Sustainable development was originally defined in the 1987 Brundtland report Our Common Future as development that meets present needs without jeopardizing future generations’ ability to meet their own. It seeks to achieve economic prosperity alongside social inclusion and environmental stewardship.
However, at halfway mark to 2030 deadline, climate change and pandemic impact have significantly hampered progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). So what’s next?
Economic Development
Economic development should adhere to sustainable principles, including resource efficiency and financial stability, to ensure economic growth does not come at the cost of protecting the environment.
No longer is it enough to focus on improving people’s lives at any cost to the environment. Instead, global society has pledged its efforts towards providing all its inhabitants a healthy planet, and this requires sustainable development to meet people’s needs without degrading natural resources or damaging our planet.
At the core of sustainable development is lifestyle choices made by people. Their lifestyle has an immediate impact on national capitals such as antiquities, books and dictionaries; cultural capital such as antiquities, books and dictionaries); social capital such as families, juveniles, researchers and scientists; industrial machines materials and buildings); natural capital cannot be replaced as quickly; for instance we cannot harvest wood at the rate forests produce it otherwise we will run out. Furthermore, mental and moral values play a fundamental role in sustainable development.
Social Development
Sustainable development envisions a world in which individuals can meet their social and economic needs without harming the environment. One goal of sustainable development is reducing poverty, hunger and malnutrition while providing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. Other objectives of sustainable development may include protecting ecosystems as well as increasing energy efficiency through renewable sources of power.
Sustainable development has changed over time. At its genesis during global decolonization, sustainable development was seen as a process through which new nations would gradually advance toward societies characterized by welfare, equity and order and national autonomy.
Today’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a global agenda encompassing no poverty; zero hunger; good health and wellbeing; quality education; sustainable cities and communities; affordable and clean energy; gender equality and more. Achieve these goals will require significant shifts in our economic systems and lifestyles – for businesses specifically this means incorporating sustainability into corporate culture while remembering that doing no harm in one area does not negate doing harm elsewhere.
Environmental Development
Climate change threatens many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These include goals such as eliminating poverty, reducing hunger and disease, assuring healthy lives, as well as providing education, affordable energy, clean water and sanitation facilities, while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions and protecting biodiversity.
Geographical expertise contributes to environmental goals through research on environmental stewardship and conservation practices as well as policies that support these aims. For instance, people from Angola, Namibia and South Africa collaborate in protecting the Benguela ecosystem which contains abundant marine life but has been compromised due to overfishing and pollution.
The debate between those advocating’strong’ and “weak” sustainability reflects differences between those who believe technology will solve environmental problems, and those who argue lifestyle changes and policy initiatives must also play a part in environmental solutions. This debate has continued across society at all levels – even on an international political stage – with international organizations playing an essential role by funding research and encouraging cooperation between governments and businesses.
Community Development
Community development has recently been the subject of much discussion as a way of fostering sustainable development. This approach attempts to connect economic development with environmental stewardship, encouraging open and conscious community participation while simultaneously seeking self-reliance rather than forcing external solutions upon communities.
Economic health, environmental protection and workforce productivity are interlinked elements that must all be achieved for sustainability in any community. A strong economy can fund environmental programs while an intact environment provides essential resources and a reliable workforce – each component must work in concert for long-term viability.
Academic discourse surrounding sustainable community development has addressed the tension between “weak” and “strong” sustainability approaches, asserting that both are necessary to achieve ecological balance and social justice. Furthermore, academic literature on community development argues that success cannot be achieved unless power imbalances are addressed head on; using analytical tools like Power Dynamics Analysis this goal can be realized by studying how control and influence are distributed among stakeholders, thus uncovering any vested interests that might obstruct positive change.