Sustainable Development

The most famous – and possibly the best – definition of sustainable development can be found in the Brundtland Report, for the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future, which was published in 1987:

“Sustainable development is not a fixed state of harmony, but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs.”

But sustainable development is actually simpler than that:  it means learning to live within the limits of one single planet: in a fair and dignified manner for all, without exploiting – until depletion – the natural systems we draw resources from and without exceeding their ability to absorb the waste generated by our activities. And, above all, without sacrificing opportunities for current generations or the generations of the future.

We only have one planet, but we’re living as if we had almost two available to us. This is why sustainable development has to be more than just a catchphrase and must be turned into concrete commitment. Sustainable development is a choice that allows for no second thoughts. It must be shared and is of dramatic urgency.
 

A shared vision

The urgent need to achieve sustainable development was recognized by the United Nations and all its member states in 2015 when they approved a list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs (see below).  This was a sign of strong global awareness.
 

#savetheworldtoday

Sustainable development is the only way to safeguard biodiversity and ensure the survival of endangered animal species.
 

We can’t go back

The increase in global population and the resulting demand for resources is irreversible: only sustainable development can ensure the correct balance.

The 3 dimensions of sustainable development

There are three types of sustainable development:

• Social sustainability which, according to the United Nations, is “about identifying and managing business impacts, both positive and negative, on people.”
  
  
• Economic sustainability which, according to the University of Mary Washington, “refers to practices that support long-term economic growth without negatively impacting social, environmental, and cultural aspects of the community.”
  
  
• Environmental sustainability which, according to Southern New Hampshire University, “refers to the responsible management of natural resources to fulfill current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It aims to balance ecological, economic and social goals, such as reducing carbon emissions, promoting renewable energy and ensuring equitable resource access.”
   

Social, economic and environmental sustainability are obviously inter-related: imagine them as three large circles. Move them together slowly, until they overlap to form a small area that’s common to all three. That area is sustainable development: that’s the goal we must aspire to.

If we ignore this approach, we run two big risks: we’ll demand an unsustainable effort from the planet to give us its reserves (whether food or energy), and there will be a real possibility that many people will not be able to access resources in a dignified way.

Governments obviously need to play a key role in shaping sustainable development policies and strategies.

193 countries may have declared their support for the UN’s 17 SDGs, but it is up to individual governments (and organizations like the European Union) to implement the policies for bringing them about.

Governments can do this in many ways: they can establish and enforce legislation that discourages waste and the use of fossil fuels, while using tax breaks to incentivize sustainable practices, both by businesses and individual citizens. Governments can also use the education system to promote greater awareness of environmental issues.
 

Benefits

The benefits of sustainable development are immense.

In addition to fighting climate change (the effects of which are already evident in the current spate of extreme weather events) and making the planet more inhabitable for present and future generations, sustainable development can also create employment, reduce poverty and inequality, and empower women, particularly in Third World countries.

The increase in unemployment and extreme weather events is driving mass migration: sustainable development could also help to reduce its causes.
 

Leading the way

Good examples of sustainable development include: the Danish capital Copenhagen, which plans to become carbon-neutral by 2025, Singapore, which has developed a system for transforming wastewater into drinking water, and the town of Capannori in Tuscany, Italy which, in 2007, became the first municipality in the world to declare itself “Zero Waste.”
 

The future of sustainable development in the U.S.

Numerous states have imposed deadlines for carbon neutrality (see above). At a federal level, the Biden administration played an active role in promoting sustainable development all over the country, above all through its “Build Back Better Plan,” with massive public investment in social, infrastructural, and environmental programs. But a lot of work still needs to be done. The 2024 Sustainable Development Report ranked 166 countries in terms of their SDG performance. The first five places were taken by, respectively, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and France: the USA came in at 46^th (for the record, Italy was 23^rd). In general terms, the approach of federal and local state governments in the United States tends to be based on political affiliation: the Democrats are usually more “environmentally friendly” than their Republican counterparts.