The Importance Of Sustainable Development

The most commonly used definition of sustainable development is still that given in the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), i.e. sustainable development is ‘a process to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Sustainable development is therefore about creating a better life for all people in ways that will be as viable in the future as they are at present. In other words, sustainable development is based on principles of sound husbandry of the world’s resources, and on equity in the way those resources are used and in the way in which the benefits obtained from them are distributed (Making Tourism More Sustainable, 2005).

Sustainable development is defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (IISD, par. 1 ).

The Brundtland report defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” From early times, philosophers, such as Thomas Malthus, believed humanity could not be sustained. Malthus believed mankind would reach their carrying capacity, specifically with regards to food. Yet, this notion changed in subsequent years, thanks in part to the green revolution. This revolution helped increase crop yields due to new fertilizers, pesticides, etc. While there became more food available, sustainability, with regards to producing food in an environmentally friendly way, ran into some difficulties. While the Brundtland commission defined sustainability, there are three components that must be integrated for the well-being of all—social, environmental, and economic. Each component of sustainability must be looked at critically when considering the sustainable use of any resource. While many simply worried about having enough food available in the world, one must think of food sustainability with regards to environmental, economic, and social implications. As follows, the importance of food sustainability will be discussed, along with the attempts to measure food sustainability.

Sustainability is of vital importance because anything we decide to do as a society will definitely have positively or negatively impact on the natural environment. When unsustainable action continues, they can harm the human existence by creating greenhouse gases that causes climate change, depleting natural resources that are needed for future energy and infrastructure, and polluting the air, soil, and water on which humans depends on for existence. We must change the way we procure materials, construct infrastructure and conduct our daily activates in other for these impacts to reduce (FHWA 2013). The benefits of sustainability in road maintenance as recognized by Kirkup and Allen (2015) are listed

Sustainable development is very important to our human being, meanwhile, it is one of the most significant developments for a company. The meaning of sustainable development is a “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Strange and Bayley, 2008, P24). Sustainable development actually is a synthesis that trying to find the way which can most benefit our current generation and future generation, thus, we have to consider the 3 pillars which are society, environment and economy because they are the three main aspects of human development. For example, we need an appropriate planet for us to stay and raise the food firstly, and in order to maintain equity and stability of the society, we have to balance work, culture and others which are related to people. Also, since these three pillars are interconnected, the economic pillar is very important,

A major worry humans have in the world today is having an environmentally sustainable society. Humans are ruining the earth day by day and now it is unsure if it is possible to fix it. An environmentally sustainable environment is defined as a society that satisfies the basic needs of its people without depleting or degrading its natural resources. This means saving the earth so it can become sustainable to live on for millions more years without using all of its resources. An environmentally sustainable society is possible because people can help change the earth by decreasing waste, use less resources, and cleaning up the planet.

Sustainable development can be defined as the “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). As the vast majority of resources on the earth are exhaustible, this idea comes up as a solution to the problem of preserving the planet for future generations. Different countries have different plans for creating sustainable development, but there is also a global consensus on what each country expect from such kind of development. According to United Nations,“On September 25th 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.” Overall there are seventeen goals that the world leaders from 193 countries are hoping to achieve. While the goals are ambitious, they also seem somewhat unrealistic in the current situation.

During the course of the semester, I continue to placed high emphasis on the Brundtland commission because it give birth to the word “sustainable development” which environmental policy makers continue to relied on to enhance environmental protection. Authors of International Environmental Law and Policy for the 21st century, Nanda and Pring, write, “The message of the Brundtland Report was that it is possible to achieve a path of economic development for the global economy which meets the need of the present generation without compromising the chances of future generations to meet their needs” (Nanda and Pring 2013, 27). The Brundtland commission provides is a clear indication that society should place emphasis on creating focus create sustainable economic program aimed at providing renewable resources and reduce our consumption of nonrenewable product. To achieve this concept of sustainability, corporations have a leading responsibility to make this a priority to enact policies and implement governmental regulations in achieving sustainability. With this been said, I agreed with Stuart L. Hart, that multinational corporation have the moral responsible to enhance environmental protection. Hart writes “Business- more than either government or civil society –is uniquely equipped at this point in history to lead us toward a sustainable world in the years ahead”(Hart 2010,19). Over the years, globalization, politics, and business interest have impacted businesses to make

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental sustainability is “to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.” (“Learn About Sustainability”, 2016) Although this is an American agency, the definition fits what the European Union is trying to accomplish which is to meet the demands of the present without sacrificing those needs of future generations. By practicing environmental sustainability, one is preserving the environment for future generations to enjoy and use.

To develop and renew the urban infrastructure is a great challenge in 21th century. In Chengdu, the air quality is always terrible, which can cause some problems of citizens’ health and many cities in China have a inefficient transport system that cause large-scale traffic jam at the peak time. Chinese cities are covered with grey polluted haze and annoying voice from cars. All these problems are from the insufficient urban infrastructures. It is obvious that the necessity of improving, regenerating and advancing urban infrastructure is shown. Restoring and improving urban infrastructure is a vital way to improve the quality of citizens’ lives in cities. Environmental, financial and transport problems are the main challenges of regenerating and advancing urban infrastructure, which can be solved by government intervention and environmentally friendly strategies.

Economic growth is recognised as only one part of the basket of values that contribute to compose development. “The concept of ecologically sustainable development is aimed at ensuring that human activities are kept within an environmentally sustainable envelope of impacts on - and use of - the natural environment” .

In his book, The Age of Sustainable Development, Jeffery Sachs begins with the role of technological change in sustainable development. Sachs uses the Maglev in Shanghai as an example of how technological change can help with sustainable development. It improved transport services and energy efficiency, eventually enabling a shift to a clean low carbon system. Instead of being powered by finite resources such as coal or petroleum, the Maglev is powered by electricity. In most cases states are resistant to adopt practices that encourage sustainable development because they believe it will hinder their economic growth. However, with technological advances such as the Maglev, states have incentives to change because it increases

The concept of sustainable development is generally understood in two similar but differing perspectives. The first of these is the 'social-scientific ' definition explicated most frequently in relation to the 1987 report of the Brundtland commission.1 This report defines sustainable development as our “...ability to make development sustainable—to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”2. The second perspective of sustainable development is that of the 'ecological ' definition, which holds that it is a necessity to maintaining healthy, thriving ecosystems in order to facilitate concurrent healthy and thriving human societies.3 Thus both of these definitions are propounding a pragmatic normativity, albeit from slightly differing outlooks: the former concerned more with socio-economic factors, and the latter more with environmental considerations.4

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Brundtland Commission, 1987)

The concept of sustainable development has become a major topic among intellectuals from various fields. Sustainable development has gone through various changes in its definitions and at present does not have a commonly accepted definition. The origination of the concept of sustainable development is debatable. In 1974 at a conference on Science and Technology for Human Development by the World Council of Churches the concept of a “sustainable society” is believed to have been first noted. This early concept focused on equitable distribution of scarce resources and the need for democratic decision making. In 1980 the currently used term of sustainable development emerged in the