The Importance Of Sustainable Development On The Environment

Put simply, sustainability refers to systems and processes that are able to operate independently over long periods of time (Robertson 2014). Sustainability in terms of development means the maintenance of development over an extended period of time (Elliot 1999). Discussions about sustainability often refer to an idea called the “triple bottom line”, sometimes referred to as the three pillars of sustainability or the “three E’s” (Elkington 2012). The first ‘E’ represents environment and is concerned with the preservation and restoration of the health living systems. The second ‘E’ stands for economy and relates to even distribution of resources over the long term, with each individual being

The universal definition of Sustainability, defined in the Brundtland Report back in 1987 and quoted by Mulder (2007) is “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................ 2 I. The development of global, European and national policies relating to sustainability. 2 1. Changing attitudes of public, politicians and businesses to the environment since 1945 .................................................................................................................................... 2 2. Brundtland definition of ‘sustainable development’ .................................................. 4 3. The international and UK policies to sustainable development since Earth Summit of 1992

Sustainability can be defined in numerous ways. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, sustainability is based on the belief that everything we need to survive directly and indirectly depends on our natural environment (2015). Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions in which humans and nature exist (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). For the purpose of this proposal, sustainability will be addressed from an environmental aspect, as well as an economic aspect. It is important to discuss the impact that apparel choices have on the environment. Many students may be unaware of how their clothing choices effect the environment. There are many reasons why knowledge of sustainability would

Sustainable development suggests the implementation of state-imposed limitations, with the purpose of reducing the amount of resources and space we overtake and ultimately, the amount of damage we cause to our planet’s future. It requires that we view the earth as a system that both contains space and connects time. We are all interconnected, and the selfish, wasteful lifestyle that a country might live in North America can affect people all around the world, presently even. Generally, sustainable development can be separated into sections-two of them being social and environmental. Social sustainability places emphasis on the importance of public policy-making. It requires a political framework that consists of six areas-natural resource management, measurement and assessment, international trade and investment, climate change and energy, economic policy and communication technologies. Environment sustainability is concerned with the diversity and productivity of natural environments, and requires our generation to innovate activities so that they cause minimal harm to our natural environments. Our future on this earth will directly depend on our ability to introduce and implement the sustainable development techniques discussed in these fundamental sectors.

However, the term “sustainability” has several definitions. One, being the ability of people and organisations to preserve the remaining natural resources and use these resources wisely in order to sustain an environmentally healthy future. The

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

Sustainability is defined by The Brundtland Report as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” which is an ongoing issue that many strive to improve (lisd.org, 2015). Through the three pillars of sustainability, a balance is constantly worked towards through attempts to efficiently manage social equity, the environment and the economy (lisd.org, 2015) (EPA.Gov, n.d.).

According to World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Sustainability is defined by maintaining the needs of the current generation without compromising forthcoming generation’s individual needs. Chambers, Porritt and Thomas (2007) also agree that a sustainable development comes from

The most widely accepted definition of sustainable development is from the Brundtland report, namely, “Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”2 This statement contains two main aspects, first that the present generation’s needs are met (intra-generational equity) but more importantly, that it is not made more difficult for future generation to meet their needs (inter-generational equity). Since the report was published, sustainable development has become an integral part of environmental policy and has been the subject of numerous conferences and summits including and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992,3 the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD,

"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)

Many people believe that the Sustainable Revolution began with concern for the environment. The way we portray our relation to the natural world has changed since the times of Thoreau and Emerson. The E for environment

World Commission on Environment and Sustainability (Brundtland Commission, 1987), defines sustainable development as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. Further sustainability is defined as the achievement of policies and procedures which are environmentally sound, economically viable and socially just as per the description given by The University of Wisconsin

Sustainable development is defined in many methods, but the official definition is explained through Our Common Future: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts: the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world 's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment 's ability to meet present and future needs.” From my point of view, there are three key points existing in this explanation: the needs of each class in the society, the limitation of development as well as the demands of present and future generation. These three points will be analyzed in detail below.

The simplest definition of sustainable development was given by the World Commission on Environment and Development: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Un.org 1987).”