Towards Sustainable Development
According to the World Commission on Environment and Development, one of the main concepts associated with sustainable development is meeting the needs, such as food, shelter, and physical aspirations, of our society. Currently, because of a lack of social equality, the needs of the people are not being met. Poverty can be seen in both developed and developing nations. In order to eradicate poverty there needs to be an increase in the growth of goods and services. However, such an increase must be followed by a greater and more equal distribution of these resources. Also, since our environment is our life support system, the companies who extract resources must ensure that overexploitation does not occur so that peoples’ needs can continue to be met in the future.
Part of the issue surrounding unsustainable exploitation of our resources stems from individual and corporate pursuit for profit. Our economy is based on a market system, and therefore considerations of the impacts to the environment are often ignored in light of the potential revenues that can be made from further resource extraction. Therefore, it is suggested that environmental considerations need to become mandated or integrated into all decision-making and planning processes. Institutional development, law enforcement, and educational facilities need to convey this message to the public so that economic pursuits and ecological sustainability can be united and hence benefit everyone.
Balancing the economy, the environment, and social needs is very difficult and seldom achieved. In order to satisfy the ecological needs on our environment, a compromise must be met in the economy. Since society’s welfare is dependent on the economy, the ability to meet our social needs is also affected. However, it must be realized that no matter how careful a company can be in extracting resources from the environment, the environment is going to be impacted in some way. Since some changes are inevitable, we will have to find ways to reduce the impacts of these changes.
Advances in technology can often help reduce the impacts on the environment. Innovations in creating more sustainable, eco-friendly buildings has reduced the energy usage and wastes that some companies produce when manufacturing products. However, the technology in industrial countries must also be implemented in developing nations. Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in developed nations through the use of greener energy sources such as wind turbines and solar panels would be beneficial, but the air quality around the globe will still be negatively affected by the energy produced from coal in lesser developed nations such as China. All the ecological systems on the planet are interconnected. The activities of one nation can be felt by the people in a nation that is on the other side of the globe.
Furthermore, in order to make the changes necessary to reduce the adverse affects on our environment, a change in societal attitudes and priorities may be required. Instead of simply reducing the way we manufacture and utilize goods and services, it may be necessary to reduce the overall consumption of resources. Consumerism is a major part of the culture for industrialized societies. This isn’t to say that people have to live without goods and services they want, but rather to say that consideration should be taken to examine which goods and services they find most important in their lives. The term voluntary simplicity is often used to describe the idea of living a simple life, or a life that corresponds to your values so that fulfillment and happiness can be met without the need for a great consumption of unnecessary materialistic objects.
Easton T. Classic edition sources: environmental studies. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2009. pp. 198-202.
