Sustainable development is an approach to economic and environmental development that seeks to strike a balance between economic progress and environmental protection. Achieve this requires taking an inclusive approach which considers all relevant factors.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015 with an aim of eliminating poverty and hunger, increasing global prosperity, mitigating climate change and protecting natural ecosystems. Unfortunately, progress on these goals has been slow or sometimes reversed.
1. Environmental Protection
Environmental protection is an integral component of sustainable development. This encompasses maintaining natural ecosystems and their biodiversity; stopping wildlife loss; and creating an atmosphere in which humans can safely thrive.
Environmental sustainability provides policy space for more equitable approaches to development that yield economic and non-economic benefits, enabling decision makers to move beyond apparent tension between economic expansion and protecting the environment.
Environmental sustainability is a shared understanding and practice developed over years of work by millions of people around the world, who utilize it to make decisions regarding local land and water uses, reduce air pollution, improve access to clean drinking water supplies, help communities adapt to climate change adaptation, create resilient cities and so much more. Environmental sustainability also calls on all of us to prioritize its indivisible nature while seeking synergies among various goals and sectors.
2. Economic Growth
Economic development is at the core of sustainable development and a major priority in developing nations. Its principles center around economic and ecological sustainability coexisting harmoniously, providing new opportunities to promote environmental improvements while simultaneously stimulating production and economic expansion.
Ecologically-friendly policies and strategies are an integral component of a vibrant economy, providing productivity incentives for natural resource conservation while helping businesses mitigate risks associated with investing. Furthermore, such strategies help improve infrastructure, increase investment returns and stimulate demand for green products and services.
The distinction between weak and strong sustainability can have significant ramifications for how goals are implemented. Strong sustainability entails respecting limits on economic growth and environmental degradation – such as degrowth – while weak sustainability tends to emphasize technology solutions as possible solutions. Therefore, such interpretation requires extensive consideration before being applied in practice.
3. Social Development
Social development is an essential element of sustainable development. It entails creating more inclusive societies, empowering citizens, and building more resilient communities; while also expanding opportunities for people today and tomorrow.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are global targets designed to alleviate extreme poverty, ensure universal access to quality education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce inequalities across all aspects of life, provide clean water and sanitation, create more job opportunities, invest in research and innovation initiatives, make cities more sustainable and liveable, and make urban regions more livable and sustainable.
To be effective, the Sustainable Development Goals require adopting a new mindset which goes beyond viewing sustainability as an aspirational concept that may never fully be met. Change must begin now in order for those living with environmental devastation daily to feel in charge of their own destinies and take control of their futures.
4. Human Rights
Human rights are integral to sustainable development. They ensure that economic, social and environmental advancement does not exacerbate poverty or inequality, prevent abuses of the environment from taking place and foster good governance practices.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include six goals that directly address human rights: No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable Clean Energy Sources and Decent Work and Economic Growth. Many other SDGs also touch upon these rights indirectly such as Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities; 12 Responsible Consumption Production Climate Action 13 Life Below Water 14 Live on Land 15 Decent Work Economic Growth.
Although the SDGs are non-binding, they present us with an opportunity to align ourselves with international human rights norms and standards. The articles in this special issue demonstrate how an approach rooted in human rights can serve as a scaffold to make SDGs more than mere global goals; rather it can give substance to their promise of sustainable development.