Sustainable development means providing the basic needs, such as food, water and shelter, as well as going a step beyond the basics.
We use too many resources in developed nations, and if everyone are to have the same level of living standards, some sort of cut back for developed and increase in developing nations needs to take place.
In order to sustain development, economic growth needs to take place in less developed places.
So both meeting human needs means creating equal opportunities and economic growth.
Economic growth can increase population while putting strains on resources. Resources are grouped in a clustered distribution, and need to be distributed evenly for the entire population.
Society is not thinking about future generations, and is using too many resources, leaving less for the future, but with technology advances it may solve or slow resources depletions.
Human impact on the landscape and environment has been relatively small in scale in the past, but has taken on a much larger effect now with things like agriculture and forestry1. Sustainable development needs to be a middle ground, meeting the needs of society, yet not damaging the environment in which we get these resources.
Resources are finite, but the need for them is growing with an increasing population. Sustainability will be maintaining the source of the resource, using resources wisely, so that we will not run into shortages, and increasing prices for those resources.
As we use more resources, renewable resources need to be managed in a way that protects them, so that they may continue to flourish, while producing the greatest amount of goods. So that we can harvest more, while protecting the ability of the source to continue output.
Non renewable should not be used to their max, but sustained for future generations to exploit. We must look at how we use it, look at better ways of using them, and look for alternatives to using the resource.
Biodiversity should also be maintained sustainably, because when a species is extinct, it is no longer an option for future generations.
Water, air, and ecosystems should not be seen as a dumping ground, so we can preserve these things for future uses, or sustainably.
Sustainable development means “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”1
Now that we know what Sustainable development is we must make people aware of how to apply it to their lives. We must teach, develop and enforce these acts.1 Who controls this? The people with the most power do, be it governments or corporations. Because of this people solely affected by the problems that arise from not extracting of the resource non sustainably, often have a hard time being heard, with what little power they have. Boundaries are another problem; what happens up stream affects people downstream. Some places have enforcement while others do not, so in sustainability, all individuals must think about the consequences of their own actions. This is not the case however, since no one believes the next person will do the same.1 So more enforcement, with more educated people, who come together for the whole system, is needed.
International regulations need to be in effect as well, as one area regulations may be different from another, but both areas are affected.
Strategic Imperatives.
First we must bring new technologies to developing nations, and then we must make all “new” technologies more efficient and sustainable. We also need technologies designed with specific locations in mind, as one technology may work in one place, but not in the next.
Countries should not just look at improving technologies from a “productive market” value, but instead technoliges that also improve air quality and living standards.1 Rewards are needed for organizations who choose to improve these technologies in their companies.
Environmentally friendly technoliges have their own set of risks, as they are usually on separate grids or on a much smaller scale, such as nuclear and wind. Risk analysis is needed for these new technologies to reduce the possibility of failure.
Integration of both economic and ecological thinking is what sustainable development comes down too. The economy quite often goes well with the environment, like in the conservation of forestry.1 These provide long term expansion. Often though, economic and environmental factors have disregard for each other. What they do not see is that there are linkages that connect them to each other.
In conclusion sustainable development involves all of these objectives; decision making, rules and regulations, and enforcement. We must work to achieve a harmony between humans and nature.
1Environmental Studies, Thomas Easton (Selection 39, World Commission on Environment and Development)
1Environmental Studies, Thomas Easton (Selection 39, World Commission on Environment and Development)
1Environmental Studies, Thomas Easton (Selection 39, World Commission on Environment and Development)
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