cannot automatically (independently) regulate the 

imbalance of ecosystems, and future development and economic policy are aimed at cooperation with 

environmental protection policy, namely (Schick, 2015):  

 Through appropriate legislation to protect natural resources (water, forests, arable land, sea) 

from exploitation that is driven primarily by profit and short-term economic interests.  

 By conducting an industrial policy that should be planned for long-term development.  

 Through state institutions that should encourage comprehensive research on resource and 

energy management, especially in energy-intensive branches, in order to gain comprehensive 

scientific insight into the state and perspectives of resource productivity growth. On the basis 

of such a study, it is possible to start planning the rate of growth of resource productivity until 

2025, and create measures of encouragement and monitoring.  

 Through the planned income, which should allocate more funds for education and 

science, considering that knowledge is the basic resource for the effective disposal of natural 

and human capital in the 21st century.  

 They are in line with the precautionary principle, which is one of the foundations of managing 

a complex adaptive system like the economy.  

In conclusion, it could be emphasized that the global environmental problems created by the 

global economy can be solved successfully only by the active role of the state, the international 

community and the global economy, and not only by the open market and its laws.  

 

2.2 Rapid population growth and urbanization  

From the time of the appearance of man to 1945, it took more than ten thousand generations 

for the population to reach two billion. And now, in the span of one lifetime, the world's population 

has grown from two billion to more than 6 billion. While the world population at the beginning of the 

century numbered 1.6 billion people, today it has grown to 6.67 billion people, and it is predicted that 



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by 2050 there will be around 9.2 billion people living on Earth.  

At the beginning of the new era, the population of our planet took 600 years to double, and at 

the beginning of the 19th century, the population doubled in 80 years, and today it doubles in 35 

years; it only took 12 years for the population to increase by one billion, which is the shortest period 

so far (Črnjar, 1997).  

What kind of pressure on the environment is caused by such an "explosion" of the population 

can be represented by the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century there was hardly any talk about 

environmental problems, and today we are talking about an ecological crisis of global proportion.  

During much of human history, the world's population grew very slowly. Growth rates began 

to increase slightly during the 17th and 18th centuries as death rates decreased. The highest rates were 

recorded during the 20th century and reached a peak of 2% in the period from 1965 to 1970. From 

1950 to 2007, the world population increased by about 2.6 times. In the period from 2005 to 2010, 

the growth rate at the world level will be 1.17% and is predicted to decrease to 0.36% by 2045-

2050. year (table 1).  

 

Table 1. Projections of the total population and population growth rates in the world, developed 

countries and developing countries (in the period from 1985 to 2050, medium variant) 

Year 

Total population (in millions) 

World 
Developed 

countries 

Developing 

countries 

1985 4855 1 115 3 740 

1995. 5 719 1 175 4 544 

2005. 6 515 1 216 5 299 

2015. 7 295 1 245 6 050 

2025. 8 011 1 259 6 752 

2035. 8 587 1 260 7 327 

2050. 9 191 1 245 7 946 

Average annual population growth rate 

1985 – 1990 1,73 0,60 2,60 

1990 – 1995 1,54 0,45 1,83 

1995 – 2000 1,37 0,32 1,63 

2000 – 2005 1,24 0,36 1,44 

2005 – 2010 1,17 0,28 1,37 

2010 – 2015 1,10 0,20 1,28 

2015 – 2020 1,00 0,14 1,17 

2020 – 2025 0,88 0,08 1,30 

2025 – 2030 0,75 0,03 0,89 

2030 – 2035 0,64 -0,01 0,75 

2035 – 2040 0,54 -0,05 0,64 

2040 – 2045 0,45 -0.08 0,54 

2045 – 2050 0,36 -0,10 0,44 

 Source: World Popula on Prospects: The 2006 Revision, Popula on Division of the Department 

of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Na ons Secretariat, hp://esa.un.org/unpp  



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Urbanization is a process that developed rapidly after the Second World War in developed 

countries and in development countries. It is a fact that at the beginning of the 20th century there were 

11 million cities on Earth, but in 1975 in 2005 there were 190, and today there are more than 200. In 

2005, about 20 cities had more than 10 million inhabitants, with about 70% of them in developing 

countries.  

