What is sustainable development?
Updated: Oct 4, 2020
Do you ever stop and think if what you do is sustainable, and do you know what sustainable development means?
Sustainable development means to make the world a better place for everyone without destroying the possibilities for future generations.
If you want to understand something is sustainable, you can ask yourself,
"Can we do this over and over again forever? "
Sustainable development means to keep three things in mind at once
Social progress
Economic development
Climate and Environment
Climate and Environment
Keeping in mind that there is no Planet B for now, first of all, we have to take care of our planet. We have many natural ecosystems, which should be in balance to live here. One of them is the Climate system. This system ensures the temperature is correct and that the atmosphere makes precisely the right amount of solar energy. When we make harmful greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide, we clog the atmosphere; this changes Earth's temperature, which again affects our development.
You mess with the Environment, you get the Climate Change
We must understand how we produce and use energy that has an impact on the Environment. Oil and coal are examples of non-renewable energy, a form of energy; we may run out of. Water, wind, and sun, however, will always be here. Using the lasting energy sources that will always be here is good for the planet and can provide jobs for years to come.
Economics
Almost everything we develop, buy, and trade starts with nature. To achieve sustainability, we have to be smarter in using our natural resources and need better systems for fair distribution. One way to contribute to an even distribution is to be more aware and take responsibility for what we buy and how it is produced. An iPhone is a good example as it travels far before it reaches us.
First designs are made at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California, United States.
Materials for manufacturing are procured Gold from Peru, copper from Chile, and many other minerals from many different countries worldwide.
Then all these phones are assembled in Shenzhen, China.
This journey ties us together. If we are to win the battle for a sustainable future, we have to play with fair rules that apply to everyone.
Social Progress
Humans are part of nature, but we are also essential resources for the world, just like the water, force, and the sun. We have minds that can create the strongest and the most creative things. For us to be the best versions of ourselves, some things must be in order like having an equal opportunity to education, health, safety and food, and freedom to think of new lifeways.
When social progress, economic development & climate, and Environment work together. This is called sustainable development, and a plan is in place for this.
The plan for sustainable development of the world is outlined in the form of seventeen 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
192 countries of the united nation have agreed to these 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a joint plan for sustainable development, and Pakistan is a part of it. For the pan to work, we need to corporate and need every citizen of every country on this planet to be onboard.
Join Us today as a Kamyab Pakistani and get involved with the in the sustainable development of Pakistan and our planet Earth
The writer is an electrical engineer with specialization in Energy & Environment. He has been involved in donor-funded development projects focused on sustainability and climate change mitigation for the past five years.