Definition of sustainable development
Sustainable development is a form of economic development having for objective main to reconcile the progress economic and social with the preservation of the environment. It is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the capacity of future generations to answer theirs.
Sustainable development, also known as sustainable development, is a concept of development which is part of a long-term perspective which integrates the constraints environmental and social to the economy.
Sustainable development is supposed to be able to combine several requirements:
- Satisfaction of needs essentials of current and future generations, in relation to the contraints demographic;
- Environmental protection and optimal management of natural capital;
- Economic growth prioritizing product sustainability;
- Improving quality of life;
- Respect rights and freedoms of the individual;
- Guarante of fairness between individuals, generations and States;
- Strengthening new forms of renewable energy.
State of our current economic system
The current state of our planet is that it is unable to support any more of the effects of our activities and the organization of our society poses limits to our economic model based on growth and dependence on fossil fuels.
Indeed, capitalism in its current form is inherently at odds with the very principles of sustainable development, as capitalism’s short-term imperatives of growth and profit are often at odds with the long-term goals of environmental preservation and social equity.
Thus, ecological, economic and social crises constantly call into question the ways in which our societies operate. In this sense, economic growth and development cannot be infinite given that the planet’s resources are finite. The awareness surrounding the need to find an economic model that reconciles the environment and society allows us today to affirm that another path is possible, but that this implies that everyone must embrace it and work together to reconcile these three dimensions.
The principles of sustainable development
To achieve the goals of sustainable development, several principles are put forward. These principles are fundamental guidelines that guide actions in the field of sustainable development, including:
1- The integrated approach
The integrated approach involves considering all economic, environmental, and social aspects in decision-making. This means analyzing the potential impacts of an action or policy in all these areas in order to minimize negative effects and maximize benefits.
2- Citizen participation
Citizen participation is essential to ensure that society’s needs and concerns are taken into account in decision-making processes. Citizens, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and governments must work together to develop sustainable solutions and promote democratic decision-making.
3- Shared responsibility
Sustainable development requires shared responsibility among governments, businesses, civil society, and individuals. Everyone has a role to play in promoting sustainable practices and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Working together to find innovative and effective solutions is essential.
4- The precaution
The precautionary principle stipulates that in the event of potential risks to the environment or health, preventive measures must be taken even in the absence of absolute scientific certainty. It is a prudent approach to avoid irreversible damage and protect human health and the environment.
5- Social equity and solidarity
Development actions must be undertaken with a concern for intra-generational and inter-generational equity as well as social ethics and solidarity.
Besides, intergenerational equity aims to maintain the integrity of the biosphere and its regulatory mechanisms. It is therefore a question of introducing an ethical responsibility towards our descendants by implicitly referring to strategies for preserving natural heritage and ecosystems.
Whereas, intra-generational equity implies both an ethical responsibility of developed countries towards less developed countries but also within developed countries increased links of solidarity between socially integrated people and people excluded from economic and social systems.
6- Protection of cultural heritage
Cultural heritage, consisting of goods, places, landscapes, traditions and knowledge reflects the identity of a society. It transmits its values from generation to generation, and its conservation promotes sustainable development. It is important to ensure its identification, protection, and enhancement, taking into account its characteristic rarity and fragility.
7- Preservation of biodiversity
Biological diversity provides invaluable services and must be conserved for the benefit of current and future generations. Maintaining species, ecosystems, and the natural processes that sustain life is essential to ensuring the quality of life of citizens.
8- Polluter pays
Persons who generate pollution or whose actions otherwise degrade the environment must bear their share of the costs of measures to prevent, reduce and control damage to the quality of the environment and combat it.
9- Internalization of costs
The value of goods and services must reflect all the costs they cause to society throughout their life cycle, from their design to their consumption and final disposal.
The Sustainable Development Goals
The objective of sustainable development is to define viable schemes that reconcile the economic, social and ecological dimensions, which constitute the three aspects of human activities. Therefore, pillars to be taken into account by communities as well as by businesses and individuals. The goal of sustainable development is to find a coherent and viable long-term balance that ensures economically efficient, socially equitable and ecologically sustainable development.