Cities are a very sensitive ecological system and, as a rule, require imports of food, energy, 

water, etc. That is why the natural creation and expansion of cities is a very sensitive ecological, 

economic and social problem today, especially in poor and underdeveloped countries. Today in 

developed countries 70-80% of the population lives in urban areas. Regardless, estimates indicate 

that cities will continue to develop rapidly in the future, especially in developing countries, to 

frightening dimensions.  

 

2.3 Industrial and technological revolution  

In the entire world, fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) still make up the largest part of the 

fuel. Among them, coal consumption is predicted to grow the most, primarily due to the growth in 

demand from the energy sector in China and India. Such trends lead to a constant increase in global 

carbon dioxide emissions - up to 57%. China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, while 

India became the third polluter by 2015. By 2030, China will almost catch up with Europe in terms 

of emissions per capita. 

Because of all this, the global energy policy should be an integral part of the overall economic 

policy and environmental protection policy. Directing energy development to alternative energy 

sources (sun, wind, sea) can contribute to reducing environmental degradation in the future.  

When talking about renewable energy sources, the World Energy Organization (IEA) 

distinguishes between: hydropower, fuel from renewable materials, waste (including biomass and 

used energy from waste), and others, including geothermal energy, solar energy, wind energy, and 

wave/tidal energy (OECD, 2007).  High technologies can cause a revolution in terms of reducing 

environmental pollution, but in addition to all other activities that society needs to undertake. It is 

important to create conditions that will enable the transfer and application of technology. The 

development of new technologies and the speed of their spread among industrial and developing 

countries is the most important means for the structural changes that are expected in industry and in 

environmental protection (Pokrajac et al., 2015). Through the process of innovation of new 

technology, new products and production processes are created that enable the increase of people's 

well-being, creating environmentally friendly products and production processes.  

 

2.4 Accelerated development of traffic and traffic infrastructure  

Traffic is a part of human activities and significantly affects its quality, enriches and enriches 

human life, but at the same time causes many bad environmental consequences. However, the impact 

of traffic affects the environment by constantly increasing the emission of harmful substances into 

the air due to the constant increase in the number of vehicles and the consumption of motor fuels, as 

well as accidents during transportation. Harmful environmental consequences of traffic have different 

characteristics and modes of action. Modern society wants to keep the harmful consequences of traffic 

under control and reduce them with regulatory measures.  The main impact of traffic on the 

environment is related to the emission of greenhouse gases, local air pollution, noise and traffic 

congestion. Traffic activity also creates significant external costs associated with traffic 

accidents, and depletion of non-renewable energy sources (especially fossil fuels).  



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2.5 Large quantities of all types of waste  

It is important to point out that the attitude of modern man towards the global environment is 

in a major crisis, as evidenced by the large quantities of waste that are removed from cities and 

businesses. Large amounts of waste very often end up in nature or in the oceans. Today, man has 

started to drown in that "river" by relying for too long on the old strategy of "out of sight, out of 

mind". There are several problems associated with procrastination. In addition to taking up more and 

more valuable land, it also causes air, water and soil pollution, releasing carbon dioxide and methane 

into the atmosphere, and chemicals and pesticides into the soil and groundwater, which poses a danger 

to human health, plants and animals. New sanitary landfills are constructed in such a way that they 

have an impermeable bottom and sides, that seepage water and gases are monitored and drained, and 

that the quantity and composition of the material that is disposed of is continuously monitored. 

Another form of waste disposal is thermal treatment, which is an effective but relatively 

expensive way of processing municipal waste.  Another option for waste management is recycling, 

as far as that is concerned, the European Union has set conditions for constantly increasing the amount 

of waste that is recycled. 

