What is Sustainable Development? Let us look at its Concepts and Principles to better understand its objectives. Sustainable Development is a worldwide movement aimed at achieving a number of goals, including economic growth, decent jobs, conservation of ocean resources, and combating climate change. Developing sustainable consumption and production patterns is essential for the realization of these goals. Sustainability requires cultural change to encourage people to value global benefits over local ones, and to take responsibility for future resources.
Sustainability
While the world’s population is growing, its natural resources do not keep pace. For this reason, a global concern has always been expressed for the judicious use of natural resources to satisfy the needs of present and future generations. The goal of sustainable development is to balance economic growth with environmental integrity and social well-being. Using resources wisely and reusing waste products are just some of the ways to ensure sustainable development. Here are some examples of how sustainable development can benefit humanity.
The three pillars of sustainability are economy, society, and planet. Economic sustainability focuses on the conservation of natural resources, such as energy and water, and social sustainability involves promoting a healthy community while also earning enough profits for a business. Companies that embrace sustainable development often adopt policies that reduce their environmental footprint and promote diversity and equity within their workforce. Sustainable practices help the local community by alleviating poverty and tackling inequality. To understand these pillars of sustainability, it helps to look at how they are related to each other.
The goals of sustainable development have been derived from the Rio+20 Earth Summit. At this summit, governments agreed to establish an open working group that would develop a draft agenda for 2015 and beyond. However, the world did not immediately adopt these goals. In order to ensure progress, countries must make sure that they follow the agreed-up goals of sustainable development. The SDGs are a step in the right direction to ensuring that all people live healthy and productive lives.
Principles
The principles of sustainable development are aimed at the conservation and protection of the earth’s natural resources, including the resources of human civilization. The goal of sustainable development is to enhance the quality of life for human beings while preserving the ecological system. Development is impossible without conservation and protection of the environment, and the principles of sustainable development emphasize both. Kofi-Annan, former U.N. General-Secretary, identified five areas of sustainable development:
The first principles of sustainable development are outlined in the Brundtland report from 1987, a report on a new economic model aimed at meeting present-day needs without endangering future generations. This report helped spur the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which in June 1992 produced a detailed action plan known as Project XXI. In addition to setting a long-term strategy, the UN’s report outlined three areas of work: economic development, conservation of natural resources, and prevention of ecological disasters.
Principle 9 outlines how nations should protect the environment. As an example, the principle states that nations should assess the environmental impacts of their proposed activities, and that the polluters should bear the costs. In addition, nations must warn one another of any trans-boundary pollution, and they must recognize and help establish indigenous peoples. There are a number of other principles of sustainable development that are applicable to global development. So, which of these principles are most important for global development?
Concepts
There are many definitions of sustainable development, and the definitions vary from field to field. These concepts promote social and environmental well-being, protect natural capital, and conserve national budgets. Moreover, sustainable development seeks to improve the lives of individuals, improve community life, and promote equal opportunity. Below are some examples of the concepts behind sustainable development. To begin, let’s review what this concept means. It was first used at the 1972 Stockholm conference, where the term “ecodevelopment” was coined.
The concept of sustainable development gained recognition internationally when the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm in 1972. The goal of the conference was to establish international protection of the environment and result in a unified framework for conservation. Consequently, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was founded to help countries achieve this goal. In addition to the UN Environment Program, the Stockholm Declaration also inspired several other conservation conventions. It was a landmark conference that involved delegates from more than 110 countries and four hundred non-governmental organizations.
Strong sustainability assumes that human-made capital can never replace natural capital or ecosystem services. There are two major versions of this theory. The strongest version claims that the total value of natural capital should be preserved and that the scarcity rents from extracting nonrenewable resources should be reinvested in alternative sources of energy. Further, the Amazon rainforest provides climate stabilizing functions, while increased road building threatens biodiversity. Therefore, it is critical for sustainable development to be based on these three concepts.
Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals aimed at achieving a sustainable future for all. The SDGs were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, and are expected to be achieved by 2030. They aim to achieve a number of important goals, including ensuring that no one is left behind, ending extreme poverty and preventing climate change. To help make these goals a reality, here are some tips for achieving them:
The Sustainable Development Goals include nine “outcome targets”, which include ending hunger and promoting food security and improved nutrition. Other goals are aimed at ensuring a healthy and well-balanced population, combating desertification, and protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems. Moreover, the goals call for boosting financial resources for sustainable development, combating global poaching, and promoting the rule of law. The list of targets is long, but each of them has a particular focus.
Goal 9: The SDG contains eight targets. These targets are measured using twelve indicators that are used to measure progress towards achieving them. The first five targets are outcome targets, while the last three are means to achieving these targets. In addition to reducing poverty and inequality, the SDGs aim to end modern slavery and human trafficking. The SDGs also include ensuring the right to education and protect labour rights. The SDGs also aim to promote resilient infrastructure.
Impacts
While a variety of factors determine the sustainability of a development, many are related. Among these are the human and natural resources used in the process, and the impact on health, ecology, and engineering design. The concept also addresses the people who create and consume these things, as well as the effects of human and industrial activities on the environment. Land use and sanitation are also important considerations for sustainable development. Urbanization, desertification, and population growth are common issues that must be addressed when developing a sustainable development strategy.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are designed to achieve better living conditions for all people by 2030, including in developing countries. These goals address issues such as climate change, poverty, and access to clean water. The impact of climate change, for example, may affect SDGs 13 and 15. In addition, SDGs 12 and 15 are closely tied to the human experience. As such, individuals should indulge the notion of climate action in their behavior, feelings, and values.
One aspect that affects child and maternal health is the loss of routine health services. There is an increased risk of death from undernourishment for these people. They may also experience poor nutrition, lack of access to continuing medical care, and income. Further, if the sustainable development goals are not achieved in all areas, the population’s health may not be preserved. This could lead to a deterioration of the entire population.
Key players
The sustainable development paradigm has shifted since the millennium, with the introduction of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In the process of development, companies, governments, and civil society actors have secured a central role. Yet, these players are not necessarily united in the same way. This article discusses how the OECD plays an important role in sustainable development. What are some of its key functions? How can it help achieve the MDGs?
Firstly, SDGs are considered a major breakthrough in the global agenda of sustainable practices, with high potential to promote direct societal development and poverty reduction. Unfortunately, the SDGs have not yet been fully implemented, and this is a failing of all actors within the system. Main reasons for underachievement include weak sanctioning power, weak absorptive capacity in some developing countries, and inadequate assessment of the social and environmental risks associated with companies’ operations.
Sustainability is directly related to profitability. The latest sustainability report from the CAC 40 lists SDGs as a key criteria for awarding contracts. Many multinationals are adopting these criteria, and the result is that their sustainable development practices are better-suited to win public procurement contracts. In this way, the SDGs are more accessible and better-understood. In addition, the Sustainable Development Goals have shifted their priorities from growth to efficiency.
