3. Sustainable development

In 1987, the UN Committee on the Environment and Development issued a report on the future of humanity. This report described the concept of sustainable development for the first time. Sustainable development is defined as balanced development that meets the needs and aspirations of the present generation without compromising the analogical interests of future generations. The concept, which drew worldwide attention, was presented at the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Conference on Environment and Development and 193 countries approved this idea of economic development.³⁷

Sustainable development of society is a human-centred, or purposefully targeted development that ensures social justice and the improvement of people’s quality of life in line with the nature of natural resources and the tolerability of ecosystems. On this basis, the concept of strong and weak sustainability has been proposed (see figure 4). 

If problems are remedied based on technological replacement of the resources and services that nature provides then it is considered as weak sustainability. Weak sustainability is based on the idea that manufactured capital can take the place of natural capital. Weak sustainability is supported by the idea that as long as natural capital is manufactured into something with the equivalent capital value, it can be used without constraint. This view on sustainability does not take into consideration that some services cannot be replaced, e.g. what do we do when there is no more ozone layer?³⁸

Figure 4. Weak and strong sustainability.³⁹

Strong sustainability is an approach to sustainability that contends that existing natural capital cannot be duplicated or replaced. As such, it should be protected, maintained and enhanced in order to continue receiving the benefits of natural capital. Moreover, social elements need to be accounted for when aiming for sustainable development.

Strong sustainability is rooted in following principles:⁴⁰

• The scale of human activities should be constrained by the actual carrying capacity of the planet. 
• Technological development should focus on improving the efficiency of resource use. 
• Renewable natural capital should be sustainably managed by harvesting at rates not higher than regeneration rates and keeping waste production to levels that do not exceed the renewable assimilative capacity of the environment.
• Non-renewable natural resources should not be exploited faster than the rate of creation for renewable substitutes.

The standard of living of Western civilization has risen exponentially in recent decades, but the model of a consumer society that has fostered it has exacerbated inequalities in other countries and communities and caused damage to nature around the world. In order to change the situation on September 25, 2015, the 193 countries of the UN’s General Assembly adopted Agenda 2030 which consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For each goal 8 to 12 specific targets are proposed along with indicators used to measure progress toward reaching the targets. The year by which the targets are meant to be achieved is between 2020 and 2030 but for some of the targets, no end date is given.⁴¹

This comprehensive set of goals aims to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. The SDGs place in stark light some of the seemingly intractable challenges facing the world including education, health, poverty, climate change and the gender divide. The pictograms in figure 5 show the areas of sustainable development and goals to reach. 

Figure 5. Areas and goals of sustainable development until 2030.⁴²

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 are follows⁴³:

1. Eliminate poverty everywhere in any form.
2. Eliminate hunger, achieve food adequacy and better nutrition, and support sustainable agriculture.
3. Ensure good health and well-being for all age groups.
4. Ensure inclusive and fair quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
5. Achieve gender equality and increase the empowerment of women and girls.
6. Ensure drinking water, sanitation and sustainable management of water resources for all.
7. Ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable and state-of-the-art energy for all.
8. Support sustainable, inclusive and sustainable economic development and ensure decent work for all.
9. Build resilient infrastructure, support inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and innovation.
10. Reduce inequality both within and between countries.
11. Make cities and settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production.
13. Urgently implement measures to combat climate change and its effects.
14. Protect and make the use of oceans, seas and marine living resources sustainable in order to achieve sustainable development. 
15. Protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems and promote their sustainable use; manage forests sustainably, combat desertification, halt and reverse soil degradation and biodiversity loss.
16. Support peaceful and inclusive societies to achieve sustainable development; provide justice for all and create effective, responsible and inclusive institutions at all levels.
17. Strengthen the methods for implementing the action plan and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

The overarching goal of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development is to eradicate poverty everywhere and to ensure a dignified and good quality of life for all, while respecting the capabilities of the natural environment. The objectives of the action plan focus on improving the economic, social and environmental situation. The goals apply to all countries and require input from governments, the non-governmental sector and the economic sector.

No reasonable person will find any of the SDGs to be inherently objectionable. In our modern, interconnected and global society, we should care about redressing all manner of issues plaguing economic growth and not placing continual human progress at risk.⁴⁴