  

2.6 The development of mass tourism  

Tourism, by its meaning, is "a completely new spatial-socio-economic phenomenon of the 

20th century" and is a major user of space, and especially depends on the quality of space and 

environment. In its development so far, tourism has experienced numerous external and internal 

changes, starting with different forms and means used, to the change in scope and spatial dimension 

in which it developed, and to the different functions it had in certain social arrangements. As long as 

tourism was relatively small in number and disproportionately distributed over space, and was 

understood as "passive tourist leisure", the impact of such tourism on the environment was not a 

particular problem. When tourism took on massive proportions, when masses of people began to 

move mainly to spatially concentrated tourist destinations, and when there was a sudden change in 

the way tourists behave - when tourism turns from passive to active and tourists begin to "consume" 

nature and natural resources - tourism acquires negative characteristics.  

"Tourism has become one of the most relevant spatial-geographic phenomena and, along with 

industrialization and urbanization, it is one of the strongest factors of pressure on space and the most 

fatal causes of nature degradation precisely in these areas where nature is the most beautiful, the most 

attractive, and the most valuable from a tourist point of view, but also the most sensitive.  

Despite the fact that tourism, in addition to all the positive economic, social, cultural and 

ecological advantages it brings, threatens the quality of the environment, perhaps more than any other 

sector. The greatest pressures of tourism on the environment are mainly the result of the concentration 

of tourist activity in a relatively limited space and time. A particularly big problem in tourism is the 

increase in housing density during the summer, so for example the housing density in Monaco 

increases by 765%, 383% in Malta, 207% in France, 157% in Italy (Trumbić et al., 2005). In addition 

to the inevitable pressure on the space, certain tourist activities significantly endanger the 

environment, e.g. excessive visits to sensitive areas, hiking, driving cars in the countryside, building 

golf courses and the like. In order to be able to develop successfully, tourism requires a quality and 

clean environment, and its development threatens the quality of that environment every day. The 

solution to that problem should be sought in the so-called "sustainable tourism development" which 

will establish a positive relationship between tourism development and environmental protection.  



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2.7 Natural causes of environmental pollution  

Although natural causes of environmental pollution are part of the evolution of our planet, 

they often turn into natural disasters due to human influence. Natural phenomena threaten and disrupt 

relationships in the environment. Natural disasters have always been a great danger for people and 

their material goods. While in the past natural disasters were caused solely by evolution, today these 

natural disasters are also influenced by human activity. Natural disasters take many human lives and 

cause great material damage. In the following text, we will mention some natural phenomena that 

occur as natural disasters, but we will not discuss these phenomena in detail (Ahmet, 2017): 

1. Soil erosion is a natural process as old as the Earth itself. It is a process caused by various 

natural conditions, but also by human activity. As with some other natural processes, man 

accelerated that process with his activity. Soil erosion has become a worldwide problem 

because it affects large areas and causes irreparable damage.  

2. Floods they are most often caused by heavy and long-lasting rains and sudden melting of 

snow. Unlike erosion, floods do not occur suddenly and can usually be predicted.  

3. An earthquake usually occurs suddenly and causes numerous human casualties and 

destruction in urban areas. There are about 100,000 earthquakes a year on Earth. There are 

two seismic areas subject to more frequent earthquakes: one is the so-called European-Trans-

Asian, and the other is Pacific.  

4. Volcanic eruptions recorded during the previous period are often repeated with their own 

characteristics.  

5. Fires they occur as a consequence of natural phenomena and often develop into natural 

disasters.  

6. Droughts and winds they are natural causes of environmental problems. They are the result 

of climate change that occurs due to the evolution of the Earth, but also due to human activity 

and environmental pollution.  

 

2.8 Other causes of environmental pollution  

It is a fact that people live better and worse at the same time. The environment is becoming 

more and more polluted every day, more dangerous for people's health and life, and plant and animal 

species are increasingly being destroyed and disappearing. Developed countries exploit almost the 

entire wealth of the Earth, while poor countries continue to live in poverty and in a polluted 

environment.  

