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The concept of sustainable development
What is sustainability and why is it important essay
The concept of sustainable development
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Sustainability is a concept with a diverse array of meanings and definitions – a widely used glamorous, ambiguous, ambivalent and vague concept that is used by different stakeholder groups in various ways. Presumably to avoid noodling over a terminology or to avoid the confrontation with a definition, most widely the concept is broken down a planning process (c.f. e.g. Döring & Muraca, 2010). That is why most common sustainability is understood as sustainable development.1 Sustainable development adapted after the Brundtlandt Report 1987, is a planned, aim- and process oriented procedure that meets the needs of today’s generations without endangering the needs of future generations and world regions (Ott & Döring 2004, 2006).2 The principle of sustainability describes the efforts of the international community, all countries and people to create equal opportunities for development by explicitly taking into account the interests of future generations. Most frequently the concepts of sustainability are based on a triple bottom line represented by the tree pillars – ecology, economy and social security (e.g. by the Enquete Commission, 1998). Apart from the general weaknesses of the column model that is the interchangeability of dimensions and the ignorance of (social) relatedness (c.f. Ott & Döring, 2004)3 the definition of sustainability (the model is illustrating), is seen as a bad compromise between the needs for conservation of natural resources and the aspirations for economic growth by some scholars (Döring & Muraca, 2010). Irrespective of that, the model sometimes is competed by other pillars such as “knowledge”, “institution”, ”governance”, “arts” or the like (c.f. a.o. Ott & Döring, 2004). Whereas in “Resetting the Compas... ... middle of paper ... ...nd applied knowledge to bear on the urgent challenges of today’s global world and provide knowledge about (historical) conditions but also (local) visions for change. We agree with the optimism of Charles Redman about the potential role for anthropology in sustainability, believing that sustainability and engaging with it would be tremendously important in enhancing the role and impact of anthropologists. And, as experiences within the trnasdisciplinary project........A vision for a sustainable future of anthropology would be anthropologist being engaged in different fields and levels, actively framing the perception of global change and sustainability, mobilise a wider social science community to engage more effectively and take the lead in developing a more integrated and transformative science of global change and sustainability (c.f. ISSC/UNESCO, 2013).
Sustainability is one of the most controversial topics throughout the history, and as our society develop, we realize that being able to be sustainable is essential to survival of our race. The book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Sustainability is a collection of articles on different side of various issues related to sustainability. In the book, Issue 8 discusses the ability of technology to deliver sustainability, and issue 16 and 17 discusses the sustainability of food and energy. While issue 16 and 17 are well-presented, the arguments in issue 8 are not very strong.
He was recently appointed as editor for the On Sustainability which is one collection of 77 international journals published by Common Ground Publishing. The has served as an advisor to the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable. Development, is a member of the OpenSpace Research Centre (Open University 's (OU) Centre for Geographical and Environmental Research). The OU is a virtual campus based in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The vast knowledge this author possesses will assist in writing a fact-based
Whether an organization is domestic or international they have social responsibilities to the communities they operate within and to the shielding of the world. Caterpillar, Inc. is one such company that puts social responsibility at the top of their priorities. They have an abundance of engineers and technologists working on solutions to improve on sustainability. According to the 2012 Sustainability Report (2012), “at Caterpillar, we always ask ourselves, ‘What do our customers need? What does the world need?’ World Resources Institute (WRI) asks those same questions about the communities it serves, and truly delivers some amazing results” (p. 19).
These days, it seems that everyone is talking about “sustainability” or “going green.” However, these terms are somewhat confusing and difficult to classify. Over the past few decades, the concept of sustainable viticulture has emerged and is spreading awareness to grape growers and winemakers across the United States and beyond.
9. Smith’s report defines sustainable development as, “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Smith’s definition is important to consider, because it illustrates that that we do not have to destroy the natural environment to have economic progress.
