It is cultural elaboration, the indication of a political plan, that is indicative mostly in negative; implicitly the non-sustainable development which is still active throughout the planet is recognized and denounced. A need for change, therefore, affirms itself, defining an essential feature: the ability to sustain itself in time. Very little else besides.

It is nevertheless clear that sustainable development has as its horizon the entire planet: the circle of nature as Native Americans would say; all the sectors of production and services, as an economist would say; an entire relational life, as a sociologist would say. However, sustainable development will not create itself out of sheer will.

What tools
Aiming towards environmental sustainability  of production and consumption systems requires sailing compasses, driving engines, bearing and driving instruments. A great political will is needed. Not even this is sufficient, though. Sustainable development needs measurement tools, awareness in knowledge, pondered decisions.

Environmental account management is one of these: an essential service tool. In itself, it is neither exhaustive nor decisive, but is still an instrument that is not easy to do without, unless wishing to sail in an infinite ocean. A theory, a plan or a "toolbox"? One thing is absolutely certain, and that's that the size of the change which pursuing a sustainable development implies is Cyclopic, it will not happen from one day to the next. In fact, it is not even certain that it will occur at all.

And it will certainly not take place on the basis of one single theory or one economic model. It will have many mothers and many fathers, many starting points and many intertwined results. There won't be a model, a theory or authority from which sustainable development will descend by induction or deduction. There will not be a philosopher's stone nor the discovery of a single metros, capable of measuring economy and environment together, nor a green GIP, which will substitute the gross internal production we normally use, or a world sustainability plan to place an enormous leash onto the market. Environmental legislation will not make the miracle, especially the so-called "command and control" one which, as far as efficacy is concerned, has by now reached its own limits. Some financial tools might lead us further: eco-incentives, un-incentives, eco-taxation. But in any case, regulations themselves will not lead us just anywhere.

Surveying the horizon
There will be and already are, defensive actions against the most violent expressions of environmental destruction. There will be millions of damage containment and reduction actions and damage. There will be countless scientific researches and technological innovations, political battles and experiments, to give a degree more or less of sustainability for production, services and consumption. There will be a major number of acts to promote an improved man/environment relationship in every field: from demography to nutrition, to habitat and industry, to trade, taxation and International politics. But a regulation for sustainable development will be founded.

After all political economics has long sought a global theory/truth, capable of explaining all reality. Economic politics has on the other hand asked and obtained from economists a "tool box", a number of partial knowledge in order to be able to dominate at least some of it, in a simpler way. Whereas environmentalists philosophies will still try to find interpreting and biosphere management codes, environmental politics must go to tools. It must research and build, and quickly, its "tool box" to make development sustainable. Before it is too late.