Needs of Future Generations Supporting Current Sustainable Development - Essay Example

To what extent will the launches of the new strategy for sustainable development benefit the future generations of the UK? Tutor: Date: Introduction There are many definitions for the term sustainable development. However, the central principle of sustainable development is the exploitation of resources today for the benefit of todays generation but also considering future generations so that they will also be able to do the same. Sustainable development is a development principle that is considerate of both today and tomorrow (future). This as Willard (2002) says, arises from the fact that human beings live in a planet with finite resources which can be depleted to extinction and thus risk the survival of future generations. Sustainable development, therefore, is the utilization of resources (especially natural resources) in way that ensures that these resources will not be depleted while serving today’s generation and thus deny the future generations the opportunity to benefit from these resources. A simple example can be the utilization of timber for various uses such as furniture, fuel, paper production among many others; although the current generation should be able to use these resources to provide these essential products for the current generation, they must be considerate of the fact that the forest from which the timber is being harvested is not an infinite resource and can easily be depleted. In such a case, those who exploit these resources must have a strategy to protect the forest by for instance coming up with alternatives for providing the products that would otherwise be harvested from timber, or by renewing the forest by planting new trees (Jackson, 2011). It is not all sustainable development plans that translate into positive results. Due to how important sustainable development is, it is necessary to identify whether the current sustainable development strategies are going to translate into positive outcomes for future generations. Sustainable development importance Sustainable development is important because it takes care of the future. Current human generations have a responsibility to the future generation to preserve the available resources so that the future generation can also survive in the planet. Without sustainable development, the current generation would benefit, but at the expense of tomorrow’s generation. Sustainable development is also necessary for the current generation. This is because some of the current resources, if not used well would be depleted even within the lifetime of the current generation. In this regard, although sustainable development has a focus on preserving resources for the future generation, it is at the same time a way to save the present generation. According to Gerald (2009), there are some sustainable development issues that if not taken deliberate care of would negatively affect not only future generations but also the current generations. In this regard, sustainable development is important for the survival of both the current generation of humans as well as their offspring. The UK government has a number of processes that are geared towards achieving sustainable development. These processes include the policy development. Government policies are geared towards sustainable development (Strong, 2008). For instance, each and every government department is supposed to apply and observe sustainability with regard to all their operations such as procurement. Each department has to make sure that they only procure goods and services from sources that are observing sustainability. This is important because it means that the government not only promotes but also enforces sustainable practices not only within the government but also within the private sector (Great Britain Parliament House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee, 2006). By requiring the government departments to only procure from suppliers who practice sustainable practices, this helps in promoting sustainable development in the nation. Problems faced by the UK government in implementing suitable development Implementing sustainability is not easy for the government or even the private sector. One of the challenges that the government is facing is the monitoring of sustainable development policies that ensure they are implemented properly. Monitoring is not easy since it may require a lot of resources to be deployed (DEFRA, 2005). As a result, although the UK government is willing to implement sustainable development, it is very hard for the government to monitor and guarantee that sustainability is practiced across the government departments. The other problem that the government has to go through is the fact that for sustainable development to be achieved there is always a tradeoff between being able to exploit resources and being sustainable. Sustainability is difficult because of the fact that most human needs that the government wants to meet are in total contradiction to the principles of sustainability. For instance, the necessity for factories that are used to produce essential products conflicts with the sustainable principle of having a carbon-free environment. In such a case, the government has to compromise because it would not be logical to close down all factories to prevent carbon emissions. The ideal action in the context of reducing carbon emission would be to close down all factories and ban all vehicles that use carbon fuel. However, while this would be ideal in protecting the environment, it would bring the current economy to halt. As a result, sustainable development is more