Sustainable Development - Essay Example

Sustainable Development Sustainable Development Introduction The world celebrated, Earth Day on 22nd April with different organization, each doing its own bit for pampering Mother Nature. The urgency to combat Global Warming and to spread the awareness of ‘Going Green’ is being rapidly felt in all nations across the globe. Sustainable development involves the issue of safeguarding and retaining both the quality and quantity of all the earth’s endowments with the mission of ensuring a better life on future earth. From water management, waste management, environmental management, stakeholder involvements, bioclimatics to sustainability appraisal, corporate social responsibility, transport or one planet living, sustainable development encompasses umpteenth number of such diverse issues, to make life healthier. Sustainable Development: It’s True Meaning According to the World Commission on Environment and 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.” (WCED 1987: 43) This report is also known as the Brundtland Report (WCED 1987). The Brundtland Report puts forward the primary objectives of sustainable development which has been stated as: reviving economic growth changing the quality of economic growth meeting essential need for jobs, food, energy, water and sanitation ensuring a sustainable level of population conserving and enhancing the resource base re-orientating technology and managing risk merging environmental and economic considerations in decision-making reorienting international economic relations (WCED 1987: 49). Hence, in simple words we can say that sustainable development is actually the art of maintaining a balance between the human requirements and the natural resources conservation. Rising up the Political Agenda The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) conducted in Johannesburg in 2002 was finally able to put sustainable development on the political agenda with the objective of accelerating the environment and development requirement of Africa intensively emphasizing on local issues like household energy, water and sanitation (“The World Summit”, 2005). More than a hundred Heads of State and Governments discussed the WSSD, the five top spectrums of which encompassed health, water, energy, agriculture and biodiversity (“The World Summit”, 2005). The UN Summit deserves the credit for bringing together governments in acknowledging a new global deal on sustainable development (“The World Summit”, 2005). While the WSSD chiefly targeted implementation rather than new visions, treaties and agreements, Rio has been responsible for the exceptionally new paradigm shift in considering sustainable development, as well as the new legally binding agreements particularly those related with biodiversity and climate change (“The World Summit”, 2005). However, the subsequent years revealed a fall in the high-level political interest and dealing with issues related to sustainable development (“The World Summit”, 2005). These issues has now been brought back again in the political agenda by the WSSD (“The World Summit”, 2005). This paved the way for greater emphasis on global action for safeguarding the environment and combating poverty taking into account the development requirements of Africa truly requiring additional care and assistance by the international community (“The World Summit”, 2005). WSSD paved the way for umpteenth number of significant results encompassing a negotiated Plan of Implementation, a Political Declaration and a number of implementation partnerships and initiatives (“The World Summit”, 2005). Along with marking the settlement of new missions and agreements in innumerable significant areas such as sanitation, the WSSD even went in reaffirming previous deals specially those pertaining to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (“The World Summit”, 2005). Waste Management Chapter 21 of Agenda 21 of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Division for Sustainable Development acknowledges the importance of solid wastes and sewage management by expressing that for the quality of Earth’s environment to be retained, environmentally sound management of wastes is mandatory (“UN Department”, n.d. a) . Solid wastes comprises of all domestic refuse and non-hazardous wastes encompassing commercial and institutional wastes, street sweepings, construction debris and human wastes as well (“UN Department”, n.d. a) . Severe management threats are offered by hazardous waste when blended with other waste (“UN Department”, n.d. a). The significance of solid waste management has been reaffirmed by Governments at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 (“UN Department”, n.d. a) . Instant consciousness was called for waste prevention and minimization, reuse and recycling, by way of upgrading environmentally sounds disposal facilities along with the aid of technology to transform waste into energy (“UN Department”, n.d. a) . The issue of “Waste Management” is due to be dealt in the fourth cycle, 2010 to 2011 by the Commission (“UN Department”, n.d. a). Some of the important waste management plans for sustainable development include ADRICOSM – ADRlatic sea integrated COastal areaS and river basin Management system pilot project, Abu-Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), Adriatic Action Plan 2020 (Aap2020), Arab Civil Union for Waste Management, MEDIES: Mediterranean Education Initiative for Environment & Sustainability – With an emphasis on water and waste, Pacific Islands Waste Management Initiative, etc. (“UN Department”, n.d. b) . Case