Sustainable Development: What is and examples

It is a concept that emerged for the first time in 1987 in the publication of the Brundtland reportwhich created an alert about the negative consequences that were being generated in the environment because of the Economic development and globalization. Sustainable development refers to the development of the ability to meet the needs of the current generation through the consumption of natural resources without compromising the availability of these for future generations.

For example, cutting trees can be considered a sustainable activity as long as their repopulation is assured. On the contrary, oil consumption is currently not an activity linked to Sustainable developmentsince we cannot replace it relatively immediately for coming generations, which occurs with much of human activities as developed today.

Although very similar terms may be not to be confused. He sustainable development seeks to achieve sustainabilityso this constitutes an objective of this type of development. Thus, this development aims to achieve an improvement in the environment and the quality of life of people without endangering the livelihood for the survival of future generations and the planet itself.

The Sustainability in Ecology It is known as the process by which in biological systems the species are in balance with the resources of the environment they inhabit.

The Sustainable Development Goals are collected on the 2030 Agendaapproved by the United Nations. This document hosts a series of measures through which to guarantee objectives such as:

• Eliminate poverty and hunger.
• Guarantee a healthy life and the well -being of people.
• Promote quality education and decent work for economic growth.
• Promote access to basic services, such as clean water and sanitation.
• Reduction of inequalities, such as gender equality.
• Access to affordable energy and that does not contaminate.
• Industry innovation and infrastructure to create sustainable cities and communities.
• Production and consumption of responsible resources.
• Take action to climate change to protect and maintain underwater life and life in terrestrial ecosystems.
• Achieve peace, justice and solid institutions.
• Forge alliances to achieve all these objectives.

In these other articles you can read about the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and what is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Sustainable development has three fundamental pillars that, in a way, group the previous objectives. These pillars are the economic, social and environmental sustainability o Environmental protection.

Economic sustainability

On the economic level, the idea that economic growth is produced in a way with natural resources is encouraged, without overloading the capacities of nature. In addition, it seeks an investment and distribution of economic resources in an equitable way, eliminating poverty and promoting equality. You may be interested in this article on the green economy: what is and objectives.

Social sustainability

In this area, the objective is to implement the idea of equality where each citizen is able to access a good quality of life. For this, education and health policies can be promoted, raise awareness among the population to participate in the processes used in the sustainable development of the resources of the cities and countries in which they inhabit or use policies that promote peace.

Environmental sustainability

The basic idea is that the resources offered by nature are not inexhaustible, so it must be a good that has to protect and ration. Some examples of measures that can be taken to achieve are the use of sustainable agriculture and rural development policies, use of renewable energy, water savings, recycling, deforestation control or sustainable mobility.

There is a wide variety of projects related to sustainable development that lead to a more rational use of resources creating a lower impact. Some of them are:

• Inorganic garbage recycling, since this can be subsequently transformed into reusable materials such as bags, bottles or containers.
• Recycling of biodegradable garbage to be used as fertilizer in agriculture or gardening.
• Solar energy plants that use sunlight for the production of electricity.
• Winding parks that take advantage of the force of the wind for the production of electricity through wind turbines.
• Use of the undoMotor energy, which also generates electricity from the force of the waves of the sea, in which floating buoys are found that take advantage of the movement of the waves to produce the hydraulic pressure that will later become electricity. Together with solar and wind energy, it is considered a type of renewable energy.
• Rainwater use through its collection and storage.
• Organic farming, which consists of the optimal use of natural resources to produce food while protecting soils, water and climate, since it reduces the greenhouse effect.
• Ecotourism, which refers to a type of ecological tourism in which tourists experience the rural way of life, which also allows them to enjoy the natural environment without negatively interfering with it causing the damage and pollution of traditional tourism.
• Sustainable mobility such as the use of electric cars driven by clean energy sources or solar “cyclopists” that during the day take advantage of solar energy to illuminate at night allowing displacement through bicycles.

If you want to read more articles similar to Sustainable Development: What is and exampleswe recommend that you enter our category of sustainability and sustainable development.