Sustainable Development: Meaning, Objectives and Strategies

Sustainable development is the economic development process that seeks to satisfy the requirements of the present generation without affecting the needs of future generations. Sustainable development maximises the well-being of current and future populations

The environment and the economy are interdependent and require one another. As a result, a development that ignores its environmental consequences will destroy the environment which sustains life on earth. Development that will enable all future generations to have a possible average standard of life that is at least as good as that experienced by the current generation. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) highlighted the idea of sustainable development. 

Meaning of Sustainable Development 

Our moral responsibility is to meet the basic needs of every individual, which necessitates the distribution of resources. It becomes a moral obligation to leave the planet in excellent condition for future generations. However, it is well-known that if non-renewable resources are completely utilised, they will deplete so quickly that they will not be sufficient for the production capacity of future generations. The economic development attained today in this way cannot be maintained for long as future generations’ capacity for production declines due to lack of valuable resources.

Sustainable development is the process of economic development that is sustained over time without lowering the standard of living for future generations. The term has its origin in the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Natural Resources) 1980 report of World Commission Strategy. The basic aim behind sustainable development is to ensure that the present generation leaves stock of the quality of life for the next generation. This stock is no less than what the present generation has inherited. 

Edward Barbier defined sustainable development as one that is directly concerned with raising the material standard of living of the poor at the grassroots level. This can be quantified in terms of increased income, real income, educational services, health care, sanitation, water supply, and so on.

The term sustainability is used by environmentalists to make sure that there is clarity of desired balance between economic growth and environmental preservation. According to economists, a development path is sustainable only if over time, the stock of overall capital assets remains the same or increases.

Hence, Sustainable Development is a development which,

• Allows the future generation to have a quality life that is a least as high as the quality being enjoyed by the current generation,
• Meets the basic requirements of people (such as food, water, energy, housing, etc.), especially the poor people, and
• Ensures that the manufacturing, agriculture, and service sector grows to meet these needs.

Objectives of Sustainable Development

Sustainable development aims at:

• Meeting the needs of the present and future generations through sustainable and equitable use of resources, without causing any damage to the environment.
• Preventing further damage to the life-support systems, and
• Conserving and nurturing biodiversity and other resources for food security for a long time.

Ways to achieve Sustainable Development

The achievement of economic development through careful and judicious use of natural resources so that the requirements of the current generation are met without compromising the needs of future generations is referred to as sustainable development. It is now our moral duty to leave the earth in excellent condition for future generations. Sustainable development can be achieved by strictly following the below five rules:

1. Population Control Measures: It includes limiting the population to a level that is within the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Non-renewable resources are limited and diminishing rapidly. The rate of depletion of non-renewable resources should not surpass the rate of production of renewable resources. 

2. Use of the Input Efficient Technology: Technological advancement should be input efficient rather than input consuming. In other words, more should be produced with a particular amount of inputs, as it decreases resource exploitation.

3. Restrict Use of Renewable Resources: The extraction of renewable resources should be done on a sustainable basis. Simply put, the rate of extraction should not exceed the rate of regeneration.

4. Control Pollution: It means limiting pollution emissions to a level that is within the absorption capacity of the environment.

5. Substitute Non-renewable Resources with Renewable Resources: Depletion of non-renewable resources has hindered the flow of services over time. In order to maintain this flow, it is essential to develop renewable substitutes. Simply put, the rate of depletion of non-renewable resources should not be more than the rate of creation of renewable substitutes.

Besides the above-mentioned ways to achieve sustainable development, in 2015, 17 Sustainable Development Goals were formulated by the UN which they intend to achieve by the year 2030.

Strategies for Sustainable Development

1. Use of Non-conventional sources for energy: India relies heavily on thermal and hydroelectric plants to satisfy its power demands. Thermal power plants release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, as well as fly ash, which harms water, land, and the environment. Forests are flooded by power plants, which also obstruct the water cycle. Non-conventional sources of energy, such as wind power and solar rays are cleaner and greener methods for producing electricity that can successfully substitute thermal and hydropower without harming the environment. Even though both of these methods include high initial costs, the benefits gained from them can easily absorb the high cost.

2. Establishing/installing Mini-hydel Plants: Streams can be found almost anywhere in mountainous areas. The majority of such streams are perpetual, perennial, or flow all year around Mini-hydel plants which are set up to use the energy of such streams to propel tiny turbines, which generate electricity/power. Such power plants are environmentally friendly because they do not alter land-use patterns or interfere with the natural flow of water while producing enough electricity to meet local demand. 

3. Cleaner fuel use in both rural and urban regions: Households in rural areas generally rely on wood, waste from animals, and other biomass as fuel.  This consumption of fuel has a number of negative effects, including deforestation, a decrease in green cover, waste of cattle dung, air pollution, etc. To deal with this issue, LPG and gobar gas are being promoted. Subsidised LPG is available, and gobar gas plants are promoted through low-interest financing and subsidies. These are environmentally friendly and cleaner fuels that contribute significantly to pollution reduction.

In urban areas, the Indian transportation system is dependent on petroleum products, which release a lot of CO₂ and pollute the atmosphere. The use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an environmental friendly and cleaner fuel instead of gasoline and petroleum has significantly decreased air pollution.

4. Utilisation of bio-compost:  After the green revolution, Indian farmers shifted to the use of chemical fertilisers while ignoring the use of compost to improve agricultural output and production. A rise in the use of chemical fertilisers, or excessive use of chemical fertilisers, has not only harmed land fertility/productivity but has also contaminated water sources, including groundwater. Due to the increased demand for organic food, farmers have now become aware of the use of compost and have started to use compost made from organic wastes, which maintains and improves soil productivity and does not contaminate food. Cattle are maintained in certain areas of the country only for the production of dung, which is an essential fertiliser and soil conditioner.

5. Biopest control: With the advent of the green revolution, the use of chemical pesticides for higher yields has increased, which not only contaminates food items but also pollutes soil and water bodies, including groundwater.

To step up and take on the challenge:

• The use of plant-based pesticides is being promoted. For example, Neem-based pesticides are environmentally friendly and have no adverse effects.
•  Measures are being taken to improve public knowledge about the use of different animals and birds (such as snakes, lizards, owls, and peacocks) in controlling pests.
• The practice of mix cropping of producing various products on the same ground in consecutive years has also helped the farmers in sustainable development.

6. Traditional practices and knowledge: Traditionally, Indian people have been connected to their environment. All agricultural, healthcare, housing, and transportation practices were environmentally friendly. However, we have drifted/gone far away from the traditional system as a result of modernisation. It has caused damage to the ecosystem and our rural heritage. 

For example, India is well known for its traditional AYUSH treatment, which includes approximately 15,000 plant species with medicinal properties that are very effective in treating chronic medical problems. But, because of the western treatment system, these traditional systems of Unani, AYUSH, etc., are now being ignored by people. Therefore, it is essential to use the old systems as they are environment friendly, do not involve large-scale industrial and chemical processing, and are relatively free from different side effects.

7. Awareness among individuals: Environmental degradation is a threat to India’s ecosystem that can only be solved with people’s participation. People do their best to safeguard assets for future generations at the micro-level/family level, but at the macro-level/national level, they do not consider the protection of natural wealth/resources for future generations. There is an urgent need to raise the public’s awareness about the dangers of population growth or environmental degradation, as well as the rational use of natural resources and how each individual can contribute to preventing environmental degradation. It will almost definitely minimise further environmental degradation and will lead to sustainable development.