Introduction
The term ‘Sustainable Development’ is now widely been used by policymaker around the world, but the interesting thing is that many of us are not clear about the term and lacking any uniform interpretation. The concept of sustainable development is still being developed and the definition of the term is constantly being revised, extended, and redefined by people in many ways. According to the most frequent definition given by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development in Brundtland Report’ published with the name “Our Common Future” in Oxford University Press in 1987 explain that “Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Sustainable development has many components but it promotes three basic components; these are social equality, environmental protection, and economic growth. It demands growth and development in balanced ways that will not exhaust the earth’s finite natural resources. It seeks to stop over-exploitation and conserves nature and natural resources for generations to come. The needs of the world today are real and immediate, yet it’s necessary to develop ways to meet these needs that do not disregard the future of coming generations.
We need to learn the use of smart and efficient technologies and organic farming are parts of few alternative models. We shall have to adopt renewable energy like solar, hydro, wind, geothermal and atomic energy. We need to maintain harmony with nature, considering the threat that fossil fuel is not the permanent solution for us. In this direction, we see that every nation is looking forward to adopting alternative models and green energy now.The eco-friendly infrastructure and renewable energy have the future. In this regard, Earth Summit, Kyoto protocol, Agenda 21, Million Goals and the recent success of Paris summit are the example that develops and developing both nations want to adopt an alternative and sustainable model of development.
Components of Sustainable Development
It has three the basic component of many of us may not have same views but each of the three components contributes to the overall development of a society in terms of sustainability. But our observation says that the economic growth been the main concern in all over the world. Mostly high profit making policies had been adopted rather than corporate social responsibilities.
Economic Growth- Economy is the engine of development and essential to improving quality of life. So, economic growth is need of every nation. Most of developing nations like India, Brazil, South Africa and China where a vast population are out of reach of even basic amenities, need economic growth. For that, they need energy and technology. In another hand, we see that most of the developed nation gone under industrial revolution over-exploitation of natural resources for higher profit, now worried on the issue of climate change. They worry that so much of the natural world has already been converted into human use that the focus cannot simply remain on economic growth and omit the ever-growing problem of environmental sustainability. The new concept of development emerged to maintain harmony with nature using resources also impose some restriction. Agenda 21 reinforces the importance of finding ways to generate economic growth without hurting the environment. Through various trade negotiations such as improving access to markets for exports of developing countries, Agenda 21 looks to increase economic growth sustainability in countries that need it most.
Environmental Protection- Environmental Protection has become more important too as it is directly related to our existence. Government and business people also willing to invest in green technologies now. Recently our own government have tied up with France on solar technology. We have been also investing other clean and renewable energy resource to fulfil our energy requirement. Hydro-power, Wind and Atomic power plants some of the areas of investment have also been focused. The focus on environmental protection has transpired globally as well, including a great deal of investment in renewable energy power capacity. Biosphere reserve and national park, the concept of Smart cities with efficient use of energy and other resources, are also part of environment protection. The Government is focusing on energy efficient technology like the LED on street and buildings.
Social Equality- It is a very important pillar of sustainable development, indicates social well-being of people. This is attributed partly to the land distribution patterns in rural areas, for example, Bihar in India where the majority of people on the lower level of social structure landless labour and few have more than sufficient land. This has been the main reason for the huge migration of people from Bihar other than unemployment. More or less inequality is found all over the world among people to people in one nation or state and among nation to nation on wealth and reach of resources.
When we talk about the world, the Global inequality has been declining, but the world is still extremely unequal, with the richest 1% of the world’s population owning 40% of the world’s wealth and the poorest 50% owning around 1%. The growing gap between incomes of rich and poor has created great economic disparity. The excess gap of income is a big obstacle for social and equitable development. In this situation, it looks impossible to implement social and economic equality uniformly when economic interest of few people or state (nation), interest mass people is jeopardized by other few wealthy and powerful. For example, differences of opinion on the issue of emission of carbon among developed and developing nations are well known. It also well known that highly industrialized countries have mainly added more carbon and other greenhouse gases to the environment, lead to global warming. This also caused flooding on certain low-lying islands—resulting in the displacement and impoverishment of entire island nations. In other situation when many pharmaceutical companies earn higher profits at the cost of millions of poor people being unable to afford medications needed for treating their life-threatening diseases. In both examples Sustainable “development could probably be otherwise called “equitable and balanced,” but what we see to be happening is a different thing. Sustainable development is to defend opportunities for well-being, as well as about comprehensiveness of objectives human and nature. Thus, to also ensure that future generations inherit the necessary conditions to provide for their own welfare, our present-day values must be educated enough to reflect their interests as well.
