Sustainable Development free essay sample

This essay argues that sustainable development is the answer to the world’s environmental and economic problems. Its purpose is to outline my understanding of sustainable development and to discuss what the authors Ede (2008), Collier (2007) and Monbiot (2006) have contributed to it. For the purpose of this essay I am referring to ‘development’ in the context of human socio economic growth. Brundtland defines sustainable development as â€Å"development that results in the needs of the present being met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (Sutton, 2004). To begin I will analyise each of the authors perspectives and also provide my own based on my experience, and then highlight any similarities, gaps or differences between them. According to Monboit (2006), urgent change needs to take place to reduce our carbon emissions by 90 percent by the year 2030. If we do not then it is a very real possibility that we have missed our opportunity to cool the Earth’s atmosphere from heating which would result in a catastrophic outcome. We will write a custom essay sample on Sustainable Development or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However, Monbiot believes it is possible to meet the challenge by adopting sustainable development, in particular through the development of environmental science and technologies. He explains that previous environmental campaigns have failed because the majority of environmentalist lack integrity, and that it is virtually impossible for anyone to be wholly sustainable unless there is a paradigm shift in society driven by changes in Government policy. The concept of sustainable development is complex, it encompasses the protection of the environment and people and aims to see an end to poverty (Sutton, 2004 pp 3). The need for change towards sustainable development is critical for the very survival of the human species however it seems they are their own worst enemy. Collier (2007) explains that there is a clear divide between people in developing countries and the poor countries (referred to as the bottom billion) which are stuck in what he calls development traps. One of the biggest problems in these countries is corrupt Governments. Collier refers to the poorest people in the world as the ‘bottom billion’ and explains that they have no option other than to turn to depleting the natural environment of its resources just to survive. People in countries such as Africa, are forced to mine minerals that are then sold on to the developing countries to use in technologies such as mobile phones and computers. Globalisation has only accelerated the problem because technology is essential to globalisation (McMahon, 2001). The result is that people are consuming and producing waste at an ever accelerating rate. It is what drives the economy, and so products are made to break down or they quickly superseded as a new model takes it place with ‘better’ features. Ede, 2008 pp 20) The shiny marketing of the latest and greatest gadgets, that claims to make your life easier and faster than ever before. Ede explains that marketing is not just about selling a product anymore, now it is also about selling an identity or a lifestyle. Ede explains that â€Å"waste is a psychological and social issue, not an engineering problem. † Unfortunately even people who are sustainably conscious fall victim to the evils of capitalism, there seems to be no escaping it however, Monboit (as quoted in Ede, 2008 pp 20) believes that through the power of people who choose to buy eco, a shift towards sustainability will occur. However, this is only a part of the solution because for any real change needs to occur it needs to be driven at Government policy level (Collier, 2007 pp 3). Similarly, the challenge for leaders in the green building movement is to influence the Governments to change or create policies that support sustainable development. My understanding of the concept of sustainable development stems from my five years of working in the sustainable building sector. The built environment is the single largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions (Morell, 2011). The concept of sustainability in the built environment is the same as ‘sustainable development’ in this unit which is to live more sustainably by relying more on solar energy, preserving biodiversity and not disrupting the earth’s natural chemical recycling processes (Miller, 2010 pp6). Another challenge the green building movement is faced with is to convince developers of the long term economic benefits of green building. Technology can provide a path towards sustainable development, for example a six star, green star rated building can reduce its energy consumption by nearly 90% (Bond, 2008). Monbiot shares this view as he too believes that global implementation of science and technology can help achieve sustainable development. Although each of the authors agree about sustainable development is the answer to the worlds most urgent environmental and economic problems, their views on how to gain economic balance differ. Ede considers that by eliminating our waste we are able to regain economic balance and Monbiot’s theory is that the shift towards green technology will bring balance.