Sustainable development (SD) is an open concept and therefore lacks clarity. Society has different interpretations of the approaches to sustainable development, based on unique circumstances. The ladder of sustainable development places the approaches into four different categories, ranging from ecocentrism (focus on the importance of the environment) to anthropocentrism (focus on economic growth). The ladder of sustainable development was developed by Susan Baker in 1997. The purpose of the ladder is to simplify the process of identifying the method used for sustainable development. The ladder has a global focus, identifies political scenarios and looks at philosophical beliefs about nature, among other things. Governmental, organisational …show more content…
Pollution control supporters argue that given time humans will develop innovative technologies that will solve all environmental problems. The environment is seen as a service to humanity that should not limit development. The main priority is economic growth, mostly at the cost of the environment by exploiting resources. Little is done to preserve the environment, as policies act only in the interests of damage control and not the prevention thereof. Arguments supporting this method claim that pollution occurs in the early stages of industrial development and decreases as economic growth increases and pollution control policies are introduced. This argument does not take into account the fact that pollution can be displaced from country to country. It is evident that the pollution control method is market driven and …show more content…
Environmental protection is taken more seriously as strong sustainable development is closer to the ecocentric philosophy. A change in patterns and levels of consumption for the benefit of the environment is noticeable. Normative principles are integrated into international law and governance. Maintenance of critical natural capital and biodiversity is achieved through investing proceeds from running down natural capital into the development of new technologies which can substitute for natural capital. Local, self sufficient economies are encouraged in a global market which promotes green and fair trade. Growth in Third World countries is
The 2005 World Summit on Social Development identified sustainable development goals, such as economic development, social development and environmental protection (UN, 2005). M&S has added one more category, supply chain, which merges social and environmental goals.
A predominant driver of our country’s economy is that increases in technological innovation lead to improved standards of living. Despite these economic benefits, some technology creates pollution,
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 the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld or confirmed. According to UN (2014), “sustainability is the procedure of development which assists the future generation ability to meet their needs with present needs. The utmost practice of sustainability is in relation to sustainability development. Sustainable development is a forming standard for human life on a determinate world (d.n, 2014).
GDP growth shows little about the impact of production on the environment and its consequences on living standards. Is our economy, with its mixture of market processes and governmental controls, biased in favour of wasteful and short-sighed exploitation of natural resources? (Nordhaus & Tobin, 1972) Evidence from the World bank’s PM2.5 air pollution indicator shows that over 94% of Ethiopia’s population are exposed to air pollution since 2000 and an increasing trend is realized in subsequent years. Mauritius, on the other hand, records a low rate 0.97% in 2000 which rises to 26.6% in 2013. Calculation of GDP are unlikely to satisfy critics who believe that economic growth per se piles up immense social cost ignored in even the most careful national income calculations (Nordhaus & Tobin, 1972). Though GDP is growing, it excludes its impact on the environment. What then is the importance of growth if it destroys the sustenance of
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
Every day when looking out a window, people see a beautiful earth. The earth is intriguing, but hinges on a delicate balance. Many natural resources keep the grass green and the sky blue. Man has made quite an impression on our world, and has transformed the earth's resources into tools to make life easy. However, mans' manipulation on earth has become detrimental to the health of our planet and the safety of mankind. Through the use and production of resources such as oil and energy, man is gradually poisoning the earth. Pollution has become such a dilemma in society; there is no real control or a feasible solution to society's recklessness. Without complete change, our system will collapse. The earth will eventually retaliate with disaster, or corporate control of our economy will cause hysteria and depression. Evaluation of the consequences and repercussion of worldwide pollution, may give people a better idea of what the future holds.
The manner by which the environment is being harmed is much different now than it was in the 1400's. Production byproducts rather than the actual production are the cause of current environmental degradation. However, economic analysis has proven that environmental protection is a normal good. A normal good or service in economic terms means that the demand for such items increases as income increases. As such, for the sake of the poor as well as the environment, policy makers with the aim of environmental protection should also consider their effects on the resulting, generally decreased level of production.
In traditional opinions, environmental protection and economic growth are mutually contradictory. Economic growth is a high environmental cost, and protecting the environment will limit the economic growth. The reason of contradiction stems from the inappropriate understandings among development, economic growth and environmental protection. In fact, economic growth could have a harmonious relationship with environmental protection.
“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)”
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines development as the act or process of growing or causing something to grow larger or more advanced. We live in a world that is continuously developing, in ways that we cannot even begin to try to describe. Nonetheless, The World Bank measures indicators of development. To do this, they look at three-hundred and thirty-one different indicators which cover a vast number of areas, including agriculture, aid effectiveness, climate change, economic policy, education, energy and mining, environment, the financial sector, poverty, science and technology, social development, and urban development. The World Bank’s World Development Indicators data is has been used for over fifty years as the standard by which development is measured. While this list may seem like a comprehensive, all-inclusive list, it does not consider the idea of sustainable development. While development for the sake of advancement may seem like a good option for an undeveloped country, it can be argued that development that is not sustainable is not development at all, but merely the illusion of one.
The first is to encourage economic growth and sustainable development. It emphasizes the need for economic growth, the need to improve the level of contemporary human welfare through economic growth, enhance national strength and social wealth. However, sustainable development should not only pay attention to the amount of economic growth, but also to the pursuit of quality of economic growth. That is economic development, including growth in the number and quality improvement in two parts. Growth in the number is limited, and rely on scientific and technological progress and improving the effectiveness of economic activity and quality, adopt a scientific mode of economic growth is sustainable. Flag of sustainable development is the sustainable use of resources and good ecological environment. Economic and social development can not exceed the carrying capacity of resources and the
In class we discussed what sustainable development meant to us; each group had its own definition. Our group’s definition was that sustainable development is for the long term for future generations, for the basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and job. The basic will increase over time and our resources will diminish, which why sustainable development is important. Sustainable development is important for future generations so that they end up with a world better than ours. Sustainable development is achievable if society works together to meet everyone’s basic needs and create a better world.
Sustainability development has three components: environment, society, and economy. If you consider the three to be overlapping circles of the same size, the area of overlap in the center is human well-being. As the environment, society, and economy become more aligned, the area of overlap increases, and so does human well-being. Therefore, education for sustainable development (ESD) is the use of education as a tool to achieve sustainability. Simply put, ESD is a way to make the world a safer, healthier, and more livable place for us and future generations (McKeown, 2002, pgs 7-9).
‘Development that meets the needs of the present with the ability for the future generation to meet their own needs.’ (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) Sustainable development requires three key components: economy, society and environment, sustainable development can be success through striking balance in those factors. These three components are indispensible, they compel to depend on each other. On the other words, we can only gain a decent and energetic environment and society if the economy is strong with a healthy a stable growth rate.