Sustainability requires the interplay of other disciplines from the fields of science, economy, and social studies. The disciplines must function all together at a go, not in isolation. Once that is archived, sustainable development is also due to be archived. Philosophy is needed to be in practice in order to have an efficient way to approach sustainability. Mostly environmental sustainability is the one that is seen to be important, which includes the following aspects; water, energy, oil and other resources which are finite. The balance between the social, economic and environmental sectors yields sustainable development (Giddings et al., 2002). Sustainable development is classically defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without, in any way compromising the needs of future generations (IISD., 2003). Pragmatism requires us to predict, take actions and to be innovative in problem solving which is done through scientific research, this philosophy teaches us to be practical (Christopher., 2013).
Sustainability is broadly characterized as addressing the present generation’s needs without jeopardizing the future generations to address their own issues. Sustainable procedures are those that outcome from an establishment's commitment to environmental, social and economic, or the "triple bottom line." The term "sustainability," is the advancement of a procedure or management framework that serves to maintain economy and high standard of life while regarding the need to maintain natural resources and secure the nature.
There has been a vast advancement in the industrial development. The development of plastic has been a boon to the modern era. The development and advancement in the modern technology has played significant role in the various stages of the modernization. Although the introduction to plastics has been a significant step in the industrialization, the excessive use of the plastic products has affected environmental sustainability. Proper planning is very essential to implement the sustainability actively. There are many steps taken by various businesses to minimize the harm the plastics can do to the environment by reduce, reuse and recycle. One of the recent examples of planning to strengthen sustainability is by Walmart Inc. It has taken initiative
The concept of ‘Just Sustainability’ incorporates not only environmental sustainability but also a need to strive towards social justice and equity. According to Agyeman sustainability is “the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, while living within the limits of supporting ecosystems.” (Agyeman et al. 2003 as cited in Agyeman 2005: 43) Both the desire for sustainability and development can be cause for many social justice and human equity issues, but in order to fulfil the idea of ‘Just Sustainability,’ all of these things need to be taken into account. (Agyeman 2005: 43) An example of how social justice and equity needs to be addressed alongside a sustainability plan for the environment is the deforestation of rainforests in Indonesia.
Sustainability is an issue that everyone should be concerned about. If the planet Earth is going to exist, as we know it, everyone should wake up and do their part to help achieve a greater level of sustainability. In my English 101 class we learned about the issue of sustainability. Many different topics were discussed and researched throughout the course of the semester. Overall, I think that the sustainability project has been a learning and enlightening experience for everyone in this class. Many more things can be done next semester, since the groundwork has been laid to continue this project for time to come.
Redclift, M. (2005). Sustainable Development (1987-2005): An Oxymoron Comes of Age. Sustainable Development, 13(4), 212-227.
Sustainability it is very small word but it works a lot. It means capacity to endure and we chose the name Sustainability to reflect both our goal and our conviction that it is possible. it works each and every part of world like as a business, as a leader, as a corporate, as a fundamentals human needs, as a consumer etc., but it covers major three things Social, Environment and Economic. According to me, I suggest that recycling is a current major part of sustainability because it connects with the environment and clean environment is important for world. Environmental sustainability is to control the rates of renewable resource, pollution creation and non-renewable resource.
“Sustainable Development: At its heart, sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a good quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It is about living within the carrying capacity of the environment so that how we live, work and enjoy leisure activities, which do not harm or put undue pressures on the environment. It is about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to have a decent education, a quality environment that they take pride in, good health and a decent job (n.p, 2014)”
Environmental sustainability is making decisions and taking actions in the interest of protecting the natural world, preserving the capability of the environment to support human life and ensuring that humans use the environment in a way that does not harm the environment. It also questions how economic development affects our environment vice versa.
We all know the urbanization rate is an index to value the development of a country. However, though urbanization provides great convenience to some individuals, it also brings about negative effects. Problems such as pollution, overcrowded and the high unemployment appear during the process of urbanization and they are hard to cope with. In face of the sequence of problems, a new way of development ----sustainable development was put forward. Just like its literal meaning, the word sustainability has something to do with continuity. It was used since 1980s and first appeared in Britain law in 1993. Sustainable development can help solve parts of the problem caused by urbanization, including environmental damage, overuse of resources, and natural disasters.