Study: Sustainable Development in DRC: Effective Waste Management on the Marketplace of MBANDAKA: Sometimes back the chief marketplace of Mbandaka, the capital of the Equateur province in North-West DRC, was overstuffed with years-old accumulated wastes as a result of negligible waste management along with indifference in collective sense of responsibility (“Sustainable Development”, 2009). The health of the merchants along with other stakeholders of the markets was being continuously challenged with this, without any set of action plan for dealing with it (“Sustainable Development”, 2009). ACTED has adopted definite program to combat this health issue along with the financial aid of the Spanish Cooperation (AECID) (“Sustainable Development”, 2009). Beginning from 1st August, 2008, it is a 14 month project with the objective of upgrading the sanitation of the market place along with its economical upliftment (“Sustainable Development”, 2009). It has been observed: (“Sustainable Development”, 2009) Indeed, rehabilitation activities take place in the framework of this project (reinforcing the infrastructure of the marketplace which is about to collapse, setting up new sanitation networks, building up latrines, water points and solid market stands, etc.), so are specific capacity building activities aimed at improving the collective responsibility of all local actors. The tasks undertaken encompassed identification of a stock site for waste collection, over 600 tons of waste-transfer to this site, separation of plastic from organic materials, solid materials from decomposed, etc within three weeks, particular conditioning leading to conversion of waste into compost to be used as fertilizer by farmers and the tying-up of ACTED with Agricultural, Technical and Veterinary Institute (“Sustainable Development”, 2009). Water Management Water has remained indispensible for human life on earth. It is however, stated by the World Water Development Report (WWDR) that over 1.1 billion people cannot avail of adequate clean drinking water over 2.4 billion people do not even get adequate sanitation (WWAP, 2003). Water has already been addressed as one of the major global threats at the 2000 UN Millennium Summit as well as the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (WSSD) (His Royal Highness, 2002). Chapter 18 of Agenda 21 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (Rio Declaration) reveals that the conservation of the quality and supply of fresh water resources put forward the target of confirming that: (“Rio Declaration”, 1992) Adequate supplies of water of good quality are maintained for the entire population of this planet, while preserving the hydrological, biological and chemical functions of ecosystems, adapting human activities within the capacity limits of nature and combating vectors of water-related diseases. The UN Millennium Declaration for making use of a new ethic of conservation and stewardship encompasses, “To stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources by developing water management strategies at the regional, national and local levels, which promote both equitable access and adequate supplies.” (UN Millennium Declaration, 2000) Conclusion The innumerable treats to earth due to its depleting resources have raised a high wave of sustainable development in politics, industries, social organizations and all other institutions. Sustainable development calls for safeguarding the ecosystems on which the future generations can depend. From the above discussion, we can coherently conclude that sustainable development is a matter of true importance and has thus rightly risen up the political agenda. This involves technological innovation, good practice, policy development, and various such strategies to deal with sustainable development in practice. Adoption of appropriate sustainable development practice is inevitable for a wealthy and healthy earth. Bibliography His Royal Highness, The Prince of Orange, (2002). No Water No Future: A water focus for Johannesburg, Contribution of HRH the Prince of Orange to the Panel of the UN Secretary General in preparation for the Johannesburg Summit, Final Version: August 2002. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. (1992). Annex I to the Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Rio de Janeiro. “Sustainable Development in DRC: Effective Waste Management on the Marketplace of Mbandaka: Collective and productive waste management as a solution for sustainable development”. (2009). ACTED. , accessed 4th May 2009. “The World Summit on Sustainable Development: reaffirming the centrality of health”. (2005). Globalization And Health. , accessed 4th May 2009. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Division for Sustainable Development. (n.d.a). “Waste (Solid)”. , accessed 4th May 2009. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Division for Sustainable Development. (n.d.b). “Partnerships for Sustainable Development – CSD Partnerships Database”. < http://webapps01.un.org/dsd/partnerships/public/search.do?dispatch=search&searchLogic=searchTypeAnd&keywords=&partnerFreetext=&themeSearchType=0&themes=113&subRegion=&from=s&resultPerPage=0&search=Search>, accessed 4th May 2009. UN Millennium Declaration. (2000). “Protecting Our Common Environment”. Chapter VI, para. 23. World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). 1987. Our Common Future. Oxford University Press, New York: 43-49. World Water Assessment Programme. (2003). Water for People, Water for Life: The United Nations World Water Development Report, UNESCO Publishing: Paris. Read More