Towards Sustainable Development

Summary of Selection 39

The main idea behind sustainable development is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. With this idea in mind we can see that the needs of the present poor people of the world must have priority; their essential, most basic needs are not being met. This development requires a transformation of our economy and society. All people can have living standards above the basic minimum IF developed countries reduce our consumption. We must better distinguish needs and wants, and have a change in our values. Then the economy in these countries should grow. Their population should also remain stable or ideally decrease to reduce the strain on resources.

Sustainable development must not endanger our natural systems, as we have up until this point. Unlimited population growth combined with resource use can only lead us to an ecological disaster (even worse than the one we are experiencing now). Physical ecosystems can be used, but responsibly! All the factors and relationships must be considered first. The regeneration and natural growth of environmental resources should be greater than the depletion we cause. Non-renewable resources should be used to a minimum...however, we can use them up as long as there are new technologies/resources available for future generations. We must prevent extinction of species on Earth...once they are gone, they're gone. Common resources such as air and water must be preserved.

We need to find ways to get people and businesses to not exploit "the commons" (our common resources), and also to not exploit other people (especially the poor). Ecological interactions don't have property boundaries, making the commons far too easy to take advantage of. We should have some kind of enforcement for the "common interest." This could be through education, laws, taxes, subsidies, etc. This needs to be global and regional, not just local; although it could be difficult since there is no superauthority to resolve issues and conflicts that will arise. Unfortunately, most "solutions" inevitably leave some better off than others...making it hard to promote the "common interest." We should try to avoid this social injustice. Technological development should be concentrated on helping developing countries first (ex. arid land agriculture). All new technologies/upgrades should be checked for environmental impact first; public policy should encourage this through incentives and disincentives (for commercial organizations as well).

Sustainable development requires economic and environmental considerations both in decision making. A healthy environment actually improves the long term economic prospects. We need to avoid short sightedness and isolated thinking. The intersectoral connections/interdependance must be reflected in our policies. Community support and participation are needed to make this model work. It would help if our environmental objectives were built into taxation of private and public enterprises- which should be on an international as well as local level. If carried through, the sustainable development goals/requirements are an effective strategy for bringing balance between all human and natural systems.