The ecological crisis, considering the disruption of the balance between human society and 

the natural environment with a catastrophic perspective, can in a certain way be considered the 

deepest crisis in the history of the preservation of the human species. Therefore, environmental 

problems, and especially the crisis, open up the deepest questions of human survival. The question is 

often asked why a crisis of such proportions occurs in the first place, and whether there are 

opportunities to overcome the crisis through conscious intervention, that is, by applying a strategy to 

solve it (Ahmet, 2017).  

As is known, the crisis itself is an expression of modern commodity production and its 

competitive nature in which capital engages scientific, technical and technological power. The 

struggle for efficiency, and thus quantitative growth, takes on a degree of depletion, pollution and 

destruction of the environment that threatens human survival on Earth. In addition, there is an increase 

in the birth rate worldwide, which, with its exponential tendency, also calls into question survival 

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All of the above indicates that the disturbed balance between progress and nature must be 

achieved by building a new "macro-ethics" whose basic principle would be responsibility for the 

survival of humanity and the ecological systems it desperately needs, i.e. nature.  

 

3. Limited scientific, technical and technological possibilities of society 

Problems of underdeveloped countries, i.e. developing countries, or as it is commonly called 

"third world countries", are getting bigger. More than one and a half billion of the world's population 

lives in conditions of extreme poverty. Often with an income below one US dollar. It can be said that 

about one third of humanity lives in conditions of misery and on the border between good and evil.  

Because of the above, as well as because of the structural crisis affecting the world economy, 

it is difficult to imagine that something more could be done individually to save the environment.  

The global economic crisis caused by the growth of energy, food, inflation, unemployment, 

indebtedness, increasing exploitation of natural resources and increasing pollution of the global 

environment calls for cooperation and association, calls for social sensitivity and greater aid to poor 

countries. Only in this way can global environmental problems begin to be solved.  

The eternal question arises "what are the material possibilities of society to solve global 

environmental problems, especially in the era of global economic crisis?" Regardless of the above, a 

special plan is needed right now that combines comprehensive, long-term and targeted financial 

assistance to developing countries in order to transfer new technologies necessary for the permanent 

economic progress of those countries (Milović, 2013). Those countries need help in stabilizing the 

population and its education, and at the same time industrially developed countries must speed up the 

transition to ecologically sustainable development. The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) at the 

UN can be one of the mechanisms for achieving common goals, especially for helping 

underdeveloped countries.  

And just as importantly, developed nations must be prepared to lead by example; otherwise 

the third world will not want to accept the necessary changes – even in exchange for substantial aid”.  

Today, in many cities and countries, there are not enough material possibilities to solve 

environmental problems. How to secure food so that the population can survive is still a priority 

problem, and solving environmental problems is on the second plan. The material capabilities of 

society significantly influence the solution of environmental problems, so it can often be said: it is 

richer and safer for the environment (Ilić-Krstić, 2016).  

"In the last twenty years, the relationship between man and the environment has fundamentally 

changed, although even today most people are not aware of this new relationship. This is partly 

because the relationship is global, and many people are not used to such a way of looking at things. As 

urgent environmental problems require immediate action, more and more people and experts have 

begun to think in terms of long-term and global actions. In doing so, one tries to predict the future of 

our planet, different scenarios are worked out, the current situation is analyzed and one wants to 

predict the state of environmental problems in the future.  

 

3.1 Global climate change and its consequences  

The role of climate in shaping human history is very complex, and historians often attribute 

to it a decisive role in the development of human history. History proves that climate changes are 

most often caused by evolutionary changes on Earth or major natural disasters (volcanic eruptions, 

etc.), and in the last ten years by human activity.  



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We thank the so-called Life on Earth. "natural greenhouse effect". Without it, instead of the 

average 15oC, the arctic cold of -18oC would prevail on the Earth's surface, i.e. 33oC lower 

temperatures (Todic, 2016).  

In 2000, the total global annual emission of CO2 was about 7 billion tons, and already in 2050 

it is predicted that it will reach about 20 billion tons, which will depend on the state of economic 

growth and environmental legislation.  

