Sustainable development involves managing economic and social progress in ways consistent with nature’s ability to replenish its natural capital reserves. Economic capital may replace natural resources, but not ecosystem services essential to human life.
Goal: to reduce poverty and hunger, foster inclusive economic growth, and secure decent work for all. But for this to occur, we must modify some of our current habits.
Definition
Though there are various definitions of sustainable development, one definition that most often comes up is one in which social, environmental and economic progress is balanced. The term first gained currency when first proposed in 1972 in “The Limits to Growth”, published by the Club of Rome which suggested that exponential economic growth cannot continue forever given limited natural resources available on earth.
In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development provided a more widely accepted definition of sustainable development through their report Our Common Future (commonly referred to as Brundtland Report). This helped make sustainable development more widely recognized.
Gray (2010) and Guo (2017) define sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of present without jeopardizing future generations’ ability to meet their own.” More work must be done to ensure a more sustainable world in terms of consumption, production and progressive social values; therefore it falls upon duty-bearers to foster such cultures by increasing awareness, education and regulation so everyone is in harmony with nature and aligned.
Goals
Sustainable development goals seek to enhance global well-being, eradicate poverty and protect the planet – goals which call for coordinated actions from all countries, businesses and people in order to be achieved.
Environmental sustainability must be the top priority, with sustainable use of natural resources being of primary importance. Human needs depend on limited resources available on Earth; therefore their utilization must not exceed Earth’s carrying capacity.
Other goals include eliminating hunger and malnutrition, expanding access to affordable energy resources, as well as encouraging decent work conditions and economic development. Finally, they aim to decrease inequality both between countries as well as within them.
Many of these goals are linked and require cooperation and innovation to reach. Consideration must also be given to financing their implementation; accordingly, the UN, international organizations, national governments, as well as private sectors play a vital role in helping secure these resources for implementation. SDG-Tracker offers a way of tracking progress towards these goals online.
Targets
Sustainable development refers to reaching goals like ending poverty, hunger and inequality while protecting the environment from destruction and pollution. Sustainable development involves providing people with decent work and quality health care while using natural resources efficiently; furthermore public policy choices shouldn’t lead to economic instability; for instance Raworth’s ‘Doughnut Economy’ model depicts this need by depicting their progress as interlocking circles with one another to represent trade-offs between economic, ecological and social goals.
At its heart, economic sustainability can be defined as economic growth that meets human needs without depleting natural resources or jeopardizing future generations’ ability to meet their own. Achieve this requires an in-depth knowledge of all three pillars of sustainability as well as an awareness of thresholds, tipping points and critical loads (Gossling-Goidsmiths 2018). Furthermore, future needs may differ significantly from present ones.
Actions
Individuals and companies alike can take steps towards sustainable development by adopting various practices that reduce fossil fuel usage or switch to green energy, purchasing locally produced food to support local economies, reduce food miles and ensure more sustainable communities and recycling as a form of waste reduction.
International cooperation is also vital for sustainable development, since its impact can stretch across political borders and requires collaboration to be successful.
The COVID-19 Pandemic hindered progress toward the SDGs, leading to an abrupt reverse in global poverty reduction trends. Therefore, it is critical that steps be taken to restore these gains and accelerate our pursuit of these SDGs. It should focus on social inclusion and justice to provide basic needs while safeguarding cultural heritage – which can be accomplished with policies which foster tolerance, community cohesion and accountability; businesses can facilitate this by adopting these SDGs into their business models and practices.