The Concept of Sustainable Development - Assignment Example

The Concept of Sustainable Development Introduction The concept of sustainable development is a thoughtful way of human development whereby natural resources are utilised in a way the growing human needs are met and environmental sustainability is prioritised. More precisely, this concept not only gives focus to present human needs but also considers the needs of generations to come. The Brundtland Commission Report (Our Common Future) published by the Oxford University Press in 1987 gives special attention to the concept of sustainable development. The General Assembly Resolution 42/187 welcomed this report. This paper will evaluate the statement “the concept of sustainable development has not changed since The Brundtland Report”. The Report of the Brundtland Commission The Brundtland Report is a culmination of a ‘900 day’ international work and it was jointly prepared by senior government representatives, scientists, research centres, senior NGO representatives, industrialists, and the general public. The Report had three major aims. First was to review the critical environmental issues and to develop innovative and realistic responsive measures to address the issues. The second aim was to improve the international cooperation on ensuring long term environmental sustainability by driving new policy formations and existing policy amendments. The Third objective was to increase the level of environmental safety awareness among businesses, governments, and the general public. “The Commission focused its attention on the areas of population, food security, the loss of species and genetic resources, energy, industry, and human settlements – realizing that all of these are connected and cannot be treated in isolation one from another” (1987:27) (Brundtland Commission: Brundtland Report, n.d.). Hence the Commission tried to coordinate and integrate international efforts for curbing various forms of environmental issues. The term sustainable development was coined by the Brundtland Commission. The Commission defines the concept of sustainable development as the “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (General Assembly). Before the introduction of the term sustainable development, this concept had three constituent parts including economic sustainability, socio-political sustainability, and environmental sustainability (Social-Political Sustainability: The Human Element, n.d.). Since the term sustainable development promotes economic, socio-political, and environmental sustainability, it has been obtaining worldwide popularity since its introduction in 1987. The concept of sustainable development It seems that the concept of sustainable development has not changed since its introduction by the Brundtland Commission Report in 1987 because it appears to be a comprehensive concept capable of enhancing sustainability in economic, socio-political, and environmental landscapes. As per the Brundtland Report, the concept greatly prioritises the needs of the world’s poor. Although this concept covers all areas of development, it specifically focuses on environmental sustainability. In the context of the ongoing global recession and growing environmental issues, the concept of sustainable development is of great scope. In 1990s and the first half-decade of the 21st century, business firms around the globe focused particularly on economic gains and were willing to sacrifice environmental safety for increased profitability. Thoughtless industrial and construction operations contributed to an increase in the emission of greenhouse gases, which in turn resulted in dreadful environmental issue called global warming. In addition, depletion of non-renewable resources is also growing to be a crucial challenge for global communities. In terms of economic sustainability, the concept of modern finance characterised with greedy business practices led to a series of corporate scandals over the last decade. Hence, the global economy is experiencing an economic meltdown and this situation points to the need of a set of well developed corporate governance policies. In short, the scope of the sustainable development is growing every day regardless of broad socio-cultural, political, and economic changes taken place over the last two decades. The way business operates has undergone tremendous changes over the last few years. Today, people are increasingly concerned about environmental safety and hence they do not accept any business that does not comply with established codes of environmental conduct. Since it is not possible to remain successful in the market without public support, organisations around the globe have begun to reshape their business operations in a way meet the interests of the general public. To illustrate, multinational corporations and other large companies have begun to prepare a ‘sustainability report’ along with financial statements at the end of the each fiscal year. Such a report is prepared by MNCs to demonstrate their concerns and policies over different environmental issues and thereby to acquire greater public acceptance. This practice points to the fact that the significance of sustainable development has doubled today as compared to last two decades. The growing issue of climate change also played a notable role in increasing the importance of sustainable development. Another reason why the concept of sustainable development has not changed since 1987 is that it has been brining fruitful outcomes in many nations across the globe. As cited in IISD website, in conference jointly conducted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development, and the Carleton Research Unit on Innovation, Science, and the Environment on 18th – 19th October 2007, it was concluded that it would take more time to completely adopt the concept of sustainable development. The conference also identified that this concept has contributed to the country’s growth over the last 20 years and it has the potential to promote further growth in Canada (IISD). The UK government has also realised the potentiality of the sustainable development for the coming decades. Hence, the UK government and the UK Sustainable Development Association (UK-SDA) are greatly encouraging the rapid adoption of renewable technologies to enhance the nation’s overall development (UK-SDA, n.d.). Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clear that the concept of sustainable development introduced by the Brundtland Report still remains unchanged. Growing concerns over environmental safety and the ongoing recessionary pressures have added value to the scope of this concept. Another reason why this concept remains still unchanged is that none of the countries has completely adopted it yet. In other words, it will take more time to obtain the full benefits of this concept, and hence it is likely to remain unchanged over the coming decades too. References Brundtland Commission: Brundtland Report. Blurb Wire. [online] available at http://www.blurbwire.com/topics/Brundtland_Commission::sub::Brundtland_Report [Accessed 15 Dec 2012] Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987, 96th plenary meeting. General Assembly. UN. [online] available at http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/42/ares42-187.htm [Accessed 15 Dec 2012] Social-Political Sustainability: The Human Element. (n.d.). Alternative Channel. [online] available at http://www.alternativechannel.tv/blog/en/comments/social_political_sustainability_the_human_element/ [Accessed 15 Dec 2012]. UK-SDA. (n.d.). [online] available at http://www.uk-sda.org/ [Accessed 15 Dec 2012]. What is Sustainable Development? Environmental, economic and social well-being for today and tomorrow. (n.d.), IISD. [online] available at http://www.iisd.org/sd/ [Accessed 15 Dec 2012]. Read More