The consequences of global climate change will cause terrifying climate disasters during the 

next century, some of which are already underway. The strength of the impact strongly depends on 

the rise in temperature, which is one of the strongest indicators of global climate 

change. Consequences of climate change include increased risk of floods and droughts, melting 

glaciers, rising sea levels, loss of biodiversity, threats to human health and damage to economic 

sectors such as forestry, agriculture, tourism, industry, insurance, etc.  

 

3.2 The disappearance of the ozone layer and its consequences  

The ozone problem is partly confusing. Namely, ozone appears at two levels in the 

atmosphere: in the stratosphere and the troposphere. It is a gas that occurs naturally, and in the 

stratosphere it collects as the ozone layer and is similar to a thin belt around the Earth. There, the 

concentration of ozone is positive because it protects the Earth from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, so 

it absorbs about 77% of the radiation. At the same time, ozone that is deposited at a lower atmospheric 

level, in the troposphere, can have a harmful effect on health, vegetation, etc., and is also involved in 

the general process of acid rain formation. Although the creation of tropospheric ozone is natural, it 

can also be enhanced by the interaction of various other gases and compounds. 

  Ozone (O3) is a blue-white gas composed of three oxygen atoms in a molecule. It is created 

naturally in the upper layers of the atmosphere - in the stratosphere, with the help of ultraviolet 

radiation from the Sun. At the beginning of the 70s, scientists determined that chlorofluorocarbons 

(CFCs), popularly called "freons", are the main cause of ozone formation. Scientists have made a 

dramatic discovery in Antarctica. They estimated that in the period from September to October 1986, 

the ozone layer over Antarctica decreased by 50% compared to the 1960s. This resulted in the creation 

of a large "hole", the size of which is roughly equal to the land area of the United States. The hole 

appears to recover on its own after a period of time has passed since parts of the ozone layer have 

disappeared, but later reappears.  

The disappearance of the ozone layer leads to increased solar radiation, which is why skin 

cancer is more common. These diseases are on the rise in the world, but it is uncertain how much this 

increase is affected by the reduction of the ozone layer. Based on experience, the rule of thumb is that 

a 1% reduction in the ozone layer causes an increase in ultraviolet radiation by 1 to 2%, and the 

incidence of skin cancer by 3 to 4%. Other health effects have not been proven.  

In 1996, all industrialized countries were supposed to stop the production and use of CFCs, 

and should switch to their substitutes.  

 

3.3 Ecological "boomerang" of irresponsible human behavior towards nature  

For responsible human behavior towards the planet Earth, it is very important that the 

organizational behavior of society, i.e. togetherness, because the solution to environmental problems 

and the boomerang effect is possible only in the cooperation of different subjects, not in domination 

and exploitation. The lack of joint responsibility for the future development and ecological problems 

of the Earth can lead us to an economic-ecological disaster. 



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4. Sustainable Development: the Challenge of Civilization 

Therefore, the root of the crisis lies in the goals of human activity (socio-economic 

development) and the way man converts natural capital (natural values) into his private capital.  

The World Conference on Environment and Development held under the auspices of the UN 

(Rio de Janeiro, 1992) definitely accepted the concept of sustainable development as the only known 

solution to the problems of development and environmental protection.  

Therefore, the concept of sustainable development is based on economic and ecological 

starting points and principles, whereby some authors emphasize the principle of sustainable 

development, while others emphasize the principle of ecological sustainability. In other words, some 

authors approach sustainable development from an anthropocentric point of view, while others 

observe it from an ecocentric point of view (Saks, 2014).  

Unlike other types of management, management of sustainable development assumes 

different knowledge and skills acquired by studying social sciences (especially economics, 

environmental economics and strategic management) and different areas of natural sciences (ecology, 

biology, technology, systems theory, etc.).  

Sustainable development should be understood as the result of individual action of consumers, 

entrepreneurs, conservationists and states that strive to achieve individual goals with the intention of 

jointly considering and waiting for a better future.  

The term sustainable development cannot, therefore, be defined only as an economic activity 

that satisfies present and future generations, but sustainability should be understood as the infinite 

survival of the quality of systems that ensure life (air, water, soil, flora, fauna) as well as the existence 

of infrastructure and institutions that distribute and protect ecological systems with appropriate 

regulations (Prica, 2014).  

