Sustainable Development

We always talked about sustainability and sustainable developments as if they truly run like blood in our veins. But do we really know the subjects? For some, the answer might be a big YES... but for ordinary laymen and a large part of the community who are not involved directly in any discipline related to these, "sustainability and sustainable developments" are only incomprehensible jargon fit for scholarly articles in the archive library, or in the students' text books. Sometimes, I myself got confused with phrases like "the sustainable sustainability", "sustaining sustainable development" etc. etc. etc.

So, I tried surfing the Net for answers, more for self satisfaction, really. And I came across articles which enlightened and inspired me. And I want to share these articles with you, my dear friends, that  will, InsyaAllah, will enrich our knowledge. They are published over the web by a body called the Sustainable Development Commission, United Kingdom.

The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) is the UK Government's independent adviser on sustainable development. They are an (independent) executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) and a company limited by guarantee. The company is wholly owned by the UK, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland governments, and is governed by a Board. They are also governed by a Framework Agreement agreed with the four UK Governments. The agreement sets out their responsibilities and guides the work of the SDC's Board and Management Team. 

The following articles are credited to Sustainable Development Commission, UK.

History of Sustainable Development

The concept of sustainable development formed the basis of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The summit marked the first international attempt to draw up action plans and strategies for moving towards a more sustainable pattern of development. It was attended by over 100 Heads of State and representatives from 178 national governments. The Summit was also attended by representatives from a range of other organisations representing civil society. Sustainable development was the solution to the problems of environmental degradation discussed by the Brundtland Commission in the 1987 report Our Common Future. 

The remit of the Brundtland Report was to investigate the numerous concerns that had been raised in previous decades, namely, that human activity was having severe and negative impacts on the planet, and that patterns of growth and development would be unsustainable if they continued unchecked. Key works that highlighted this thinking included Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962), Garret Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons (1968), the Blueprint for Survival by the Ecologist magazine (1972) and the Club of Rome's Limits to Growth report (1972). 

The concept of sustainable development received its first major international recognition in 1972 at the UN Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm. The term was not referred to explicitly, but nevertheless the international community agreed to the notion - now fundamental to sustainable development - that both development and the environment, hitherto addressed as separate issues, could be managed in a mutually beneficial way. 

The term was popularised 15 years later in Our Common Future, the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, which included what is deemed the 'classic' definition of sustainable development: "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". 

It was not until the Rio Summit, however, that major world leaders recognised sustainable development as the major challenge it remains today. 

More recently, the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg in 2002, attended by 191 national governments, UN agencies, multilateral financial institutions and other major groups to assess progress since Rio. The Johannesburg Summit delivered three key outcomes: a political declaration, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, and a range of partnership initiatives. Key commitments included those on sustainable consumption and production, water and sanitation, and energy. 

What is sustainable development

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

The concept of sustainable development can be interpreted in many different ways, but at its core is an approach to development that looks to balance different, and often competing, needs against an awareness of the environmental, social and economic limitations we face as a society.

All too often, development is driven by one particular need, without fully considering the wider or future impacts. We are already seeing the damage this kind of approach can cause, from large-scale financial crises caused by irresponsible banking, to changes in global climate resulting from our dependence on fossil fuel-based energy sources. The longer we pursue unsustainable development, the more frequent and severe its consequences are likely to become, which is why we need to take action now.  

So is it all just about the environment?

Living within our environmental limits is one of the central principles of sustainable development. One implication of not doing so is climate change.

But the focus of sustainable development is far broader than just the environment. It's also about ensuring a strong, healthy and just society. This means meeting the diverse needs of all people in existing and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and creating equal opportunity.

If sustainable development focuses on the future, does that mean we lose out now?

Not necessarily. Sustainable development is about finding better ways of doing things, both for the future and the present. We might need to change the way we work and live now, but this doesn't mean our quality of life will be reduced.

A sustainable development approach can bring many benefits in the short to medium term, for example:

Savings - As a result of SDC scrutiny, government has saved over £60m by improving efficiency across its estate.

Health & Transport - Instead of driving, switching to walking or cycling for short journeys will save you money, improve your health and is often just as quick and convenient. 

How does it affect me?

The way we approach development affects everyone. The impacts of our decisions as a society have very real consequences for people's lives. Poor planning of communities, for example, reduces the quality of life for the people who live in them. (Relying on imports rather than growing food locally puts the UK at risk of food shortages.)

Sustainable development provides an approach to making better decisions on the issues that affect all of our lives. By incorporating health plans into the planning of new communities, for instance, we can ensure that residents have easy access to healthcare and leisure facilities. (By encouraging more sustainable food supply chains, we can ensure the UK has enough food for the long-term future.)

 Photo credit : National Geographics

 Congestion and carbon emission

How do we make it happen?

We all have a part to play. Small actions, taken collectively, can add up to real change. However, to achieve sustainability in the UK, we believe the Government needs to take the lead. The SDC's job is to help make this happen, and we do it through a mixture of scrutiny, advice and building organisational capacity for sustainable development.

The principles

In order for the UK to become more sustainable, it is important to have an agreed set of principles that can be used as a basis for co-ordinated national policies, strategies and action plans. 

The UK Government published its 'Five Principles of Sustainable Development' in its Shared Framework for Sustainable Development, released in March 2005. 

The principles, which were developed with support from the SDC, have been agreed by the UK Government (inc NI), the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Executive, and are reflected in the UK sustainable development strategy, 'Securing the Future', also released in March 2005. 

Securing the Future

 

 Source : SDC, UK. Accessible through http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/

I find this website very helpful in providing necessary information about sustainable development, strategies and initiatives in making sustainablity a success - an excellent basic reference to understanding sustainability.

Another must-explore website is http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/ which not only highlights and focuses on the latest global issues but also provides an extensive online resource centre about sustainable developments.

On that note also, I would like to share a very inspiring video which has a significant impact on global sustainability. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for more articles on sustainability, sustainable planning and sustainable development. 

“We cannot hope to create a sustainable culture with any but sustainable souls.”
― Derrick Jensen, Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization 

Wassalam.