Development Abbreviations II

What is sustainable development?

Sustainable development is a concept that combines economic and social development with environmental preservation.

Sustainable development is based on the preservation of natural resources for the next generations, as defined by the United Nations:

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Currently, the economic production model is based on the high consumption of non-renewable natural resources, which may result in the scarcity of these resources in the future.

In addition to the depletion of resources, the current economic model causes immense environmental impacts and reproduces poverty and social inequality.

Thus, sustainable development goes beyond the preservation of natural resources. It aims to improve the quality of life of populations, social justice, economic equity and the reduction of hunger and poverty.

To achieve these goals, it is necessary to establish strategies and policies to save resources and change consumption patterns.

Sustainable development in Brazil

Sustainable development is a guarantee provided for by the 1988 Constitution, which in its article 225 determines:

Everyone has the right to an ecologically balanced environment, a good for common use by the people and essential to a healthy quality of life, imposing on the public power and the community the duty to defend and preserve it for present and future generations.

This definition is in line with that proposed by the UN and places the responsibility for defending and preserving natural resources on the State and the community.

Despite the great biodiversity and biomes of global importance, Brazil is a country that still needs to make many efforts towards sustainable development, as it has high levels of environmental degradation.

In addition to the devastation of forests and ecosystems, the high emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and pollution, Brazil is one of the countries with the greatest social inequality on the planet.

According to the IBGE, there are more than 50 million people in Brazil in a situation of poverty – with an income of less than R$ 406 per month. And more than 15 million in extreme poverty – with an income of less than R$ 140 per month.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

In 2015, the United Nations set 17 goals for sustainable development . These goals are valid until the year 2030 and should guide the internal policies in the countries and the actions of international cooperation.

The SDGs are:

eradicate poverty
eradicate hunger
quality health
quality education
Gender equality
Clean water and sanitation
Renewable and affordable energy
Decent work and economic growth
Industries, innovation and infrastructure
Reduction of inequalities
Sustainable cities and communities
Responsible consumption and production
Action against global climate change
life in the water
terrestrial life
Peace, justice and effective institutions
Partnerships and means of implementation

History of sustainable development

The concept of sustainable development was first presented at the United Nations Conference on the Environment, held in 1987 in Stockholm, Sweden.

This was the first time that economic development and environmental preservation were thought of together. Until then, these aspects were treated separately.

But it was in 1983, with the creation of the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Sustainable Development, that the concept of sustainable development was elaborated.

This commission aimed to study the negative impacts of human activities on the environment and also in ways to combine economic growth with the preservation of the environment.

The result of this research and the definition of sustainable development were presented in the report prepared by the commission, called “Our Common Future”.

The concept of sustainable development defined on that occasion was used as a basis for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Deforestation, ECO-92, held in 1992.

During ECO-92, discussions were held and proposals were made for environmental issues, such as the preservation of biodiversity and the fight against climate change.

Subsequently, other international meetings took place with the aim of evaluating and establishing goals for the preservation of the environment, see some examples:

Kyoto Protocol: is an international treaty, which came into force in 2005 and aims to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
COP-15: the Conference of the Parties on Climate was held by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which took place in 2009, discussed the causes of global warming and established strategies to contain the planet’s average temperature.
COP-21: COP-21 was the Conference of the Parties, where climate change was discussed again and whose work resulted in the Paris Agreement, which outlined objectives to maintain the planet’s average temperature at 2º C.

Measures for sustainable development

In order for environmental resources to be preserved and nature to be protected, several measures must be adopted by governments, see some examples:

Reduction of deforestation and forest degradation;
Reforestation of areas degraded by human activities;
Establishment of environmental protection areas;
Proper disposal of waste;
Decreased emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants;
Clean sources of energy.