Sustainable development is about fulfilling our own needs and never ending desires meanwhile not forgetting the needs of our future generations. These are tough times for the planet Earth. Every other day there are new concerns arising of global consideration such as global cooling, biodiversity loss, communal conflicts and resources deficit. The other prevalent challenges the world faces are, poverty exclusion, unemployment and the need to build peaceful and inclusive success.
What is Sustainability and why does it matter
Sustainability stands for three fundamental constituents; economy, environment and our society. To keep things in order, humankind tries all measures to avoid depletion of natural resources. The ecological balance and quality of life becomes the elixir of life. In one of the earlier researches, in 1987, The Brundtland Commission had published its report, “Our common future” to take up the issues of economic growth and environmental stability. For the first time it spoke about providing a framework for the integration of environment policies and development strategies.
Various research works in the field
Michael Porter and Claas Van Der Linde proposed pollution to be a big sign of inefficient resource use. They spoke about stimulating innovations which could help the cause of sustainable development. They searched for the inherent interdependence between environment and economy, which they thought was to be the foundation of the canvas of sustainable development. Sustainable development is more complete and holistic. Today, the modern economies are working hard to conserve their ecosystems and natural resources for future usage. Their planning and execution are an organized approach termed as Managed Sustainable Development (MSD). Way back in the 17th and 18th century, Europe had already started talking about sustainable forest management. The cutting down of trees was taken as a big threat. The concern kept growing and the themes too got increased and in 1986, Kenneth E Boulding wrote a piece on the need for an economic system to fit itself to the ecological system with limited pools of resources. It was in 1980 that the International Union for the conservation of nature, published strategies on the global priority of sustainable resources.
Two years later, the United Nations world charter for nature raised five principles of conservation. For all this labour done, various bodies were formed henceforth. ESD or Education for Sustainable Development aims at empowering the future generation to meet the requirement using integrated approaches to economics, social and environmental areas of social development. UN decode pertaining to sustainable development, in 2005 started a movement to raise the issue and cause awareness.
Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 agenda
Today, the change has already begun. Now the world is on a practical outlook to have a vision to transform the planet for future generations. In 2015, the General Assembly took a note of the impending problem and adopted the 2030 agenda for sustainable development that caters to 17 sustainable development goals. It plans to leave no one behind and it is all about a composite and holistic approach to achieve the goals. The 2030 agenda is also about raising awareness about the people with disabilities.
Goals to be achieved
The first goal is about eradicating poverty across the world. It should be at least half the proportion of men, women and children of all age groups. The target is to give the vulnerable groups all rights to economic resources and give them access to basic services. For its completion the need of the hour is mobilization of sound policy frameworks at regional, national and international level.
The second goal is to end global hunger and achieve food security and improved nutrition and to promote sustainable agriculture. The target is to end the problem of malnutrition while doubling the agriculture productivity and increase of small scale food producers. The rural infrastructure has to be properly set up. Proper functioning of food commodity markets too have to be taken care of.
The third goal is to ensure healthy lives and promote well being of people of all age groups. The target is to reduce the global maternal mortality rate to less than 70 per one lakh births. Diseases like AIDS, TB, malaria, hepatitis and water borne diseases have to be mitigated and eradicated eventually. The outlook to preventing and treating substance abuse also has to be understood. The World Health Organization is to play a vital role in it.
The fourth goal is about ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and to promote learning opportunities for all age groups. These targets should be achieved irrespective of gender. An important aspect is about the learners acquiring knowledge and skills to generate ideas for sustainable development. The infrastructure and quality teaching will be the hallmark of this target.
The fifth and sixth target areas are related to gender equality and potable water and sanitation. The idea is to end all forms of discrimination and eliminate all forms of violence against the girl child. As a part of giving more power to the women, equal rights are to be given in terms of economic resources. By 2030, the world should have access to adequate and equated sanitation and hygiene facilities. Water resource management shall pave a new way to the evolution of mankind. Some other goals that need constant awareness and preponderance are related to affordable energy, work and economic growth, industry, innovations and infrastructure, reduced inequality and new sustainable infrastructural cities and communities.
What can be done to achieve the sustainable goals?
Better transport systems, inclusive and sustainable urbanisation shall play its part in safeguarding the world’s cultural and natural heritage. Responsible consumption, good enough production, climatic changes, life below the water, on land shall define the planet with new vision. Also, promoting peaceful and inclusive societies shall be of great help for sustainable development. With time and effort all kinds of problems, violence, abuse, exploitation, illicit financial arms, flaws and corruption shall wear away from the society.
The national outlooks and institutions should be strengthened through international cooperation. There will be eagerness to revitalize the global partnerships for sustainable growth and development. The developed nations shall assist developing countries in attaining goals through concrete policies. Technology and capacity building, trade shall make an amalgam of vision.
There can be a criticism for setting contradictory goals or for too many goals ignoring logical contexts, or something like being weak on environmental sustainability. But the public engagement especially of youth can be of huge benefit to the cause. Efforts like the various film festivals of the kind of Le Temps Presse festival and Arctic Film Festival and other measures are taken to sensitize the youth in order to achieve the sustainable development goals.
