Sustainability: The Only Way Forward

It has now been realised, as never before by the world’s leaders, that the maintenance of the environment and biodiversity is essential for the functioning of life support systems, and that there is an interlinking of environment and development. Almost all the leaders of the world have now accepted the fact that we are all neighbours in an interdependent and interlinked world, sharing a common future.

We all dream of a world that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable, where economic growth is accomplished within the constraints of realising social objectives such as poverty eradication and social equity. Though this is an achievable dream, in order to realise it, there is a need to understand the triple interdependence of economic, social, and environmental factors and integrate them into decision-making in governments and the private sector. Today, most countries are facing one common challenge: how to manage natural resources in order to contribute to poverty alleviation while maintaining the ecological life support system. For this, we need to realise that there are five major factors that have a great impact on the quality of our environment. These are: the number of people, i.e., population; the amount of energy and resources they consume; the damage caused by the form and extent of production and consumption involved; the state of the economy of the people; and finally, how much we are prepared to sacrifice our narrow commercial or national interests for our common future.

In economics, the main issue deals with what, where, and how much of the natural resources are required to alleviate poverty, while social issues deal with for whom and how much resources are developed, and environmental issues address how natural resources can be managed with minimum negative impact on ecosystems. The need of the hour, therefore, is to realise economic growth within the constraints of social and environmental sustainability. This is, however, not an easy task, mainly because there are many countries that resist the call for population control. The problem is further compounded by the fact that about 90% of population growth in the next decade will occur in developing countries, where people value children even more as forms of investment and security. That, however, does not absolve the developed countries of their share of responsibility. No! Because 25% of the world population, which lives in industrially developed countries, consumes about 75% of the world’s resources, and their industries have been a major factor in polluting the environment.

Looking at the overall situation, it is a question of collective security, in which all nations, and each institution and individual, must play a role. The challenge is to generate substantial benefits simultaneously across multiple economic, environmental, and social objectives. If we are to achieve our dream, the time to act is now—by coming together and developing a spirit of cooperation, a sense of responsibility, and sharing of mutual concerns. Remember! If we fail to act now, it will impoverish both our current and future generations.

(Writer is a spiritual educator & popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal & UK. Till Date 8500+ Published Columns have been written by Him)