Policies of Sustainable Development - Essay Example

POLICIES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT By Location Policies of Sustainable Development IntroductionSustainable development is a growth policy that is principled and anchored around making socioeconomic, technological and political developmental decisions that are not only beneficial to the current generation, but also do not compromise the well being of the future generations. So as to consider a developmental policy sustainable, the policy should first identify the gaps created by the needs, then the policy must address the limitations likely to be encountered in meeting such needs (Sterner 2006, p. 137). History of Sustainable Development History of sustainable development dates back to 1713 when people still referred to planning as the way to achieve “sustainability.” Today, however, the term “Sustainable Development” was first used in the international platform in 1987 by the Brundtland commission when they (Brundtland commission) presented a report to the United Nations (UN) about sustainable development goals that could apply across the whole world. In the same year, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) gave a report on the world’s “Common Future” giving further clarifications and definitions on what worldwide sustainable development really entailed (Sterner 2006, p. 140). To date, sustainable development forms the core of decision making aspects of countries. Water as Resource for Sustainable Development To fully sustain development, the only resource that if care is not taken about can lead to massive failure, is water. In today’s world, water, as a resource, forms the basis of almost every aspect of human life. The water resources, in human life are used for various purposes, namely; consumption, in the agricultural industry, and other industrial processes (Raggamby, & Rubik 2012, p. 234). In addition, water has been used in cultural practices and refreshments. From this discussion, it is therefore important to note that water resources are involved in almost every aspect. Using case studies, this paper discusses the central role played by water resources in decisions involving sustainable development (United Nations, Lin, & Kurukulasuriya 2000, p. 17). Water Resource Development Policy- Nepal In Nepal, as opposed to many countries, there is no water resources policy that is integrated for specificity (Harris 2012, p. 200). However, there exist sectors that formulate strategies that guide water policies. These sectors are again sub- divided into subsections. The reason behind the subdivisions is that in Nepal, people understand the importance of water resources. Secondly, the strategies subdivide policies so as to satisfy the varying water demands of the whole nation. The Nepal’s policy principles entail varying aspects that are all aimed at various different aspects. First, the Nepal water policy is decentralized with the minor policies contributing to the major policy but not contradicting the major policy. The Nepal Water Resource conservation strategies have the objective of sustainability, and the only way Nepal aims to sustain the existence of their water resources is by allowing participatory leadership in the policies involving water services (Harris 2012, p. 170). This case study has noted Nepal as a nation with sustainable policies regarding the use of water resources. In most cases, policies that cover wider geographic areas have a huge probability of failures. The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) policies, for instance, cover most nations of the world. What the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development does not understand is that even though globalization has brought a great similarity to the way people undertake tasks, people rarely detach themselves from their own cultures. The use of water resources is considered as a diverse aspect of many cultures. It is therefore effective to create policies that are relevant to the target population. Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Policy- U.S.A The major source of electric power as of today in the United States is water. It is, therefore, inevitable that major policies had to be enacted to protect the huge number of American citizens from running out of this precious resource. The U.S has since the Second World War (WWII) enacted numerous laws that they consider sustainable to protect their water resources as without water, America will run out of a huge amount of energy for her economic growth as well. One of the most recognized water resource policies in the U.S is the U.S Environmental Protection Agency policy of 2012 (Holmberg 2009, p. 147). The U.S Environmental Protection Agency policy of 2012 aims at subdividing the available fresh water to different economic sectors. Sectors such as energy, agriculture and the manufacturing industries in the United States are in a huge demand for water that without a policy, some sectors of the economy may go unattended to. For the current and the future centuries, the U.S government has provided this policy to economic sectors to save the nation (Holmberg 2009, p. 170). The U.S Environmental Protection Agency policy of 2012 as well has penalties for industries involved in acts such as pollution. With close supervision of industries, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency policy of 2012 has proved very effective. Protection of Wetlands- UNEP In each country, at least there is a water tower that if tampered with then that country may suffer adverse economic effects. To curb the destruction of wetlands, most economies have been striving to enact policies geared towards the protection of those water towers. The world economy today revolves around industrialization. It is noticeable that the leading economies of the world lately have not taken into consideration the importance of water protection to their respective economic growths (United Nations, Lin, &Kurukulasuriya 2000, p. 38). Moreover, the developing countries have not taken into consideration the importance of protecting their respective water towers, all of which may lead to grave consequences come the future. Steps have been taken to protect the water resources worldwide to prevent the degradation of the quality of fresh water for the coming generations. The United Nations, for instance, in 1987, through the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) report on “ Common Future” came up with the Surface Water Protection (SWP) policy that had a great significance to sustainable development. One of the most conspicuous agendas that the surface water protection policy advocated for was planting of trees in the water towers (Mays 2011, p. 37). It is logical that if the water towers are protected, then, there is a high chance of sustainability in developmental endeavors of such a nation. Ever since the enactment of the Surface Water protection policy, there have been a reduced number of cases of environmental degradation. The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) on water resource protection can, however, be considered inadequate. The main factor that renders this policy (SWP) inadequate is based on the wide area which it covers. A policy that covers a wide area is barely executed. Within wide geographic areas, there are possibilities that people have varied ways of utilizing resources. For instance, there are people in Africa who use the water points as worship centers. Formulating a policy that hinders the freedom of worship to others may only lead to the failure of such a policy. If the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) were wise enough, then they would enact policies that are simple but are inclusive of every culture. The sustainability of the SWP is therefore put to doubt (Jain & Singh 2003, p. 112). Conclusion Based on the case studies herein, it is important to note that water has proved a great resource to many countries. The whole world is working towards making water more available as well as usable. In my opinion, even though policies have been put across to protect the water resources, some of those policies cannot be said to be sustainable as they cover wide geographic areas, and they are not specific to any group of people. Specificity in policies, then can render such policies sustainable. Bibliography Harris, PG 2012, Environmental policy and sustainable development in Nepal: Hong Kong in global context, Bristol, Policy. Holmberg, J 2009, Making development sustainable: redefining institutions, policy, and economics, Washington, D.C., Island Press. Jain, S. K., & Singh, VP 2003, Water resources systems planning and management, Amsterdam, Elsevier. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780444514295 Mays, LW 2011, Water resources engineering, Hoboken, NJ, John Wiley. McNeill, D., Nesheim, I., & Brouwer, F 2012, Land use policies for sustainable development: exploring integrated assessment approaches, Cheltenham, UK, Edward Elgar. Raggamby, A. V., & Rubik, F 2012, Sustainable development, evaluation and policy-making theory, practise and quality assurance, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Pub. http://public.eblib.com/EBLPublic/PublicView.do?ptiID=928411. Sterner, T 2006, Economic policies for sustainable development, Dordrecht u.a, Kluwer. United Nations, Lin, S., & Kurukulasuriya, L 2000, UNEPs new way forward: environmental law and sustainable development, [S.l.], UNEP. Read More