UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF LEGAL STUDIES
PANJAB UNIVERSITY, CHANDIGARH
ENVIRONMENT LAW PROJECT
TOPIC: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
DR. JATINDER MANN RIYA
B.COM. LL.B.
SECTION- E
349/19
INTRODUCTION
The opportunity to create a new strategy offered by sustainable development has significant
consequences for peace and security concerns. Scholars are currently using the term
"Sustainable development" more frequently than "development". Every social scientist, social
organisation, statesman, and leader now talks about it frequently. Insofar as it has led to
imbalances in the environment and between nations, the industrial, technological, and
economic progress that humanity has experienced over the past 100 years has not proven to
be a true development.
The environment's degradation as a result of the irresponsible and excessive use of our
planet's resources has threatened to, and in fact has already, negatively impacted, the growth
that different cultures have been able to observe. Industrial and infrastructure initiatives are
unquestionably tools for development. The usefulness and viability of such projects were
previously primarily evaluated in terms of their potential financial rewards.
However, in recent times, as environmental and human rights concerns have gained
popularity, it is now thought crucial that such projects be developed, planned, and carried out
in a manner that can guarantee the true and long-lasting socio-economic welfare of the people
without causing any harm to the environment. We must conceive in terms of GDH, or gross
domestic happiness, rather than just GDP and GDP per capita. Development must be
accomplished without violating anyone's human rights, especially those of individuals whose
lives will be directly and physically impacted by such undertakings. The phrase "sustainable
development" refers to this new, constructive strategy. Today, it is believed that sustainable
development is a must for assuring a stable, permanent, real, and sustainable future.
What is Sustainable Development?
The word "Sustainable" refers to a development strategy that addresses such fundamental
human concerns as poverty, the environment, equality, democracy, development, and peace.
Peace and progress go hand in hand, as is now understood.
Providing for the fundamental necessities of underprivileged populations holds the possibility
of eradicating a variety of conditions that encourage the escalation of violence and armed
conflict. Not development but sustainable development alone can help or contribute to the
conflict-resolution process as well as the necessity to stop and prevent violent conflicts.
The 1992 Rio Declaration, presented at the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, asserted in its Principle 25, that Peace, development and environmental
protection are interdependent and indivisible. In other words, the concept of peace is
inextricably linked to the concept of sustainable development. Presently, these two concepts
have come to be regarded as inseparable.
The United Nations Commission on Environment and Development popularised the term
Sustainable Development in 1987 with the Brundtland Report. This report, titled Our
Common Future, produced the most widely accepted definition of Sustainable
Development—development that meets present needs without jeopardising future
generations' ability to meet their own needs.
CONCEPT
Sustainable Development is a revolutionary concept that is, unfortunately, extremely difficult
to define pragmatically. The history of sustainable development is not particularly long.
There are numerous tensions within the concept of sustainable development, ranging from its
ambiguous and vague definition to the failure to achieve a universal pragmatic and
operational framework. The greatest challenge that sustainable development faces is not only
educating people about it, but also defining it in a way that people can understand it.
Although the concept of sustainable development is arguably multi-disciplinary, complex,
and systematic, defining it is an enormous task. The term "sustainable development" was
coined in 1980, when the concept's intent was simple. Sustainable development was defined
as 'conserving the earth's natural resources' in the World Conservation Strategy, a
collaboration between three prominent environmental non-governmental organisations,
IUCN, WWF, and UNEP.
The World Conservation Strategy recognised that with global economic growth came short-
sighted exploitation of the world's natural resources. The World Conservation Strategy's
original and sole purpose was to bring nations together to stop the exploitation of natural
resources, which had a negative impact on the environment.
At the time of its coinage, sustainable development was thus only seen on a very basic level.
Not even a decade later did the definition become much more multi-disciplinary. The World
Commission on Environment and Development issued a white paper titled Our Common
Future in 1987. (WCED). The document laid the groundwork for sustainable development
with a widely quoted definition:
sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
jeopardising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.
Since then, virtually every international organisation, agency, and NGO has taken up the
document, also widely referred to as the ‘Brundtland Report’. When it was explained in The
Brundtland Report that the economy, society, and environment were essential to sustainable
development, it became the first text to endorse sustainable development as a
multidisciplinary field.
