UPSCpedia: Scienopedia - Sustainable development

• Sustainable development, sustainable community, sustainable schools, sustainable industry, sustainable economy etc, you may have heard these words used in many different ways, but what does "sustainability" really mean?
• Sustainability in the broadest of terms involves ensuring well-being and quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come, by meeting social and environmental as well as economic needs. 

  • It involves always considering our global impact before carrying out any action, thereby creating a culture of responsibility: "think global, act local".

  
• Sustainable development within a community redefines prosperity.

  • It weighs the value of community character, quality of life, and the environment along side economic development. 
  • Sustained development seeks what could be considered true development, recognizing that bigger isn't always better.
• The past 20 years have seen a growing realisation that the current model of development in the world is unsustainable. 

  • From the loss of biodiversity with the felling of rainforests or over fishing to the negative effect our consumption patterns are having on the environment and the climate. 
  • Our way of life is placing an increasing burden on the planet. 
  • The increasing stress we put on resources and environmental systems such as water, land and air cannot go on forever.
• There are many simple, ordinary things that we can all do locally to ensure a better quality community for the future, such as 

  • reducing wastage, 
  • recycling more of our rubbish and 
  • minimising our pollution by travelling wisely or save energy. 
• Other Steps to Sustainable Development by:
  • Making the region a healthy, safe place to live and work with a high quality of life
  • Promoting and deliver sustainability through partnership to achieve Climate Change Act Targets and Nottingham Declaration
  • Protecting the environment through the implementation of Council wide Environmental Management System (EMAS)
  • Work to reduce our energy use, carbon emissions and encourage the use of renewable energy
  • Saving natural resources by reducing wastage and encourage others to do the same
  • Supporting Fairtrade and promoting 'green' procurement across the Council procurement processes
  • Supporting employment and growing a thriving, prosperous economy.
• Educate young people and adults by:
  • Supporting eco-schools programme
  • Supporting National Framework for Sustainable Schools
  • Carrying out awareness raising campaigns on sustainability issues such as recycling, waste prevention, Fairtrade, sustainable transport, energy efficiency etc.
• Enable residents to live more sustainably by:
  • Providing efficient services for collection of recyclables and waste, minimising pollution and waste
  • Promoting and encouraging sustainable transport such as public transport, walking, cycling, car-sharing
  • Providing clean, safe, attractive parks, public spaces and streets
  • Improve access to local services

• The goal of living within environmental limits and a just society will be achieved by means of a sustainable economy, good governance, and sound science.

• The five shared principles

  • Living Within Environmental Limits Respecting the limits of the planet’s environment, resources and biodiversity – to improve our environment and ensure that the natural resources needed for life are unimpaired and remain so for future generations.
  • Ensuring a Strong, Healthy and Just Society Meeting the diverse needs of all people in existing and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and creating equal opportunity for all.
  • Achieving a Sustainable Economy Building a strong, stable and sustainable economy which provides prosperity and opportunities for all, and in which environmental and social costs fall on those who impose them (polluter pays), and efficient resource use is incentivised.
  • Using Sound Science Responsibly Ensuring policy is developed and implemented on the basis of strong scientific evidence, whilst taking into account scientific uncertainty (through the precautionary principle) as well as public attitudes and values.
  • Promoting Good Governance Actively promoting effective, participative systems of governance in all levels of society – engaging people’s creativity, energy, and diversity.

• Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a way of promoting   sustainable development while minimizing the costs of   limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

  • The mechanism features companies from developed   countries to earn certified emission reductions in return   for investing in a sustainable development project that   avoids emissions in a developing country.
  • The Kyoto   Protocol has not become legally binding yet, and the   process involved in undertaking CDM projects consists   of multiple complex and onerous steps. 
  • However, CDM   is still very useful in attracting public and private   sector participants for the development of sustainable   environment projects in developing countries.