Can sustainable development work? What then will be the impact
on business and what will be the impa
First we must define sustainable development. Sustainable is to
say that something such as resources or an environmental system
can be continued indefinitely without depleting any of the
material or energy resources required to keep it running.
Development is the act, process, or result of developing.
Combined together it is an idea brought forward by the World
Commission on Environment and Development defined by them as a
form of development or progress that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs. We must also understand that we are the
stewards of the natural environment and the entire planet, and
as such we are responsible for what ever happens to any of the
ecological systems.
Can sustainable development work? This question is more complex
than it seems. A simple yes or no answer does not apply to this
question due to all of the factors involved, which must be
considered and evaluated. On the one hand you would have to say
no. The reasons you would have to say no are, because of the
opposition you would receive from changing human habits, which
have been set for thousands of years. Structure and cost to big
businesses and trying to control other countries and governments
and the economical impacts such major changes could have on any
societies economy. It would be impossible for the United States
to order or police all of the other nations and possibly
unethical to force them into our ideas and ways of life. This
approach has brought the United States into many wars. Wars
negatively impact many ecological systems by either invading
them or totally destroying them. War also destroys and uses vast
amounts of natural resources. Yet the United Nations, if given
more power could possibly perform this task of policing and
regulating without resulting in war if all of the nations of the
world joined the United Nations, but at what cost. In the United
States big business is able to influence our politicians. If big
business felt this was economically unsound they could afford to
spend billions of dollars to fight any legislation that would
help this cause or tie up legislation, regulations or mandates
in our court systems for years.
Then you have human nature, which resist change especially when
it comes to giving up something that makes life easier or that
is the economical source of their survival. If people survive or
derive their income or livelihoods from these natural sources it
will be almost impossible to get them to change their habits of
destruction to the natural environment.
Then you have the anti-environmental groups, which work hard to
confuse the issues or hide the facts with extra facts or
manipulate the data with the help of big business and skeptical
scientist they hire. All of these factors and more would be
reason to say that sustainable development would not work.
The impact on the environment would be devastating and our world
would eventually be unable to sustain any life and we would have
to move or perish with it. When all the resource started
disappearing businesses would run out of materials and be forced
to eventually close forever.
Now, onto the idea that sustainable development can work for
this environment and the entire planet. You have many people all
ready starting to see the impacts we have on the environment.
There are many groups and businesses and governments, which are
working towards this goal. The groups are working to get the
politicians to bring about more regulations and laws to help
protect the natural environment and the entire planet.
By starting with smaller portions of the human population such
as communities and cities, we can slowly work towards
sustainable states and countries and eventually the entire
planet. Some businesses are helping by means of recycling, using
less resources, cutting pollution and a host of other
environmentally sound practices.
The United States is one of the fore runners in this struggle,
to change the way humans interact with the natural environment.
More and more political leaders are stepping up to the plate and
doing their part to bring about positive change. Recently
President Bush unveiled plans on reducing global warming and
pollution, which is first meant to stop these effects and then
reverse them.
Sound scientist are stepping up and reporting on sound
scientific facts about environmental issues such as greenhouse
gases, pollution, El Nino and any other environmental
conditions, that are destroying our natural environment, which
in turn will lead to the destruction of our entire planet.
As more people are educated to what is happening to the natural
environment and learn that we the humans of this planet are the
ones responsible for the depletion and destruction of the
natural environment, then that is the more people who will help
in the struggle to maintain and fix what has happened and
sustainable development will become a complete reality.
One of the main concepts of sustainable development that must be
understood and practiced by every human is stewardship, because
like it or not we are the stewards of the entire planets
environment.
The impact of sustainable development working is that the
businesses will continue to function and grow and they will have
customers to buy their products and the resources to produce
them. The impact of sustainable development working for the
environment is obvious. If we the inhabitants of this natural
environment take care of it, the natural environment will
continue to take care of us and we will not perish or have to
move to another planet.
Instead of asking if sustainable development will work or not we
need to look at the facts of do we need it to work or not. I
believe that it has been shown that we have no choice in this
matter we either make sustainable development work or we will
perish from our own lack of effort and humanity will be no more.