Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development:

"Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (Elliott, 2013, p.29).  

"It is a concept that appeared for the first time in 1987, warning of the negative environmental consequences of economic growth and globalization, which tried to find possible solutions to the problems caused by industrialization and population growth" (Acciona, 2020). 

The Pillars of Sustainability:

1- Economic Sustainability:

Refers to a system of production that fulfills present consumption levels without compromising future needs. It has to be capable of constantly generating commodities and services, controlling public and foreign debt, and avoiding severe sectoral imbalances that undermine agricultural and commercial production (Harris, 2000).

In other words, it is the promotion and support of environmental protection based on the ability of companies to develop a reliable economic system by limiting their production risks. There are significant aspects of the economic pillar, the recycling of products and the use of renewable raw materials. Another focus is energy management intending to enhance energy performance to lower costs by lowering consumption leading to certification and serving as a guarantee of ideal energy use (Greenly, 2021). 

2- Social Sustainability:

 Refers to having improved social politics by supporting and focusing on the social issues which include healthcare, justice, education, security …etc. This pillar is going to enhance the quality of social concepts among citizens, in addition to creating a spirit of cooperation between them (myWaste, 2019).

3- Environmental Sustainability:

Refers to preserving the natural environment resources and minimizing the nature damages caused during the past years. Therefore, companies and institutions are trying to match their plans and projects to be in line with this pillar (myWaste, 2019).

An Example of Sustainable Development Practice:

There are multiple practices that can contribute to protecting the environment and the earth overall and one of them is selective logging. It is related to forest management and means removing a certain couple of trees while leaving the good ones to keep the forests balanced (Study.com, 2021).

References:

Acciona. (2020) What Is Sustainable Development. Available at:https://www.acciona.com/sustainable-development/?_adin=02021864894 [Accessed 9 May 2022].

Greenly. (2021) The Three Pillars of Sustainability. Available at:https://www.greenly.earth/blog-en/3-pillars-of-sustainable-development [Accessed 9 May 2022].

United Nations. (2017) What Is Sustainable Development. Available  at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WODX8fyRHA&t=10s [Accessed 9 May 2022].

Elliott, J. (2013) An Introduction to Sustainable Development. 4^th ed. USA: Routledge.

Harris, J. (2000) Basic Principles of Sustainable Development. USA: Tufts University.

myWaste. (2019) Understand the Three Pillars of Sustainability. Available at:https://meuresiduo.com/en/blog-en/understand-the-three-pillars-of-sustainability/ [Accessed 8 May 2022].

Study.com. (2021) What Is Sustainable Forest Management? - Definition and Examples. Available at:https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-sustainable-forest-management-definition-and-examples.html [Accessed 8 May 2022].

Bioeconomia en Contexto Ambiental. (2020) Available at: https://aidisnet.org/bioeconomia-en-contexto-ambiental-fiesp/ [Accessed 11 May 2022].