Sustainability: historical origins for the creation of the concept

From the "battle" man vs. nature to the problems of industrial society: understand more about the "path" to the creation of the concept of sustainability

Sustainability

The concern with the conscious use of natural resources and the implications for our well-being are in evidence as never before. The time considered distant, in which we would suffer the harm of the irrational use of natural resources, is something concrete and no longer a plot of science fiction films. It was in this context that the need to think about concepts such as sustainability arose.

The damage of a mistaken environmental conscience is a present problem, but it has origins in the remote past. The alleged superiority of our species (since it has the attribute of rationality) over nature, something often seen as distinct and inferior, was one of the foundations of our civilization and has suffered very few questions throughout history. It is undoubtedly a central point for the discussion of new economic, social and cultural patterns that guarantee our existence as a species.

origins of the problem

Accounts of "man's battle against nature" have been present since the earliest civilizations. Let's see the example of the great epic by Gilgamesh, a text from ancient Mesopotamia, dated approximately 4700 BC. In her study, Estela Ferreira shows us how the epic is an indication of the emergence of this split between civilization and nature in the midst of the emergence of Western Civilization. Gilgamesh's fight against Humbaba, the guardian of the forest, symbolizes the supposed "victory" of man against the natural world, which has permeated our entire history and is still present in the architecture of our cities, in our food patterns, in short, in our routine.

Here in Brazil, the perception of nature as a contradictory force to development was also present. Let us remember the history of the destruction of the Atlantic Forest, treated by historian Warren Dean in his book by iron and fire, initiated in the beginning of the occupation of the territory by the Portuguese. The vegetation was a barrier to be overcome, an obstacle to overcome and an obstacle to be eliminated for the cultivation of the plantation, based on export monoculture.

At the beginning of the Contemporary Age, the Industrial Revolution, marked by the development of steam engines (around 1760), technological advances provided the exploration of natural resources on a scale never seen before, deepened by the invention of the combustion engine (around 1876) and the domain of electricity (circa 1870). This technological shift was responsible for improvements and economic growth, but also major problems arising from the lack of awareness of the need for ecologically viable and socially equal growth. Immersed in the mentality of the time, the British saw factory pollution as a symbol of victory and prosperity and, as they said at the time of the Second Industrial Revolution, "where there is pollution, there is money" - without realizing the possible side effects of the industrial model, marked by social inequality and the terrible living conditions of the workers.

A model of society based on production and consumption emerged, as an increase in demand was essential for the explosion of production. Thanks to the tons of publicity dumped on us all the time, we have incorporated non-essential demands into our habits, in a dissemination of values ​​aimed at immediate satisfaction, for today.

English factory (19th century)

English factory image (1844)

In the 1960s and 1970s, still in the throes of profound sociocultural changes, great reflections on the damage caused to the environment began, generating the first efforts of an ecological awareness with an active posture. Gradually the theme stops being an oddity of specific groups and becomes a global challenge. Facts such as the release of "The Silent Spring" (1962), by Rachel Carson, mark the time for the innovative warning sign about the indiscriminate use of pesticides and becomes one of the first best sellers on the environmental issue, in a context of organizing the ecological struggle.

In this climate, the UN began to foster debate, organizing, in 1972, the First World Conference on Man and the Environment of the United Nations, in Stockholm, Sweden, and in 1983, the World Commission on Environment and Development, which generated of the Brundtland report (1987). Here we have, at least formally, the first appearance of the concept of sustainable development, fundamental for the maturing of the debate, followed by ECO 92 and its 21 proposals, known as Agenda 21 or the Kyoto Conference, in 1997. But it is not only the UN is the arena of this debate: in universities, NGOs and in cities, the discussion runs progressively and develops in many spheres, that is, our ideas and attitudes can be fundamental in this endeavor!

Sustainability is not something far away

The problems to be tackled are in the great corporate and governmental attitudes, but also in our daily choices. It is a concept related to life at all in various areas, that is, it is something systemic. At stake is the continuity of human society, its economic activities, its cultural and social aspects and, of course, environmental aspects, with the adoption of new practices. In this sense, the concept of sustainable development emerges proposing a new way of life. It is a new way of configuring human life, seeking that societies can satisfy needs and express their potential. As the thinker Henrique Rattner clearly shows, the concept of sustainability is not just about explaining reality, it requires the test of logical coherence in practical applications, where discourse is transformed into objective reality.

Building a sustainable society is not an easy task and requires awareness, a change in access to information and environmental education, without forgetting, of course, a more efficient and responsible use of the planet's resources, ensuring the essential economic development, with the adoption of new paradigms , with the preservation of human dignity as a non-negotiable value.

Certainly the transition to this new sustainable model will not happen abruptly. As we have already seen, the current system was formed for years, which generated ingrained bad habits in our society. But there is no need for pessimism: gradual adaptation is already underway. The functioning of the consumer society must stop being predatory and inconsequential to function under new parameters, of sustainable consumption, which demands, among other things, a change in behavior, which cannot lose sight of the consequences of each choice we make.

The film "History of Things", a timely reflection on sustainable consumption



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