Need Sustainable and Alternative Model of Development
Our entire essential requirement like air, water, food or cloth is fulfilled by nature. And if ecosystems are destroyed or degraded to the point where they can no longer provide services, means the threat to our own life. So, the question is of our own survival. The recent example of air pollution in many cities of India and the world indicates us to stop now. Delhi Government has to be given order by National Green Tribunal to take appropriate action to control air pollution in Delhi. This is the very first time when traffic in our country have been regulated by odd and even formula, this type of restriction been made to control private vehicles on roads.
Overexploitation of natural resource and excess emission of greenhouse gases adversely affected our health and biodiversity. Today Human health and Biodiversity is under serious threat as a result of human activities. The main dangers worldwide are population growth and resource consumption, climate change and global warming, habitat conversion and urbanization, invasive alien species, over-exploitation of natural resources and environmental degradation.
We have lost 42% amphibian, 40% bird, 23% plant, 14 % fish stock completely collapsed. 17% of the Amazonian forest has been cut. Tropical deforestation has been relentless, with about 13 million hectares of forest lost per year between 2000 and 2010 as the land was converted to other uses.
Emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, CFC etc. traps heat increase environmental temperature, causes the greenhouse effect. The deforestation causes the loss of biodiversity and the habitats of organisms. Excess use of chemical fertilizers and pesticide, Industrial waste and seaways waste pollute water, land and air. Many electric devises contain lead and mercury, when sold to simple garbage buyer, on breaking in open contaminates soil, water or air and inters in the food chain and cause the hazardous effect on health. Contamination of water and biomagnification in animals and plant cause another health hazards. For all these problems we need an alternative model.
Efforts made by the world's nations
It has been difficult to change these concepts about sustainability into concrete actions and programs. In this direction with the effort of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the famous Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ( also known as Rio Declaration), in 1992 bring 182 nations on one platform. Human beings are at the centre of concern for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature. A comprehensive plan of action, known as Agenda21, came out of the meeting on sustainability.
After many other summits, a clear global agenda regarding biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem management, which includes the Aichi Targets for 2011-2020 agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties in 2010, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Rio+20 held in June 2012 reinvigorated global commitments to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and marked a transition towards action on establishing new Sustainable Development Goals with following priorities;
■ Recognizing the importance of the sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems for sustainable and equitable development.
■ Ensuring equitable and inclusive economic growth to reduce poverty and improve environmental sustainability;
■ Intertwining the economic, social, and environmental strands of sustainable development and managing trade-offs;
Culminating a four-year negotiating round, the new treaty ends the strict differentiation between developed and developing countries that characterized earlier efforts, replacing it with a common framework that commits all countries to put forward their best efforts in Paris Summit 2015. The agreement and a companion decision by parties were the key outcomes of the conference, known as the 21st session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, or COP21. With many other outcomes $100 billion a year in support by 2020 for developing nation to adopt green technologies been accepted by developing nations. Though the next higher goal to be set for the period after 2025.
Few things to be adopted
Our future depends on the health of our planet Earth. To protect earth we need to make our environment safe for life, we need to protect ecosystem and biodiversity, need to adopt the sustainable and alternative model of development, and we need to adopt green and efficient energy technologies. We need to invest in research and Development to find the solution for future challenges. There is a need to make integrated efforts to achieve all targets. From agriculture to industry and daily practice we need to adopt nature and environment-friendly methods and technologies like organic farming. We need to make the proper system of waste management where we can ensure separation of recyclable garbage.
Energy is the most important component of life and use of fossil fuel for energy caused most of the serious problem of global warming. So, we need to find clean and green energy technologies. Renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass can provide sustainable benefit to us and our climate. By adopting energy efficient technologies like LED we can save energy. By adoption, sustainable and alternative developmental model we can protect the plant-management should be insured.
Energy is the most important component of life and use of fossil fuel for energy caused most of the serious problem of global warming. So, we need to find clean and green energy technologies. Renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass can provide sustainable benefit to us and our climate. By adopting energy efficient technologies like LED we can save energy. By adoption, sustainable and alternative developmental model we can protect the plant-management should be insured.
In other hands by adopting the various way of Conservation of nature and Biodiversity we can protect earth from future threat; like In-situ and ex-situ conservation, Conservation on productive landscapes, Law and community enforcement, by Traditional knowledge and practices, by research and technology. We can make our plate more favourable for living creatures including human by stopping deforestation and to increase plant and trees by afforestation, water conservation, modern organic farming etc.
Conclusion;
The main reason behind depletion of the environment, leading to loss of climate change and loss of biodiversity is human activity. And as a human, it's our responsibility to stop further depletion of it. No millennium development goals; including the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the health can be achieved at risk from the neglect and deterioration of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. It is high time to think us on our model of development. Overexploitation and only profit-making police at the cost of environmental pollution are not a long time solution. Learning from an alarming threat to biodiversity, human and the environment, our future appears in sustainable and alternative environmental friendly model of development only.
