compiled by Livia Minca
Lately we witness more and more discussions and debates about “sustainability” and how to achieve “sustainable development”. But what does it mean exactly? Does it have to do with the environment? Is it about people and culture or jobs and money? Does it involve the world, the countries, the cities or the individuals? Or is it just something for other people to worry about?
Lately we witness more and more discussions and debates about “sustainability” and how to achieve “sustainable development”. But what does it mean exactly? Does it have to do with the environment? Is it about people and culture or jobs and money? Does it involve the world, the countries, the cities or the individuals? Or is it just something for other people to worry about?
Sustainability was first defined
as "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Bruntland
Report for the World Commission on Environment and Development (1992)
Since then, there have been many
variations and extensions on this basic definition. Many people even argue that
it has been twisted to suit government and corporations that really want to
continue with business as usual. Below are some points of view from various
sources regarding to what would be the best way to look at sustainability.
"We cannot just add
sustainable development to our current list of things to do but must learn to
integrate the concepts into everything that we do." (The Dorset Education
for Sustainability Network)
"A sustainable future is one
in which a healthy environment, economic prosperity and social justice are
pursued simultaneously to ensure the well-being and quality of life of present
and future generations. Education is crucial to attaining that future."
(Learning for a Sustainable Future - Teacher Centre)
"The first and perhaps most
difficult problem, one that seldom gets addressed, is the time frame…Is a
sustainable society one that endures for a decade, a human lifetime, or a
thousand years?" (The shaky ground of Sustainable Development Donald
Worster in Global Ecology 1993)
The theory sounds very good, but
what about the practice? Increasingly our lifestyle is placing more and more
pressure on natural systems. As it looks today, our society does not have the
capacity to sustain itself on the long run – at least in such a way that the
nine billion people expected on Earth by 2050 will all be able to achieve a
basic quality of life. We are consuming so much, and so quickly, that we are
already living far beyond the earth's capacity to support us. The planet's
ecosystems are deteriorating and the climate is changing. So what will happen
if the “uncertain” effects of climate change in the near future will turn out
to be so severe as to impair people's capacity to meet their basic needs, like
food? Climate change makes us more vulnerable than we already are and makes the
road towards sustainability even rockier.
However, adopting a sustainable
way of living is something at hand, something that we can do now that will
benefit us in the future. And it does involve everyone, from countries, who
could think up and implement sustainable policies (like fair trade or
sustainable timber harvesting), to cities, who could introduce facilities for
sustainable transport or waste collection and to individuals, who could
integrate sustainable principles and actions into their daily habits (like not
wasting water or buying mostly locally produced goods). All of these actions
combined would give the Earth the possibility to regain its strength: forests
to grow, air and water to clean themselves and future generations to find a
beautiful and resourceful planet like we have found. And they will also help
slow down climate change.
It seems so simple and yet
reaching sustainability is one of the biggest challenges the world is facing
today. So simple that children understand and express it better than adults.
“Sharing what we have with
others and not taking more than our share.”
“Thinking about
what you need rather than taking what you want.”
“Sustainability
is not just cleaning up your own room – it’s about keeping tidy an even bigger
room that belongs to everyone!”
Perhaps adults
should then lend a year to the solution that children propose:
“One thing
leads to another, then another. Let’s make the chain good.”
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