or less a tradeoff that that the government has to do. There are no ways to really implement sustainable development without making some serious sacrifices in the current time. Section 2 Sustainable development is not an easy thing to achieve and in most cases the sacrifices that are made in the quest to achieve this can be devastating. The sacrifices the government is making today can be detrimental in the growth and development of the economy (Clayton, 2014). This would mean that the current generation is making too many sacrifices for the sake of tomorrow’s generation. One issue with sustainable development is that some of the issues are not well defined and therefore there is a possibility that unnecessary sacrifices are being made. For instance, as Malcolm (2014) argues, there is the issue of global warming which is a controversial matter with no clear understanding of what it really is or even if it is caused by human activity. Global warming is a contested issue where some experts argue that it is a hoax that has been propagated by some environmental enthusiasts who want to have their selfish interest. Those who argue against the global warming phenomena argue that those who say it exists are those who want to continue getting funding from the government, yet there is no such issue as global warming (Wetson, 2010). There are still other environmental experts who argue that global warming exists, but that its causes are not the ones that have been cited. They argue that global warming has nothing to do with carbon emissions that have been caused by massive industrialization. Instead, they argue that global warming has been there since the formation of earth and that it is caused by the rising temperatures at the core of the earth. If these arguments are valid, then it would seem that governments such as UK have been investing too much tax payer money to deal with a problem that is either not there or that is there but can’t be solved using these means (Doppelt, 2009). This is as a result is not a simple task to achieve. Sustainable development can be elusive and not even the government can claim to have a strong handle on the matter (Morris, 2013). Needless to mention, there is much hype surrounding the issue of sustainable development and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to make sure that it is not operating under this hype. The first challenge for the government is to get around the hype, peel it off and then deal with core issues (Hitchcock, 2012). Conclusion It is very clear and evident that sustainable development is a necessity for the current as well as the future generations to be able to survive in this planet. The government, due to its position and huge control of resources, should be at the centre of implementing sustainable development and making sure all development projects are sustainable and that they don’t eat into the future. This far, the government can be said to be doing a great job and most of the sustainable development principles and policies are not only effective, but they are also commendable. However, there are many issues which require to be solved for sustainable development to be achieved wholly. First, there is the issue of hype that surrounds sustainability. This is one thing that the government must endeavor to overcome to be successful with regard to dealing with the problems of sustainable development. The government must be able to separate hype from the actual issues and know where and when to make certain reductions. It will help in ensuring that there are no unnecessary sacrifices that are being made by the current generation. It will also make sure that all the costs that are incurred towards sustainable development are justified. This is important if sustainable development is going to be sustainable in the long run. The government has also used its departments to achieve sustainable development by requiring them to apply sustainable development principles. The strategies that the government is using can only be effective if they are monitored effectively and revised when and where necessary. Reference list: Clayton, D. (2014). Sustainability Appraisal: A Sourcebook and Reference Guide to International Experience. London, Uk: Routledge. Doppelt, B. (2009). Leading Change Toward Sustainability - 2nd Edition: A Change-Management Guide for Business, Government and Civil Society. London, UK: Greenleaf Publishing. Gerald, F. (2009). Modern Industrial Age: Challnges for Sustainable Development . London, UK: Cengane Learning. Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee. (2006). Climate Change - the UK Programme 2006: Oral and Written Evidence: Volume 1452 of HC Series. London, UK: The Stationery Office. Great Britain: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. (2005). The UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy. London, UK: The Stationery Office. Hitchcock, D. (2012). The Step-by-Step Guide to Sustainability Planning: How to Create and Implement Sustainability Plans in Any Business or Organization. London, UK: Routledge. Jackson, T. (2011). Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet. London, UK: Routledge. Malcolm, D. (2014). Modern Development Chalenges. New York, NY: Pearson Education. Morris, L. (2013). Sustainable Ddevelopment and hte Government. London, UK: Cengene Learning. Strong, W. (2008). Sustainable Development Policy Directory. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Wetson, T. (2010). Globasl Warming; Myth of Reality. London, UK: Cengene Learning. Willard. (2002). Sustainability advantage: 7 business case benefits of a triple bottom line. London, UK: New Society Publications. Read More