 

5. Knowledge management in the function of sustainable development  

The role played by faculty studies in global sustainable growth and development is based on 

the fact that almost every faculty studies current environmental problems and problems of sustainable 

growth and development. Namely, such issues are studied in special compulsory or optional 

programs, or in special thematic units of the respective programs.  

Doctors of multidisciplinary sustainable development sciences (that's a colloquial phrase) 

should be creators, faculty professors, scientists, top managers, ministers, bearers, competent experts 

of all initiatives, all activities, all measures, all rules, all declarations, all directives, all programs, of 

all projects with the theme of the environment, ecology, sustainable growth and development in the 

broadest sense of those terms.  

Although knowledge has been a fundamental source of long-term economic growth since the 

Industrial Revolution, what differentiates its meaning today as a generator of growth is that 

information and communication technology has exponentially accelerated the shift to a knowledge 

economy, enabling information codified in digital form to be transmitted over long distances with 

low costs (Gašić, 2013).  

A society that has educated people can more easily accept and react more quickly to the 

changes occurring in its environment, and it is also prepared for the challenges that the future will 

bring. In contrast, in a society where human potential and knowledge are not given meaning, there is 

a danger of lagging behind modern development. Such a danger also threatens Montenegro, which is 

at a critical moment of choosing a strategy for future development.  



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5.1 Sustainable Development Management  

There seem to be reasons in principle for not having enough information or foresight to design 

institutions that could successfully solve very complex problems. Despite everything, a lot can be 

done to make the level of sustainability of this civilization higher than it is today. Just because one 

does not know how to create a truly sustainable society, does not mean that measures cannot be taken 

to make them less unsustainable (Adžemović, 2016).  

The inevitable process of transition to sustainable forms of development determines the 

direction of human development and shapes our way of life, and thus the way of doing business. And 

yet, until now, a large number of business people have passively watched the solution (Dresner, 

2008). Development must be directed towards production that satisfies human needs with minimal 

consumption of energy and other resources in the entire life cycle of the product per unit of satisfying 

human needs. The parameter of each product must be its eco-efficiency, that it has value and creates 

benefit, in relation to the costs and burdens on the environment.  

There is no unique way of defining sustainable consumption, but in most documents that 

discuss it, it is defined as the use of services and products that correspond to basic needs and 

contribute to a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic 

substances, as well as the emission of waste and pollution during the life cycle of products or services, 

so as not to jeopardize meeting the needs of future generations.  

If the definition of sustainable development is accepted, which includes economic, ecological, 

social and technological sustainability, as well as the possibility of the situation of certain types of 

capital (manufactured, natural, human, social), which will provide future generations with at least 

such an opportunity or capacity to achieve well-being as previous generations had, ideas of 

sustainable development becomes applicable and can be introduced into the basis of the entire 

economic policy. The implementation of such an economic policy, which will aim to guide 

development in accordance with the principles of sustainability, has the following assumptions 

(Krstić et al., 2017):  

 political will for sustainable development at the highest levels of state administration,  

 appropriate structure of state administration and local self-government, good communication 

and exchange of information between different levels of management and between different 

bodies at individual levels,  

 development decision-making in which economic goals are determined in parallel and 

connected with social goals of environmental protection and improvement,  

 education for understanding the links between economic policy and the environment and 

decision-making in accordance with the principles of sustainability.  

In recent years, Montenegro has begun to fulfill some of the conditions that bring it closer to 

the proposal of sustainable development: legislation is being developed, a critical mass of knowledge 

has been reached, and the behavior of entrepreneurs is also changing. The political will for sustainable 

development is still questionable. Therefore, they need to strengthen institutions, better enforce laws 

and interdisciplinary problem solving. Instead of a comprehensive solution to the problem, the 

approach to individual elements of the environment (air, water, soil) still prevails in Montenegro, 

which is also visible in the existing legislation.  

