Is Sustainable Development Compatible with Human Welfare - Coursework Example

“Is Sustainable development compatible with Human welfare?” Number Abstract Sustainable development is a kind of development that intends to meet human needs keeping a concern with the conservation of the environment so that these intended needs can have enduring benefits and not the short term profits. It is an amalgamation of social, environmental and economic aspects. Social and economic growth must be in equilibrium with the ecological support, it therefore encompass the sustainability in environment protraction along with economic and sociopolitical sustainability. The present article critically analyzes compatibility of sustainable development with human welfare. Introduction The terminology came in existence when Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (United Nations, 1987). Sustainable development does encompass cultural diversity as this is the aspect that influences the thoughts and concerns about all the social, economical and environmental issues. This serves as the fourth mainstay in the sustainable development. Considering its vital role in the development aspects, The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity established the fact as "...cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature”; it becomes “one of the roots of development understood not simply in terms of economic growth, but also as a means to achieve a more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence" (UNESCO, 2001). Moreover UNESCOPRESS also emphasized that one cannot imagine sustainable development without education (Sustainable Development). If people are aware and concerned they have better understanding for the sustainable development. Economic Sustainability: Every nation has a prerequisite for the development in terms of economic growth and therefore in order to be economically sound they gather information, assimilate, integrate and present in the manner which is within their economic, social, cultural constraints. It is observed that while doing so they overlook the environmental aspects and from here starts the deterioration of the ecological factors. Economic sustainability accentuate on facts that impose changes from old and less yielding or cumbersome process to new approaches that encompass cross-sector co-ordination of social and ecological apprehension. According to Hasna (2007), sustainability affects every aspect of human endeavor, either it is related with the resolution of conflict over goals or it is related with economic affluence or ecological eminence or social justice; it is therefore considered to be an enduring journey (Hasna, 2007). However, this does not hold good in terms of ecological eminence or social justice, those who are well off have access to better facilities and they can spin money from money leading to social disparity. It is human psychology to maximize outputs with minimum inputs. Economic growth in turn is affected, leading to more social disproportion. Green development emphasize in the sustainable development keeping a great concern over the environment rather than economic and cultural deliberation. It is observed that green development is not attainable. Without cutting trees, economic sustainability cannot be achieved. It is therefore practically impossible to balance and maintain equilibrium between social, cultural, economical and environmental concerns if the nation aims for sustainable development. Sustainable development encompass diverse concepts and considers wide range of issues and concerns under one roof, it is therefore a system that keeps a loom in the direction of growth and development by managing social and natural reforms. The economic disparity arose as the first world has already polluted the environment in order to be economically sound and now they have set the norms for third world countries not to pollute the environment. It is observed that such economic disparities and impositions impede growth. Environmental sustainability: It is related with the environment, its maintenance in natural ways, keeping care about the flora and fauna and endangered species in consideration. Its replenishment is the basic motive of sustainability. It is observed that all these conditions are confined to the formulation of principles and are laid down in books and files. In the haste to be technologically advanced and ahead various industries are being laid down may either be small scale or large scale, with industries comes the residential area for the employees, demand of raw material, finished goods and a series goes on. In order to have a sound establishment they are being instituted by cutting the forest, creating space for human survival and prosperity. It is not at all concerned with the environmental sustainability. With the growing demands and a steep rise in the population specifically in the developing nations the situation is even grave. There is no check on the population and to meet the growing demands of rising population, organizations are nurturing themselves keeping the environmental sustainability at bay. The issue is so severe that these organizations are related with capital in terms of economic, social and natural, but these issues are heading towards non-substitutable and an irreversible damage to the environment. This is leading to the trouncing of natural resources like coal and petroleum products which run the entire world. These natural resources are not renewable and with the growing demands of its consumption we are soon going to be empty hands! Release of noxious gases in the atmosphere not only pollutes the air but inhalation leads to serious health consequences causing depletion of ozone layer, global warning, dissolution of glaciers, icebergs, weather changes, depletion of forest land increase in the level of sea. All these are the big question mark for the environmental sustainability and hence the sustainable development. It is impossible to regulate and maintain water bodies causing eutrophication causing growth of algae which consumes oxygen and hence changes the biological diversity which is directly related to cultural diversity of any geographical area. Are these changes related to environmental sustainability? The answer is No. For the sustainable development market should be on a high, it is observed that with the decrease in natural resources capital depletion is explicit. Privatization and corporate sustainability are said to work in eco-friendly manner and they formulate policies that should work with the environment consideration, along with eco-friendly they try to be socio-friendly for economic sustainability. Are we really working for the same, we are working in order to be sustainable in every sense and to balance the socio-economic-cultural-environment, or we are concerned with only outputs, production and meeting demands, drafting policies for being ahead in the competition, capturing market and capturing resources, keeping the inventory in stock which results in hike in prices drifting our societies between the rich getting richer and poor becoming poor? All these are not related to the sustainable development. The business in any sense cannot be effective in terms of establishing sustainability for economics, social justice and environmental sustainability. For sustainable development if one pillar is ignored out of four then it leads to disaster and here is the human race heading! Are we heading towards sustainable development of we are heading for our own bereavement and along with us the destruction of the planet! Conclusion According to Aguirre “Sustainable development is a policy approach that has gained quite a lot of popularity in recent years, especially in international circles. By attaching a specific interpretation to sustainability, population control policies have become the overriding approach to development, thus becoming the primary tool used to “promote” economic development in developing countries and to protect the environment" (Aguirre, 2002). In true sense it is not followed, economy can never be related with the environment and if a harmony is being established then also it is not possible to formulate the sustainability of both these pillars. The market economy is all together a different paradigm and hence the term is very vague in every sense. If sustainable development is to be achieved then awareness is most imperative to save the planet and to save the human race along with other animal and plant species. Human race could not be so selfish to capture the entire planet and eliminating the rest of the species. Human have brains but in today’s scenario it is leading to own destructions not by means of peace and harmony but through nuclear weapons, growing population with unexpected pace, growing demands of the rising population and to meet all these sustainable development has lost its way. Reference Aguirre, M.S. (2002). Sustainable development: why the focus on population? International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 29, 12: 923 - 945 Hasna, A. M. (2007). Dimensions of sustainability. Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Development: Energy, Environment, and Health 2 (1): 47–57. Sustainable Development. Available at http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.phpURL_ID=1071&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html [Accessed on 6th February 2010]. United Nations. (1987)."Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development." General Assembly Resolution 42/187. UNESCO (2001). Available at http://portal.unesco.org/science/es/ev.phpURL_ID=3887&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html [Accessed on 6th February 2010]. Read More