Sustainable Development
Sustainable development refers to the environment that meets the necessary needs of the current without compromising the coming generations in meeting their needs. The present needs include food, secure environment, clean air, transportation, useful employment, peace, social sustainability, sustainable agriculture, job creation, good health and industrial development, sustainable economic advancement among others. Such needs often conflict with one another. For example, if an individual need to cook food-using firewood, he or she meet one requirement and at the same time degrading environment through deforestation and causing soil erosion. Sustaining the environment is, therefore, a trade-off between needs. Sustainability is defined as the existence of ecological conditions that are necessary to support human life at a given level of wellbeing throughout the generations including the future ones.
Sustainable development is a jargon of development plan as well as pervasive. Debates have been held to discuss whether there are environmental sustainability and development, but policies set seem to be complicated since they give ideas and goals that mismatch. “Many plans being suggested in the name of sustainable development stem from subjective rather than consensual”. Sustainable development, therefore, often confuses, and most people do not differentiate between growth performance and sustainability.
As forms of existing ecological conditions, Sustainability is an article of faith and an acronym whose insights are vital, but a complex issue to be understood by majority. Frequent political meetings by state officials often have brought new ideas that are to be exercised to facilitate sustainable development, but policy makers, planers and environmentalists have not correctly interpreted them. Some simple measures such as controlling soil erosion, proper planning, increasing social responsibility and value maintenance, economic development and growth to help the poor and human resources conservation are examples of sustainability. Most people do not differentiate between sustaining economic performance and sustainable development. It should be clearly understood that sustainable development there must entail both economic development and sustainability.
The overall gains of sustainable development are through conserving environment to support the poor who have no options rather than destroying it. In addition, sustainable development targets to Eradicate poverty amongst the poor through facilitating economic growth and changing quality of growth in a community or a country. Another advantage of sustaining environment is to attain essential needs such as food, job creation, water energy and shelter. Finally, risk management and being self-sufficient are vital fruits of maintaining our environment.
In conclusion, we should actively put our efforts and collectively involve in the maintenance of an environment to attain sustainability development. Governments therefore, should support activities that facilitate suitable development initiatives. Involvement of bodies and NGOs will also boost environment. “Participation of NGO’s have promoted sustainable development.” Sustainability will help the poor to attain their needs, increase self-reliance on natural resources, increase economic growth hence people meet their needs, manage risks, have good decision making and reduce poverty. Household needs, industrial growth, agricultural growth, efficient labour use, equity, social mobility, cultural preservation. Participation and empowerment, increased ecosystem integrity, sufficient use or natural resources, provision of clean air and water and biodiversity sustenance helps to attain sustainable development.
Discussion Questions
- Do environmental concerns contrast each other?
- Why should we sustain our environment?
Bibliography
LELE, SHARACHCHANDRA M. " Sustainable Development" A Critical Review."World Development 19, no. 6 (1991): 607-621.