In every sector of the economy, there are ways to approach the path of sustainable 

development. However, when determining the policy that will follow such a path, it is necessary to 

avoid a sectoral approach and determine the priority directions of development at the level of the 

entire economy. That's why an interdisciplinary way of solving problems should be applied here as 



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well and the way of decision-making should be changed so that the goals of protecting and improving 

the environment are equal to other goals of the development policy and that all interested groups and 

parties are included in their adoption.  

One of the main goals of Montenegro, development policy and accession to the European 

Union. This, among other things, also means that the legislation and environmental protection 

standards should be harmonized with the legislation. The framework and guidelines for 

harmonization represent the so-called overview of the current state of the environment. One of the 

conditions for starting accession negotiations, which is set for the candidate countries, is the adoption 

of a National Strategy for the Adoption and Implementation of the Current State of the 

Environment. In partnership with the EU, the Strategy should be implemented in all candidate 

countries before accession. That document establishes the priorities and goals that must be met before 

accession and the time plan for further activities until full alignment.  

"In the European context, Montenegro has a relatively well-preserved environment, however, 

the degree of its protection is still lower here than the average of European developed 

countries. Environmental protection is largely the result of the lower presence of "heavy" industries 

in the overall industrial structure, but investments in environmental protection are lower than in 

developed European countries. Responsible behavior, however, requires constant care for all subjects 

of the environment - soil, air, water, sea and biological diversity.  

It should be emphasized that the entire system of upbringing and education should be adapted 

to the concept of sustainable development of Montenegro. A process of constant learning and research 

should be opened. Therefore, there must be a new ("revolutionary") view of the world that would like 

to unite economic, social and ecological needs, capital, labor, natural resources into one harmonious 

whole, convincing, realistic and thought out in every detail.  

 

CONCLUSIONS 

Although Montenegro has a long tradition of internationally recognized scientific excellence, 

the commercial application of scientific results and the economic benefits resulting from them have 

been very small so far. In Montenegro today there is no appropriate infrastructure for technology 

transfer, but without it, it will not be possible to achieve the desired transfer of knowledge from the 

academic sphere to the economy. The role of the state and the public sector in encouraging the transfer 

of knowledge and technology is necessary and justified because innovation, the spread of knowledge 

and technology create significant positive social effects. State investments are needed to create 

conditions for research work and higher education, as these are areas where advances in funding can 

yield significant positive results.  

Only on the basis of a broad base of scientific and educational institutions and demonstrated 

political will, as well as connecting different interest groups, can it be designed and implemented in 

quality in the future sustainable development strategies of Montenegro. Achieving growth, 

development, social inclusion and fairness are elements of prosperity that require simultaneous and 

coordinated action in a number of strategic areas. Drivers of the development moment whose lack or 

incompleteness at this moment directly inhibits faster development are: non-existent entrepreneurial 

climate, unfinished processes of privatization and restructuring, and unfinished transformation of the 

state into a service for citizens and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the synergy of progress and prosperity 

requires permanent binding elements: macroeconomic stability, openness, an effective financial 

market and sustainable development.  



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In conclusion, it can be pointed out that, unfortunately, Montenegro is surviving a serious 

economic-ecological crisis, partly imposed as a global crisis, and partly as a consequence of the fact 

that for many years no reforms were implemented and no investment was made for planned 

economic-ecological development. It is clear that the small and relatively underdeveloped 

Montenegrin economy and society is still far from scientific and detailed design of its future 

development. But, if the future is not designed, it will spontaneously move in an unknown 

direction. That is why it is necessary to convincingly and realistically, bearing in mind the 

Montenegrin reality of development, human needs, but also the Montenegrin reality of natural capital, 

devise and affirm the concept of sustainable development based on the principles of integral 

sustainability in Montenegro. Montenegro won its freedom and now it has to win a development path 

that will enable it to rank with the most economically and ecologically advanced 

countries. Unfortunately, there is no time to wait, what is required is quick and well thought out action 

by all structures of Montenegrin society. This is the only way to leave a developed and ecologically 

protected Montenegro to yourself and future generations.  

 

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