Moreover, the economy is the driving force behind sustainable development; it enables the improvement of social conditions, taking into account the constraints posed by environmental preservation. The interplay between these three components generates the three properties of sustainable development, namely fairness, viability and livability, which translates into:
· Sustainable economy
Sustainable economics aims to promote balanced economic growth that takes into account social and environmental impacts, striving to strike the right balance between profit and sustainable environmental management. It involves developing economic models that promote resource efficiency, encourage innovation, and create sustainable jobs through the rational and moderate use of nature and its many resources.
· Sustainable environment
Environmental protection is a key aspect of sustainable development. It aims to maintain ecological balance over the long term by limiting our impact on the environment. This involves preserving biodiversity, combating climate change, sustainably managing natural resources, and reducing our ecological footprint through practices such as recycling, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the preservation of ecosystems.
· Sustainable social
The social aspect of sustainable development involves meeting the basic needs of populations by reducing social inequalities while respecting different cultures. It emphasizes equity, social justice, and individual well-being. It involves ensuring access to education, health, clean water, food security and decent working conditions for all.
Sustainable development aims to create inclusive societies where everyone can enjoy their fundamental rights and an improved quality of life.
The challenges of sustainable developmenent
The implementation of sustainable development involves complex and interconnected issues that affect several major ecological and economic priorities.
· The fight against climate change
Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing sustainable development. Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activity are compromising the planet’s ability to support life and economic growth as we have known them since the Industrial Revolution. Adopting sustainable practices can reduce our carbon footprint, preserve natural habitats, and combat climate change.
· Preservation of biodiversity and conservation of nature
Habitat destruction, pollution, and overexploitation of resources threaten the stability of ecosystems and the survival of many species. From both an environmental and economic perspective, this poses a major challenge to human life and our quality of life.
· Reducing social inequalities
The 1987 Brundtland Report highlighted the link between inequalities in lifestyles between rich and poor countries and sustainable development. Unequal access to resources and opportunities creates economic and social imbalances that contribute to the destruction of ecosystems and overconsumption of resources..
· Overconsumption and waste
Most developed countries, particularly in Europe and America, have lifestyles that deplete natural resources, create a high demand for polluting transport and produce toxic waste.
· The importance of education and awareness
Sustainable development education and public awareness are essential to generate awareness and commitment to more sustainable practices. In companies, employees also have a role to play in this regard.
The limits of sustainable development
- The rich countries, now developed, would impose on developing countries a limiting vision of their development.
- Sustainable development, as it is implemented in reality, does not sufficiently challenge consumption and production models deemed unsustainable.
- Sustainable development is characterized by its ethnocentrism and its inability to take into account cultural diversity in development practices.
- Sustainable development too often remains anchored in conventional development paradigms, meaning that it continues to prioritize economic growth and resource exploitation, while simply attempting to minimize environmental or social damage.
- The adoption of the development model that imposes Western values, such as capitalism and modernization, as universal and necessary for progress, which often leads to the erosion of local cultures and the marginalization of indigenous knowledge and ways of life.
- This approach is fundamentally incompatible with the concept of sustainability, which requires careful and balanced management of resources, as well as attention to ecological and social impacts.
- Risk of a drift towards models which admit the substitution of natural capital by a capital of knowledge.
- Appropriation of international standardization and regulation mechanisms by the powers that be in control of information technologies, enabling the wealthiest nations to impose a model that results in an even more unfair distribution of knowledge, and consequently of natural resources.
- Recovery of label “sustainable development” to support policies or business operations that have little or no connection with the concept itself.
Conclusion
Sustainable development is thus intended to be economically efficient, ecologically sustainable, and socially equitable. A balance between these three pillars implies respecting the natural resources that are the basis of our economy. The latter itself has social progress as its goal.
Sustainable development ensures that human activities are carried out without harm to humans and with respect for nature in order to ensure a better distribution of wealth, the protection of ecosystems, and the reduction of inequalities and poverty. This can involve alternative economic approaches such as:
- Industrial ecology,
- Green Economy,
- Social and Solidarity Economy.
An orientation which therefore requires moving from a previously dominant approach to repairing environmental damage to a preventive approach.