Sustainable Development and Sustainability

(Urgent Objectives and Requirements Facing the World Community Nowadays)

Sustainable development is a. fundamental objective for all European

states. The concept of sustainable development seeks continuous improvement in

the quality of life of the planet's inhabitants as well as that of future generations,

as well as presentation of the Earth's ability to sustain life in all its forms.

Sustainable development is based on democratic principles, respect for the rule of

law and fundamental human rights. Likewise, it aims to forge solidarity between

current inhabitants and future generations, while promoting a dynamic economy

with high levels of employment, education, social cohesion and environmental

protection, all in a peaceful world that is respectful of cultural diversity.

The concept of sustainability began as a response to analyses of a global

crisis, one which has been described as a "planetary emergency", an

unsustainable situation that poses a grave threat to the future of humanity.

A Threatened Future, in fact, is the title of the first chapter of Our

Common Future, the report issued by the World Commission on Environment

and Development, also known as the Brundtland Report (WCED, 1988), named

for the Norwegian politician to whom we owe the first attempt at introducing the

concept of sustainability: "Sustainable development," says Doctor Gro Harlem

Brundtland, "is development that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

At the time it was a totally new concept, which sought acceptance of the fact that

the world's natural resources are not as unlimited as we had previously supposed,

and of the devastating effects of the indiscriminate exploitation of such resources,

exploitation, which continues through the present day. The idea of the

unsustainability of current development is still recent, and was a totally new

concept for most people. It is new, however, in another, more profound sense.

Sustainability requires global planning; it demands that all the interconnected

problems faced by humanity be taken into consideration collectively, that these

global problems be solved on a global scale.

This implies that the issue of development and that of the environmen~ cannot be

perceIves.

Given the seriousness and urgency of the problems facing humanity today,

the United Nations established a Decade of Education for sustainable

development (2005-20 140), designating UNESCO as the entity responsible for its

promotion, calling on all educators to commit themselves to education, both

formal (from primary school through university) and informal (museums, the

media, etc.) that pays systematic attention to world conditions, in order to

promote attitudes and behaviors favorable for achieving sustainable development.

Agenda 21 proposes programs and policies to be developed at a national

and local level all around the world. Pure and simple, it's a socio-economic

action plan focused on sustainability and linked to inter-generational solidarity,

agreed upon between citizens and their local authorities for the well-being of the land within their municipalities. It favors a local approach, and as such, must

follow certain guidelines, from the fight against poverty to preservation of

biodiversity, encompassing the roles of farmers, industries and unions in the

sustainable development of each municipality. It goes beyond just the

"environment", "urban environmental quality" or even the indispensable

participation of technical professionals, as is often implied.

The elements and objectives of Agenda 21 include: the fight against

poverty, change in consumption habits, demographics and sustainability,

protection of human health, promotion of sustainable development of human

resources (human settlements), inclusion of sustainable development in decision

making, protection of the atmosphere, an integrated approach to planning ahd

managing land resources, the fight against deforestation, the fight against

desertification and drought, promotion of sustainable agriculture and rural

development, conservation of biodiversity, rational management of

biotechnology, protection of oceans and seas and management of maritime

resources, fresh water protection and management, management of toxic

products, hazardous waste management, solid waste and sewage management,

safe handling of radioactive waste. In fact, we must recognize that economic

development and the environment, cannot be separated. It is about seeing the

poverty of Southern Hemisphere and the extreme consumption of the North as

the fundamental causes of unsustainability in terms of development and

environmental crisis.

This shift towards a sustainable future requires, first and foremost, that all

actors break from strictly local-level and short-term planning, as a solution to

these problems is only possible once their global scope is fully understood.

Likewise, we must put an end to indifference, fueled by the view that the

environment is a lost cause, unresponsive to our "small" actions. This perspective

might have been considered valid when there were but a few a million people in

the world, but this has not been the case for quite some time. Lastly, we must put

stop ignoring our own responsibilities and put an end to solutions that harm

others. We can no longer build a future for ourselves at the cost of others. Such

inequality over the long term is not sustainable.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 701