What is sustainable development?
Understand the concept of sustainable development and its importance
Image: Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest near Manaus. Photo: Flickr (CC)/CIAT/Neil Palmer
The concept of sustainable development was consolidated in 1992, during the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Eco-92 or Rio-92), which took place in Rio de Janeiro. The term, brought into public discourse in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development, is used to designate long-term development, one in which economic progress and the needs of the current generation do not imply the depletion of necessary natural resources. for the survival of future generations.
Led by the physician Gro Harlem Brundtland, the World Commission on the Environment and Development was created by the UN in 1983 to debate and elaborate proposals that encompass both economic development and environmental conservation, a topic that was beginning to become urgent on the world agenda. In April 1987, the group published a groundbreaking report entitled "Our Common Future", in which the definition of sustainable development was established.
"In essence, sustainable development is a process of change in which resource exploitation, investment targeting, technological development guidance and institutional change are all in harmony and increase current and future potential to meet needs and aspirations human beings", defines the document, known as the Brundtland Report (in free translation of the original in English).
The text also says that "a world where poverty and inequality are endemic will always be prone to ecological crises, among others... Sustainable development requires that societies meet human needs both by increasing productive potential and by guaranteeing opportunities the same for all." Access the document in full.
The concepts of sustainable development and sustainability go hand in hand, the second being the oldest and was coined in 1972, during the Stockholm Conference. To learn more, access the article “What is sustainability: concepts, definitions and examples”.
While sustainability mainly covers issues related to environmental degradation and pollution, the focus of sustainable development is on participatory planning and the creation of a new economic and civilizing organization, as well as social development for the present and for generations future. These were some of the points addressed by Agenda 21 , a document prepared during Eco-92 that established the importance of the commitment of all countries to the solution of socio-environmental problems.
In Brazil, Agenda 21 prioritizes social inclusion and sustainable development programs, which include urban and rural sustainability, preservation of natural and mineral resources, ethics and policy for planning. The commitment to these priority actions was reinforced in 2002 at the Earth Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, which suggested greater integration between the economic, social and environmental dimensions through programs and policies focused on social issues and, in particular, on social protection systems.
Application
For the concept of sustainable development to be applied and valid, it is important that human rights are respected and protected. Businesses and governments play an important role in this work, as indicated in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as they need to base their practices on responsibility and respect for both nature and human rights, at the risk of undermining the search for sustainable development if they prioritize only profit above anything else.
It was in the midst of discussions on how to stimulate economic growth that does not destroy natural resources that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emerged, launched by the UN in 2015 as a new agenda to guide international decisions until the year 2030. The agenda it comprises 17 items, such as eradicating poverty, hunger and ensuring inclusive education for all children. Learn more about what the SDGs are.
Practices such as sustainable consumption, also called conscious consumption, and ideals such as the Circular Economy and the Solidarity Economy are closely linked to sustainable development, as they are ways that propose a change in behavior in the way we consume and buy, in addition to seeking to reduce our carbon footprint. The three concepts speak to the environmental issue and the necessary concern with the care of the environment.
Examples of sustainable development
Involving the civilian population, governments and companies in reflecting on the impact that lifestyle and consumption habits have on the environment is one of the concerns of sustainable development . Always looking for solutions based on nature is one of the ways to act according to the principles of sustainable development.
The idea behind this principle is to always look for a solution that harms the environment as little as possible. An example of a practice aligned with the concept, at the individual level, is the adoption of sustainable measures in residential condominiums. Learn more in the article: "13 sustainable ideas for condominiums". From the point of view of governments, some examples of measures that encourage sustainable development are the encouragement of the use of renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, the prohibition or limitation of the use of fossil fuels, the implementation of programs or laws that require the reuse of water, investment in combating deforestation and reforestation, the implementation of public recycling and selective collection programs, among others.To learn more, watch the lecture " The age of Sustainable Development " (in English, with automatic subtitles in Portuguese), given by the senior advisor to the United Nations Jeffrey D. Sachs, economics professor specializing in sustainable development, at FAPESP.
