Why is Sustainable Development Important?

Our Impact on Natural Resources

There is a growing consensus that current forms of development are not sustainable (12). For example, if all countries followed the European model of development we would need at least another two planets to provide the resources, absorb the wastes and provide life support systems. One North American uses as much energy as over 200 West or East Africans. Sustainable development looks at issues of equality - 80% of the world’s resources are used by 20% of the world’s population; can we allow this to continue? It also considers ecological issues - we are losing up to 137 species worldwide each day from tropical rainforests alone (13) due to the effects of human 'development'; What are the effects on other species and food chains?

It is becoming increasingly clear that current forms of development are undermining the environmental support systems on which the human race (not to mention all the other species) depends for survival.

The Economic Argument
Economic development today is usually measured by the increase in average incomes, but in origin economy means managing resources. Sustainable development is important, as it takes into account equity (social justice) and environment, as well as economic factors (beyond the narrow definition), in order to ensure a more balanced form of development.

The Three Circles Model

Many organisations use the three circles model (14) showing the need for balance between Environment, Equity and Economy, to bring about sustainable development. In practice there is debate about whether all the circles are equal. Most governments and businesses seem to see the Economy (and economic growth (15)) as most important, although conventional economic growth may be unsustainable and is often very unequal. Those from a Development Education background usually see the Equity / Social circle as most important, as they would argue that sustainable development will come about or not by human actions.

The Ecological Limits Model

A more radical view of sustainable development questions the whole way we look at the world and our relationship to it. This can be seen in the ‘Ecological Limits’ model In this model, the defining limit is the Ecology of the planet – we have to accept that we depend on the Biosphere for survival (unless we are going to colonise other planets). The economy should serve to support human needs within these ecological limits. Those from an Environmental Education background would connect more readily with this view, though a truly global perspective needs to be taken on board. WWF has started to talk about 'One Planet Living' to reflect this idea (16).

Spiritual Transformation
Some feel that we will not achieve sustainability without some form of Spiritual transformation - that we need to see ourselves as part of something greater (17). This does not necessarily mean believing in a creator, but appreciating that humans are just a part of a bigger picture and that we diminish ourselves by only viewing nature in terms only of its value to human kind. Most pre-industrial societies had (and have) this sense of connectivity from their daily dependence on natural cycles. How those growing up in urban areas achieve a sense of reverence for the natural world is a challenge for parents and educators. There is also a need to examine the values needed for sustainable living and to question the prevalent culture of consumerism and materialism, by which young people are increasingly bombarded from an early and impressionable age. See the Polyp cartoon 'Happiness is just around the corner' in our resources section >>

Critics and Counter Arguments
Critics of sustainable development (or what is often simplistically termed 'green' thinking) say that to put such store on the environment implies reverting to living pre-modern lifestyles. However a counter argument is the need to think smarter about how we use resources, embodied in such theories as Factor Four and Factor Ten (18). Sustainability is essentially about focussing on Quality of Life issues, rather than Standar of Living and promoting a far more efficient and equitable use of resources. Ultimately, as the section 'What is development?' points up, the development path chosen nationally or internationally is significantly determined by political decisions. This is one reason why the Development Compass Rose (19) is such a useful tool for looking at issues from natural, economic, social and (who decides) political points of view.

However, one of the drawbacks of most contemporary political systems is an absence of emphasis on futurity - most electoral programmes only look a few years ahead, whereas sustainability requires thinking fifty to a hundred years or more ahead.

Your values, beliefs and aims for the future will affect how you view development issues and the concepts of sustainability / sustainable development.

References

12 World Resources Institute:
http://www.wri.org/facts/ecobytes.html

13 NASA Earth Observatory Site:
http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Deforestation/deforestation/deforestation_3.html

14 World Bank Website
http://www.worldbank.org/

15 UK Strategy for Sustainable Development:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/sustainable/quality/life/index.htm/

16 World Wildlife Fund Website
http://www.wwf-uk.org/

17 'Being not Doing' Martin Palmer
http://www.wwflearning.co.uk/news/viewpoint_0000000533.asp/

18 Factor Four is the idea that resource productivity should be quadrupled so that wealth is doubled and resource use is halved. The concept has been summed up as "doing more with less". It is argued that this would result in substantial macro-economic gains.
Factor Ten is the idea that per capita material flows from rich countries need to be reduced by 90% to hit the Factor Four target because they are responsible for five times as much resource use as Southern countries. See http://www.bsdglobal.com/

19 See the Developing Citizenship website for more information about the Development Compass Rose. There is a briefing sheet on using the Development Compass Rose in our methodologies section too.