Day 21: Sustainability/Sustainable Development
Originally published: 21st April, 2020 on Facebook and Instagram
SUSTAINABILITY/SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OK, I have chosen the last day to talk about “What is sustainability and sustainable development?” on the very last day of doing this. hahaha…!
But this is an important question. Over the years, there have been so many definitions of it. Some companies/people have defined these terms in their own way… some genuinely but others, mostly to create a “buzz words” that fits well into their agenda. And so, here we are, each with our own definition and understanding of sustainability and sustainable development.
The most popular definition of sustainable development comes from the Brundtland Commission in 1987,
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
“Sustainable development is the pathway to sustainability” (Source: https://www.circularecology.com/sustainability-and...).
Sustainability takes it a bit further to include the harmonious balance of economic, social and environmental factors that govern the world.
Notice how sustainability is not just about the environment but also the people in it? I think this is the part that most of us are unaware or forget about.
Environmental sustainability (protect flora and fauna, combat climate change) is easily understood by us. But there is also economic and social sustainability, which includes broader concepts of gender equality, education, culture, right to food and water, basic healthcare and much more. Ultimately, sustainability is human-centric because without humans, the Earth perhaps has its own way of balancing itself.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞. We must recognize that our population is growing and the Earth has finite resources. So, what can we do to maintain economic, social and environmental balance?
These are my thoughts on sustainability and sustainable development. I would love to hear more from all of you, perhaps how you relate to this and how you hope to contribute! We’re all learning and trying to do our best.