A plan known as Agenda 21 was created by the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development in 1992, and it is said to be the blueprint for sustainability in the 21st
century.
It is a framework to which nations and governments must strictly adhere. The United Nations
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) is responsible for reviewing progress in the
implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development; as
well as providing policy guidance to follow up on the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
(JPOI) at the local, national, regional, and international levels. Both Agenda 21 and the
Brundtland Report have proven to be widely used frameworks that nations, agencies, and
organisations use in modern times, but despite their acceptance, a clear definition is still
lacking.
The most difficult issue with the concept of sustainable development is the sheer number of
definitions available. Unfortunately, there is still no clear definition of sustainable
development. Although the Brundtland Report's definition is widely used, it is clear where it
falls short. When one reconsiders the definition sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the present without jeopardising future generations' ability to meet their
own needs, two distinct issues emerge.
First of all, the "needs" are not stated. The demands of a person living in Western Europe vs
those of a person living in a Third-World nation are very different. Second, because the term
"generations" is so ambiguous, the definition does not provide any sort of chronological
frame. The sheer number of definitions available for sustainable development makes it a
subject that the average person is not interested in exploring.
FEATURES
1. Water care- Drinking water that is fresh is a rare resource. The preservation of water
reserves is one of the key objectives of sustainable development. Also, employ this
resource in a more thoughtful manner. For instance, irrigation techniques that use less
water or enhanced water treatment and treatment facilities are some of the advancements
that, in this regard, introduce sustainable development.
2. Responsible and efficient use of resources- Sustainable development is concerned with
the efficient use of resources, particularly nonrenewable resources (such as fossil fuels).
3. Increase recycling - Many of the materials utilised to create everyday items for consumers
are currently scarce. The best way to reuse the resources available for sustainable
development is as a result of recycling. Recycling dramatically minimises waste growth
in addition to resource consumption, creating an intriguing circular economy that, in turn,
results in lower pollution levels.
4. Environment protection-This is undeniably one of the strengths, but it is also one of the
most difficult to achieve for long-term development. Environmental and biodiversity
protection is becoming an increasingly important aspect of society as a whole. In addition
to environmental protection, sustainable development aims to avoid environmental
disasters caused by both human action and climatic change.
5. Prediction of environmental impacts- Sustainable development aims to maintain close
communication between the economic, technological, and environmental sectors in order
to forecast the effects of policies implemented, particularly in the medium and long term.
6. Ecosystem recovery- Another important aspect of sustainable development is the
recovery or repair of man-made ecosystem damage. This damage has occurred in many
cases as a result of the intensive use of resources. However, it is also responsible for the
progressive deterioration of the ozone layer.
7. Use of clean technologies- One of the major challenges of sustainable development is
increasing the consumption of clean technologies. In this sense, sustainable development
strives to integrate and develop clean technologies into manufacturing processes in order
to reduce pollution levels.
8. Increase in the quality of life- Sustainable development also aims to improve the quality
of life for society's members. In this sense, sustainable development is based on the idea
that all members of a society have the right to improve their standard of living. Unlike
what is currently happening with development based on obtaining benefits. In which only
a few people benefit from societal advancements.
9. Regional self-sufficiency- The ability of a community or region to engage in sustainable
development through the care of natural resources within its sphere of influence is
defined by the name. They define sustainable development in its most basic terms. To
have a thorough comprehension of this paradigm or these methods of viewing the world,
it is important to be aware of them. When it comes to sustainable development, many
economic interests may produce a hazy perspective. To maintain our activity without
compromising the planet's resources or harming the ecosystem, it does not involve
anything other than adjusting our producing methods and behaviours. If you're interested
in learning more, check out instances of sustainable development as well as the benefits
and drawbacks of sustainable development.
CONCLUSION
The idea of sustainable development is based on making efficient use of resources so
that not only are our immediate needs met, but also those of our future generations are
not jeopardised. Following the 1992 Rio de Janeiro meeting, this idea gained
momentum. Nearly all nations adhere to the Brundtland report's guiding principles or
objectives. When it comes to India, the government has made a number of efforts to
put the idea of sustainable development into practise. The creation of the NGT, the
Paris Agreement, the Namami Ganges Mission, the National Clean Energy Fund, and
other significant actions are a few examples.
