The simplest definition of sustainable development comes from the conference of the United Nations Commission on Environment and Development that was held more than a decade ago. Sustainable development defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” has become the accepted definition of sustainable development.
In 1992, the Earth Summit in Rio was the first summit to review progress towards the goal of achieving sustainable development. Each of the five world conferences since then has addressed sustainable development in one way or another.
The debate continues
The debate continues as to whether the three elements of sustainability, the environment, economic development and social equity can be equally combined. Many people, especially environmentalists, feel that sustainable development can never be achieved due to the enormous scope of the problem. Despite this negativity, many countries and cities are actively working towards the goal of a sustainable future.
The United States created the Presidents’ Council on Sustainable Development during the Clinton administration. This council included representatives of environmental organizations, companies and government sectors. They developed policies to promote a growing economy, along with a healthy environment, which is essential to our national and global security.
Everyone seems to agree that it is essential that all groups work together to improve the quality of life on our planet. Efficient ways must be developed to use our natural resources, protect our global commons, manage human settlements, manage our chemicals and waste, and achieve sustainable economic growth. How this will be achieved is a matter of heated debate.
Caution “SD”
Fortunately, sustainable development is gaining attention. A Google search has returned 23 million instances of the word on the Internet. The term is becoming so well known that it is often shortened to “SD”. However, despite its growing popularity, the definition remains unclear and difficult to define.
After World War II, four common themes emerged as values that the people of the world want to achieve. These values are peace, freedom, development and the environment. The world summits that have been held since then have taken these four common themes into account and SD has evolved.
The three components, the environmental, economic and social spheres, overlap and no sphere can exist alone. Whether sustainable development is seen as a goal, a concept or a movement, SD is taking hold at the international, national, corporate, city and local levels. Covering all the components of sustainable development remains a complex issue because each one has their own idea of what SD is and how it can be achieved.
the future SD
What this simply means is that our activity must not cause our natural resources to be depleted faster than they can be replaced. Using our resources faster than they can be naturally replaced will, in theory, lead to a situation where the planet is unable to support human life. The end result of this catastrophic failure could result in the extinction of the human race.
So what is sustainable development? The full answer is certainly not clear and may never be, but the direction we need to head in becomes clearer all the time.